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| John DeFeo | |
| Aliases: | John Matthew DeFeo |
| Continuity: | Amityville Horror |
| Notability: | Minor character |
| Type: | Murder victim |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | Brooklyn, New York City, New York 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, Long Island |
| Relatives: | Ronald DeFeo, Sr. Louise DeFeo Dawn DeFeo Allison DeFeo Marc DeFeo Ronald DeFeo, Jr. |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Born: | October 24th, 1965 |
| Died: | November 13th, 1974 |
| First: | The Amityville Murders |
| Actor: | Kue Lawrence |
John Matthew DeFeo was an actual child and murder victim. The details surrounding John DeFeo's death, in conjunction with claims later made by the Lutz family, became the basis for the novel and 1979 feature film known as The Amityville Horror. This individual made their film introduction in a behind-the-scenes appearance in the beginning of the The Amityville Horror. John was presented in the 2018 film The Amityville Murders where he was played by actor Kue Lawrence.
Biography[]
John Matthew DeFeo was the fifth and youngest child of Ronald DeFeo, Jr. and Louise DeFeo. He was born in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York City, New York on October 24th, 1965. His older siblings included Ronald DeFeo, Jr., Dawn DeFeo, Allison DeFeo, and Marc DeFeo. While John was still an infant, his family moved from Brooklyn into a Dutch Colonial home at 112 Ocean Avenue in the village of Amityville in Long Island.
On November 13th, 1974, between the hours of 3:00 and 3:15 am, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., for reasons that remain unclear, used a Marlin 336C shotgun and shot and killed every member of the household including his parents and all four siblings. John DeFeo's body was found lying face down in her bed with ballistics evidence concluding that he had been shot from behind. John DeFeo was 9 years old at the time of his death. He was buried at Saint Charles Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.
Notes & Trivia[]
- Photographs of John have appeared in numerous documentaries relating to the Amityville Horror including the "Amityville: The Haunting" episode of History's Mysteries in 2000, the 2011 documentary Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders, High Hopes: The Amityville Horror Murders in 2014, the "Amityville Horror: Murdered One By One" and "Amityville Horror: Evil in the House" episodes of Very Scary People, the "Amityville Horror" episode of History's Greatest Mysteries in 2022 and the television miniseries Amityville: An Origin Story in 2023.
- Some sources indicate that John may have had a spinal injury which would have prevented him from being able to sleep on his stomach, implying that he was forced to roll over, or somebody turned him over prior to being shot. As such, it is extremely likely that John was awake at the time of his death.