'Murder in Amityville' details Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s crimes

Last night, I finished reading “Murder in Amityville” by Hans Holzer, and if you’re interested in reading more about the “Amityville Horror,” you’ll definitely want to read this book.

Published in 1979, this 288-page book was meant to serve as a prequel to the original, better known book about the case, Jay Anson’s 1977 book, “The Amityville Horror.”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the “Amityville Horror” case, it centers on a Dutch Colonial-style house at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, N.Y. In 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family inside the house. In late 1975, George and Kathy Lutz, along with their three children, bought and moved into the home. After just 28 days, they fled the house and claimed to have been terrorized by “paranormal phenomena” while living there.

The experiences of the Lutz family are covered in detail in “The Amityville Horror,” with passing mention of DeFeo and his crimes. “Murder in Amityville” briefly summarizes what happened to the Lutz family, but mostly focuses on Ronald DeFeo Jr.

In “Murder in Amityville,” which was used as the basis of the movie “Amityville II: The Possession,” consists mostly of transcripts from DeFeo’s trial as well as interviews conducted by the author. Transcripted interviews in the book include interviews with attorneys involved in DeFeo’s court case, police investigators, private investigators, local history experts and a prison interview with DeFeo himself.

Also included in the book are transcripts of séances conducted in Amityville and transcripts of paranormal investigations conducted inside DeFeo’s home. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the material is extremely interesting, well presented and raises many questions about DeFeo’s actions.

As previously mentioned, Hans Holzer wrote “Murder in Amityville”, and many of you will be familiar with that name. Born in Austria, Holzer, who died in 2009 at the age of 89, wrote well over 100 books on supernatural and paranormal subjects. His most famous investigation was into the “Amityville Horror” case, which he began conducting, along with spiritual medium Ethel Meyers, in January 1977.

One of the most striking things, to me anyway, about Holzer’s “Murder in Amityville” is the boldface statement you’ll find on the page opposite the tables of contents: This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely incidental.

I suspect that Holzer’s publishers demanded that this be printed in the book for fear of being sued by the Lutz family and others. As many of you are probably well aware, a number of lawsuits were filed by a handful of plaintiffs after the publication of “The Amityville Horror” and the release of the motion picture version of that book.

In the end, I enjoyed “Murder in Amityville” and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the “Amityville Horror.” I don’t think this book is as good as Anson’s “The Amityville Horror,” but it was very interesting nonetheless.

How many of you have read “Murder in Amityville”? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Dislike it? Let us know in the comments section below.

Hillcrest boys, Sparta girls prepare for post-season runs

Two of our local high school basketball teams this week set off on what could be the start of a memorable post-season for both programs.

Hillcrest High School’s varsity boys have been ranked among the best teams in Class 4A all season, and I will not be shocked if they make it to the regional tourney and beyond this year.

The road won’t be easy. They won’t be able to overlook anyone from here on out, and they’ll definitely have to bring their A game to defeat teams like Jackson, Andalusia, Escambia County and Dadeville.

Sparta Academy’s varsity girls will return to familiar territory this week when they travel to Montgomery to take part in the AISA’s state tournament. Many of Sparta’s players are state tourney veterans and will not likely be rattled by an appearance at the Big Dance.

Again, the road won’t be easy, and the Lady Warriors will have their work cut out for them. They’ll have to get by undefeated and No. 1-ranked Lakeside, Southern Academy and Autauga Academy.

Will Hillcrest and Sparta bring home big post-season trophies at the end of their seasons?

Only time will tell, but there is definitely some great basketball ahead for hoops fans in Conecuh County.

Also this past week, we saw the end to another football season, and now many of us are left looking forward to little more than the spring football games at Alabama and Auburn.

Sunday night’s Super Bowl was fun to watch, and the Steelers at least made it interesting as they battled back from an ugly first-half start. In the end, though, they couldn’t overcome their mistakes and turnovers and lost, 31-25 to the Packers.

If you were one of the many TV viewers who watched Sunday night’s big game, you were a part of history. According to news reports on Monday, this year’s Super Bowl broadcast was the most watched television program in history.

When you consider all the high profile season finales over the years and other much hyped sporting events, that’s saying a lot.

For the record, my favorite commercial from this year’s Super Bowl was the Volkswagen ad with the kid dressed up like Darth Vader. I also got a big kick out of the CareerBuilder.com ad where the chimps blocked the guy into his car by parking too close to him. I’d rank the Budweiser cowboys singing “Tiny Dancer” a close third.

With football over and basketball winding down, one thing is for sure: Baseball and softball are just around the corner.

The AHSAA baseball and softball seasons officially begin on Feb. 21, and the AISA baseball and softball seasons begin on Monday.

This year, Hillcrest’s softball team will compete in 4A Area 2 against Jackson, Monroe County, Thomasville and W.S. Neal. The baseball team will compete in 4A Area 2 against Jackson, Monroe County and Thomasville.

Sparta’s baseball and softball teams will compete in 2A, Region 2, Area 2 along with Clarke Prep, Escambia Academy and South Choctaw Academy.

Does Vicks VapoRub cure really work?

Someone told me about a home cough remedy the other day that, while hard to believe, I figured I’d pass along to get your thoughts.

A man in his early 60s told me that he’d been diagnosed by a doctor with pneumonia and bronchitis, but the sick man declined to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. He went home and over the next day or so, he coughed and coughed some more. He said that eventually his sides became sore from coughing.

That’s when his wife told him to rub Vicks VapoRub on his feet, put on a pair of socks and go to bed. At first, he thought that she’d lost her marbles, but she said that she’d heard about this cough remedy on TV.

He figured he’d give it a shot, and a few minutes later he found himself rubbing his feet down with Vicks VapoRub. He then slipped on his socks and got back in his recliner. According to him, he didn’t cough again from that point on.

His grandson was also dealing with a bad cough around this time, so the man tried this home remedy on him too. What do you know? It worked on the kid too.

Now, I’m as skeptical as just about anyone you’ll ever meet, but there may be some truth to this home remedy. It’s been said that your feet are connected to every other part of your body, so maybe this is why the Vicks VapoRub is so effective.

Who knows? But the next time I come down with a bad cough, I just might try it.

Have any of you ever heard of this home remedy? Have any of you ever tried it? Did it work? Let me know at leepeacock2010@gmail.com.

In an unrelated matter, Bernard Powell visited our office a few days ago, and during our brief talk he said that he believes that our local law enforcement officers and firefighters are grossly underpaid for the services they provide to the community.

It’s hard to disagree with Mr. Powell. In fact, I think the vast majority of people would wholeheartedly agree with his point of view.

Most firefighters, especially in Conecuh County and other rural communities, are volunteers and will never receive one cent for their time and effort. Our police and deputies are paid, but when you weigh their pay against what they’re called on to do in the line of duty, it just doesn’t seem to be enough.

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot that the average person can do about this except to encourage our public officials to pay our officers and firefighters more (or something).

One thing that all of us can do, however, is thank our officers and firefighters. If you see one of these brave men or women out on the street, take the time to thank them for a job well done and let them know that you appreciate them. You never know, you might have to call on them for help sooner than you’d like.

The Evergreen Courant Sports Flashback for Feb. 10, 2011

20 YEARS AGO
FEB. 14, 1991

“Warriors get three recent wins: The Sparta Academy Warriors out-shot the Catherine Colts, 70-65, in Catherine in a varsity game Feb. 7th. Tim Salter led Sparta with 26 points. Wayne Cook hit 19 points; Steven Gall, 12; Mark Watts, nine; and Scott Brown, four.
“Four Warriors had double figures as Sparta rippled Escambia Academy, 79-61, in Evergreen on Feb. 1st. Salter had 22 points; Watts, 18; Gall, 16; Cook, 12; Brown, eight; and Sandy Salo, three.
“Sparta Sports Information Director Byron Warren Jr. announced that the Sparta Warriors hit the century mark to defeat Hooper Academy, 100-80, in Hope Hull on Jan. 26. Salter had the hot hand with 39 points. