Ronald DeFeo, who was convicted of killing his own family, had a wife before the killings and married three additional times after his conviction.

Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr., who was accused and convicted in 1974 in Amityville, Long Island, New York, for the murders of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters, has died.

On March 12, 2021, at the age of 69, the American mass killer, who was serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for murdering his family members, died at Albany Medical Center.

Due of health concerns, he was transported to the medical clinic on February 2 from a jail in New York’s Catskill Mountains.

DeFeo, also known as ‘The Butch,’ was romantically linked with a woman before the heinous killings. Even after he was imprisoned, he married three more times.
Before the Conviction, Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr.’s Wife

DeFeo was married to Geraldine Gates before the horrific killings took place.

In a 1986 interview with Newsday, the pair acknowledged their marriage and revealed that they had a daughter together. The facts of the connection that led to a child and marriage, on the other hand, are hazy.

Geraldine Gates, DeFeo’s claimed husband, and DeFeo began dating in 1973 after meeting in a bar. According to Gates, DeFeo offered her a drink, which led to their becoming lovers.

DeFeo was described as a gentle, kind, and giving young man by her. She asserted that his macho persona was only a ruse.

“Ronnie DeFeo is a very sweet, tender, loving, giving young man – he really is,” Gates said to the Newsday. “I saw all the big macho image he did was a facade.”

DeFeo’s lawyer, on the other hand, was unaware of his supposed wife and daughter. Their daughter was born on August 21, 1974, in New Jersey, however she was not recorded with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics on that day or any other day in 1974.

According to DeFeo, his father forced him to marry Gates after his daughter was born. Gates produced a photocopy of the marriage certificate to prove that the marriage took place on October 17, 1974, at the Garfield Grant Hotel in Long Branch.
A Relationship in Peril

However, neither the City of Long Branch nor the State of New Jersey have any records of such a certificate.

Another thing to note is that Thomas J. Baldino Jr., who appears in the photocopy as the city magistrate, stated that he resigned in 1964 and did not perform any marriages.

DeFeo and Gates had been out of touch since the murders. DeFeo allegedly sent her away and instructed her not to return.

“He sent me away. He told me he was going to have to do this time . . . He just kept telling me not to come, not to come, not to come.“

Official and judicial records, on the other hand, contradict these personal narratives. It’s difficult to discern whether Gates was married to DeFeo or not.
After DeFeo’s Conviction, His Wives

While incarcerated, DeFeo was involved with three women. According to IMDB, he was married to Barbara Puco, his second wife, from 1994 to 1999.

Following his imprisonment, he married Tracey Defeo, his third wife, in 2004. Tracey was divorced by him, but the exact date is uncertain.

Nissa Burkhalter was his final wife, with whom he was married from June 2012 to July 2015.
The Amityville Murders are a series of murders that took place in Amityville

DeFeo was serving six life sentences until his death for the murders of his parents Ronald DeFeo, Sr. (43) and Louise DeFeo, 42, as well as his siblings John (9), Marc (12), Allison (13), and Dawn (9). (18).

The murders occurred at their home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville on November 13, 1974, while the victims were sleeping.

DeFeo allegedly shot each of his family members with a 35-caliber Marlin lever-action rifle, according to police reports. Each of his siblings had been shot once, and his parents had been shot twice.

Due to multiple paranormal events, this infamous mass murder drew a lot of public attention. The Amityville Horror film franchise is based on this twisted fixation. To date, 22 films have been released, with five more in the works.

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