Episode 613: Latoya Ammons and the Demon house

On the afternoon of February 9, 1958, a complaint was called into Long Island’s seventh police precinct regarding a series of “strange occurrences” taking place in the caller’s home. According to the caller, Lucille Herrmann, for nearly a week the caps and lids of bottles in the basement had been popping off inexplicably, while other bottles and containers were tipping over and spilling their contents for no obvious reason. Elsewhere in the house, items were flying off shelves without the aid of human hands, and toys were breaking without explanation. Not only were the disturbances destructive to the Herrmann’s home and property, but they were also psychologically upsetting, since they seemed to be happening on their own. Lucille Herrmann’s call to the Seaford Police Department kicked off a two-month-long fascination with what many came to believe was genuine poltergeist activity in the Herrmann’s Long Island, NY home. What began as a simple call to the police for assistance quickly escalated into near daily media coverage and interest from a variety of paranormal investigators and skeptics, all determined to identify and explain the cause of the ostensibly supernatural occurrences in what became known as “the house of flying objects.” The Herrmann’s case of poltergeist activity is considered by many to be the first modern investigation into poltergeist disturbances and would serve as the inspiration for Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 horror film, Poltergeist. Despite the considerable attention, however, the case remains unexplained to this day. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Allen, Tom. 1958. "A haunted house is not a home." Daily News (New York, NY), March 9: 30. Aronson, Harvey. 1958. "Expert sees no hoax in bottle-popping." Newsday, March 7: 3. Associated Press. 1958. "Bottles--all kind--flip their tops." Democrat and Chronicle , February 11: 1. —. 1958. "Bottle tops rout pop." Elmira Star-Gazette, February 23: 1. —. 1958. "Bottles pop, Davy falls for angel." Press and Sun-Bulletin, February 17: 11. Dorman, Michael. 1987. "Ghost stories." Newsday, October 25: 9. Elmira Advertiser. 1958. "Herrmanns' house quiet." Elmira Advertiser, March 27: 4. Kahn, Dave. 1958. "Bottle-popping force shakes our reporter." Newsday, February 24: 3. —. 1958. "Bottle-popping report points to Jimmy." Newsday, May 15: 5. —. 1958. "Experts are working, bottle-pop force isn't." Newsday, February 27: 4. —. 1958. "Flying figurines drive family out of Seaford home." Newsday, February 22: 5. —. 1958. "Has the LI bottle-popping force popped its last." Newsday, March 17: 7. —. 1958. "Jimmy a bottle-popper? No, sasy father." Newsday, February 28: 5. —. 1958. "Our bottle-proper's decision: he's baffled." Newsday, February 25: 5. —. 1958. "'Spirit' gets rough, starts hurling things." Newsday, February 21: 5. —. 1958. "Two more bottles blow tops at LI house." Newsday, February 12: 4. Newsday. 1958. "All's quiet on the bottle front." Newsday, March 3: 5. —. 1958. "Clues remnmain cold in bottle mystery, but bottles get hot." Newsday, February 17: 5. —. 1958. "Expert ponders bottle popping." Newsday, February 15: 10. —. 1958. "Look out! Things are popping again." Newsday, March 4: 5. Nickell, Joe. 2012. The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books. Roll, William G. 1976. The Poltergeist. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. United Press. 1958. "Boy likely was spook, says expert." Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY), May 15: 25. Ziaman, Ronald. 1958. "Teen interviews." Brooklyn Daily, June 26: 14. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the early hours of June 30, 1987, Boise resident Clinton Sparks was awoken by someone pounding frantically on his storm door. A moment later, Sparks heard a loud scream in the distance, and he went inside to call 911. Although he didn’t know it at the time, what Clinton Sparks heard was the last desperate cry of twenty-one-year-old Preston Murr, Two of Murr’s associates, Daniel Rodgers and Daron Cox, were arrested and tried and convicted for the murder. The trial and conviction should have been where the story ended, but for the house on Linden Street where the murder occurred, it was only the beginning. Since Murr’s tragic death more than thirty-five years ago, the house has become a source of local legends, with claims ranging from the appearance of ghostly apparitions to blood inexplicably dripping down the walls. As a result, Boise’s “Murder Mansion” has become known as one of the most haunted houses in America. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!! References Ensunsa, David. 1987. "Boisean held on drug charges has prison record." Idaho Statesman , July 2: 1. —. 1987. "Murder suspect cared for foster teens." Idaho Statesman, July 8: 1. —. 