In 1976 professional photographer Gene Campbell set up a camera on the second floor landing of 112 Ocean Drive, Amityville NY - the location of the DeFeo murders two years earlier.
Many rolls of film were exposed, all showing nothing out of the ordinary, except for this one frame. Is this the ghost of John Mathew DeFeo?
Many rolls of film were exposed, all showing nothing out of the ordinary, except for this one frame. Is this the ghost of John Mathew DeFeo?
The Amityville Murders
112 Ocean Avenue just after the DeFeo's were discovered. At approximately 6:30pm November 13, 1974, 23 year old Ronald DeFeo Jr charged into his local bar in Amityville, New York. The cause for his urgency was that his parents had been shot. Before long DeFeo and a small group of patrons from the bar went to the DeFeo home at 112 Ocean Avenue and soon found that Ronald's parents were dead.
After a emergency phone call to the police the house was searched and another four members of the family were found dead within the house. All were killed with a single shot except for the parents who each bore two bullet wounds. Ronald DeFeo was apparently the only survivor of the massacre.
At first Ronald DeFeo (the eldest son) made claims the murders were carried out by a mob hit man but soon after the police pointed out inconsistencies within his story Ronald admitted his guilt.
A year later DeFeo was trialled, found guilty on six accounts of second degree murder and for each he received a life sentence. The trial was no open and shut case as DeFeo made insanity pleas and testified he heard voices in his head and had been possessed by the devil who forced him to commit the murders.
That would have been the end of that but..
After a emergency phone call to the police the house was searched and another four members of the family were found dead within the house. All were killed with a single shot except for the parents who each bore two bullet wounds. Ronald DeFeo was apparently the only survivor of the massacre.
At first Ronald DeFeo (the eldest son) made claims the murders were carried out by a mob hit man but soon after the police pointed out inconsistencies within his story Ronald admitted his guilt.
A year later DeFeo was trialled, found guilty on six accounts of second degree murder and for each he received a life sentence. The trial was no open and shut case as DeFeo made insanity pleas and testified he heard voices in his head and had been possessed by the devil who forced him to commit the murders.
That would have been the end of that but..
The Amityville Ghost Boy
George and Kathy Lutz In 1975 George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeo home where they say they spent twenty eight days of terror before fleeing.
It was not long until 'ghost hunters' and 'paranormal investigators' made for the property and according to neighbours the numbers and different persona's of those who travelled to the location were as extreme as the claimed hauntings.
There is plenty of information available online about the hauntings (and claims to the contrary) so we will skip these and get straight to the photo in question.
Twenty days after the Lutz family had fled in terror from their Amityville home investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren took up the case. The paranormal investigation took place without the Lutz's being present as they refused to re-enter the house.
It was not long until 'ghost hunters' and 'paranormal investigators' made for the property and according to neighbours the numbers and different persona's of those who travelled to the location were as extreme as the claimed hauntings.
There is plenty of information available online about the hauntings (and claims to the contrary) so we will skip these and get straight to the photo in question.
Twenty days after the Lutz family had fled in terror from their Amityville home investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren took up the case. The paranormal investigation took place without the Lutz's being present as they refused to re-enter the house.
The photograph reportedly showing the ghost of John Mathew Defeo. It was on one such investigation that Gene Campbell a professional photographer set up his camera on the second floor landing facing several of the bedrooms (where several of the murders took place). The camera was set to take photos automatically and periodically using infra-red film.
The camera took roll after roll of photos and after the investigation the camera was packed up.
The photo was not found or shown to the world until nearly three years later. Out of all the shots on all the rolls of film none showed anything out of the ordinary except for this one frame which depicts what looks like a young boy peering out over the banister.
The camera took roll after roll of photos and after the investigation the camera was packed up.
The photo was not found or shown to the world until nearly three years later. Out of all the shots on all the rolls of film none showed anything out of the ordinary except for this one frame which depicts what looks like a young boy peering out over the banister.
John Mathew Defeo and the Amityville Ghost Boy. Many people say the image resembles that of John Mathew DeFeo who was only nine years old when he was murdered by his older brother just a few short years before hand. Others say it could just be one of the investigators accidentally caught on film.
What do you think?
Could at least one of the DeFeo's still be haunting the home where they tragically lost their lives?
Or, with the case and haunting all but proven to be a fraud, is all integrity of this claim lost?
(Check out the video: http://youtu.be/-ikij2P1j4w)
What do you think?
Could at least one of the DeFeo's still be haunting the home where they tragically lost their lives?
Or, with the case and haunting all but proven to be a fraud, is all integrity of this claim lost?
(Check out the video: http://youtu.be/-ikij2P1j4w)
Ashley Hall 2012
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