Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr.
Background info
• Born September 26, 1951 in Amityville, New York
• Raised in a middle class home by Ronald and Louise DeFeo
• Oldest of his siblings, and often abused by his father (Verbally
and physically)
• Began to act out as a teen, and engaged in violent acts against
his father and his friends
DeFeo’s Adolescence
• Sent to a psychiatrist,
but refused to accept
help
• By the age 17, “Butch”
was addicted to heroin
and LSD
• Thrown out of school for
his violent misbehavior
• Family bribed him with
gifts to “fix” his behavior
A Tragic Night For the Defeos’
• On November 14, 1974, Ronald Defeo Jr. brutally murdered all
his family members using a shotgun while they were asleep
• After, he showered for work and cleaned the evidence up
• He dumped the evidence in a storm drain and went to work
(Bloody blankets, pillow cases, and the gun)
• Later confessed to the murders of his family
Trial and Imprisonment
• Trial began October 14,
1975
• Attempted an insanity
plea for “Voices in the
house telling him to do
it”
• Psychiatrist proved that
DeFeo suffered from
Antisocial Personality
Disorder
• On November 21, DeFeo was
found guilty on six degrees of
second-degree murder
• Sentenced
Quote by Ronald Defeo Jr.
• “Once it started, I just couldn’t stop.”
• This quote was right after Defeo confessed to murdering his entire
family
• This quote shows that Ronald Defeo Jr. used his anger to brutally
murder the members of his family
Sociological Theory
I feel that Ronald Defeo Jr. falls under the social control theory. I feel this
way because Ronald Defeo Jr. exhibits many characteristics from the social
control theory. With the social control theory, deviance occurs when the
attachments between social bonds isn’t so good. As a child, “Butch” was
abused physically and verbally by his father. I believe that the bond
between Ronald and his father influenced Ronald’s future actions. Ronald
refused help as a teenager, so there was little his parents could do to
control his behavior. His parents used gifts to bribe Ronald to behave
better. Their actions only made “Butch’s” behavior worse. With the social
control theory, when parents only have little control over violent behavior
or aggression, their children are more likely to engage in violent behavior.
This is proven by Ronald Defeo Jr. He was a very troubled teenager. He
beat up his friends, and often violently lashed out at his father. Also, he was
into heavy drugs, and was expelled from school at the age 17. Ronald Defeo
Jr. fits perfectly into the social control theory.
Punished!
• I feel that Ronald Defeo Jr. should simply be punished for
the crime he has committed. I believe that Ronald suffers
deeply from a mental disorder. I feel that Ronald Defeo Jr.
would be a threat and a danger to society if not punished
for his actions. He took his anger out on innocent
members of his own family. Ronald Defeo Jr. is the
perfect example of a criminals that deserves to life in
prison.