1987. "Sister says Rodgers, slaying victim fought over drugs, money." Idaho Statesman, July 8: 1. Fiorentino, Alyssa. 2022. The True Story of the Boise Murder House Is Straight Out of a Horror Movie.September 7. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a41059891/boise-murder-house/. Heart, Michelle. 2021. 7 chillding and real stories from Boise's infamous murder house. September 15. Accessed September 06, 2024. https://liteonline.com/7-chilling-and-real-stories-from-boises-infamous-murder-house/. —. 2024. Dare to enter? Boise's fascinating Murder House will open for public tours soon. May 23. Accessed September 7, 2024. https://liteonline.com/murder-house-tours/. —. 2017. Nightmare on my street: Boise's Murder House. October 5. Accessed September 5, 2024. https://liteonline.com/nightmare-on-my-street-boises-murder-house-video-2/. Idaho Statesman. 1988. "Fingerprints tied to murder victim." Idaho Statesman, March 10: 7. KBOI News. 2012. The Murder House: Is site of decades-old murder haunted? June 27. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/nation-world/the-murder-house-is-site-of-decades-old-murder-haunted-11-17-2015. Lamay, Colleen. 1988. "Court told gun bore Rodgers' prints." Idaho Statesman, March 15: 10. McFarland, Kelsey. 2016. Murder house: Is site of decades old crime scene haunted. October 27. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://idahonews.com/news/local/murder-house-is-site-of-decades-old-crime-scene-haunted. Peterson, Anne, and Julie Stutts. 1987. "Police discover blood on street in southeast Boise." Idaho Statesman, July 1: 26. Pewitt, Jana. 1988. "Deal frees Cox of murder charge." Idaho Statesman, March 22: 13. —. 1988. "Nampa man says he found body parts." Idaho Statesman, March 11: 19. —. 1987. "Police: disposal of body recounted." Idaho Statesman, September 5: 15. —. 1988. "Rodgers' lawyer asks for mistrial." Idaho Statesman, March 8: 7. —. 1988. "Rodgers says blood sickens him." Idaho Statesman, March 18: 21. —. 1987. "Screams prompted call to police." Idaho Statesman, September 4: 9. —. 1988. "Crime lab expert testifies bullet in skull belonged to Rodgers' gun." Idahome Statesman, March 17: 19. Romine, Dannye. 1989. "She led two lives." Parade Magazine, June 25: 4-6. State of Idaho v. Daniel Rodgers. 1990. 17785 (Court of Appeals of Idaho, November 13). Stutts, Julie. 1987. "Ada to suspend 2 dispatchers over call." Idaho Statesman, July 16: 1. Stutts, Julie, and Jana Pewitt. 1988. "Verdict: Rodgers guilty of murder, dismemberment ." Idaho Statesman, March 19: 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On December 18, 1975, George and Kathy Lutz moved their family into their new house on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, NY, where, just one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo Jr. had murdered all six members of his family. Twenty-eight days later, the Lutz family fled the home, leaving behind all their belongings and vowing never to return again. According to the Lutzes, their time in the house on Ocean Avenue was a nightmare of psychic attacks and demonic activity that put them in fear for their lives. The supposed experience of the Lutz family served as the basis for the iconic haunted house story, The Amityville Horror, and the countless films adapted from or inspired by the original novel. However, unlike most other stories of paranormal experiences, The Amityville Horror became a phenomenon that influenced everything from Ronald DeFeo’s criminal defense to the American public’s belief in the supernatural. Yet for all their talk of it being a genuine story of demonic activity, in the years since the publication of The Amityville Horror, a large body of evidence from skeptical evaluations to court records and interview transcripts suggest that America’s most notorious haunted house might not have been quite so haunted after all. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!! References Ansen, Jay. 1978. The Amityville Horror. New York, NY: Bantam Books. Bartholomew, Robert, and Joe Nickell. 2016. "The Amityville Hoax at 40." Skeptic Magazine 8-12. Carter, A.J. 1976. "DeFeo house: legal twist." Newsday, February 17: 3. Drehsler, Alex, and Jim Scovel. 1977. "Fact or fiction." Newsday, November 17: 188. Gelder, Lawrence Van. 1977. "A real-life horror story." New York Times, October 9: L12. Lutz v. Hoffman et al. 1979. 77-032D-T (Southern District of California ). Nickell, Joe. 2003. "Amityville: The Horror of it All." Skeptical Inquirer 13-14. Nickell, Joe. 2009. "The questionable research of Hans Holzer, dean of ghost hunters (1920-2009)." Skeptical Inquirer 5-6. Schemo, Diane Jean. 1992. "'Amityville' prisoner says movie money tained defense." New York Times, June 25: B6. Snider, Jane. 1977. "New owners call house beautiful, not haunted ." Newsday, May 13: 23. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the evening of November 13, 1974, twenty-three-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. burst through the door of Henry’s Bar in Amityville, Long Island, frantically yelling for help and telling the patrons that someone had killed his parents. When a small group returned to the house with DeFeo, they discovered that not only had his parents, Louise and Ronald Sr., been killed, but so had his four brothers and sisters—all shot to death in their beds with a .35 caliber rifle. During a police interview that night, investigators became suspicious of Ronald DeFeo. Not only was his story of a mob hit difficult to believe, but he seemed incapable of keeping certain aspects of his story straight during the interview. The next day, DeFeo broke down and confessed to the murders, explaining that he had hated his father and telling investigators, “Once I started [shooting], I just couldn’t stop.” Ronald DeFeo’s trial was one of New York’s biggest news stories of 1975 and attracted considerable attention due to his attempt to mount an insanity defense and his frequent outbursts in the courtroom. In the end, the defense was unsuccessful and DeFeo was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. DeFeo’s conviction should have been the end of the story, but it turned out it was only the beginning of what would eventually become one of the most notorious supernatural claims in American history. Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!! References Carter, A.J., Soper Susan , Dallas Gatewood, and Sam Washington. 1974. "DeFeo son is accused." Newsday, November 15: 3. Incantalupo, Tom, and Sam Washington. 1974. "A quiet drink turns into an invitation to disaster." Newsday, November 14: 3. —. 1974. "Six in Amityville family slain, each in bed, 1 bullet in back." Newsday, November 14: 1. New York Times. 1974. "Six in family found slain in bedrooms in L.I. home." New York Times, November 14: 97. Smith, Don. 1975. "Attack mounted on DeFeio's insanity plea." Newsday, October 25: 16. —. 1975. "Cellmate says DeFeo had insanity plan." Newsday, November 11: 6. —. 1975. "Cop quotes DeFeoL 'I... couldn't stop'." Newsday, September 24: 4. —. 1975. "Cop: DeFeo altered story." Newsday, October 22: 9. —. 1975. "DeFeo charges police beat him into confessing." Newsday, September 27: 13. —. 1975. "DeFeo defended as psychotic killer." Newsday, November 19: 17. —. 1975. "DeFeo guilty of family murder." Newsday, November 22: 3. —. 1975. "Doctor: DeFeo knew it was wrong." Newsday, November 13: 19. —. 1975. "Family clash is cited in DeFeo trial." Newsday, October 15: 22. —. 1975. "I killed a dozen others, DeFeo says." Newsday, November 7: 21. —. 1975. "'I left the room in awe of the horror'." Newsday, October 23: 17. Smith, Don, and Sam Washington. 1975. "DeFeo a heroin user, cop testifies." Newsday, October 18: 16. Stark, Thomas M. 2021. Horrific Homicides: A Judge Looks Back at the Amityville Horror Murders and Other Infamous Long Island Crimes. New York, NY : Archway Publishing. Sullivan, Gerard, and Harvey Aronson. 1981. High Hopes: The Amityville Murders. New York, NY: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan. Vecsey, George. 1974. "L.I. slayings suspect had used drugs." New York Times, November 16: 18. —. 1974. "Neighbors recall DeFeos as 'nice, normal family'." New York Times, November 15: 80. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Al and Carmen Snedeker found out that their son Phillip was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the treatment plan required the family to relocate into a three floor home in Southington, Connecticut. The second floor apartment quickly became a nightmare for the inhabitants, with attacks escalating to demonic assault. Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and writing support! References Carpenter, B. (1988, September 15). Exorcism performed in 'spirited' home. Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), p. 37. Carpenter, B. (1988, August 18). Researcher says home haunted by evil presence. Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), p. 33. Carpenter, B. (1988, August 13). Southington haunting is daunting . Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), p. 1. Cohen, J. (1992, October 27). Their Southington haunt was hellish, couple tell Sally Jessy. Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), p. 1. Garton, R., & Warren, E. (1992). In a Dark Place: The True Story of a Haunting. New York, NY: Villard Books. I was raped by a ghost (1992). [Motion Picture]. Nickel, J. (2009). Demons in Connecticut. Skeptical Inquirer, 25-27. Schmidt, K. (1992, October 30). Couple sees ghost; skeptics see through it. Hartford Courant, p. 126. Smith, G. (1991, May 15). Family still haunted by ghastly experience. Record-Journal (Meriden, CT), p. 1. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.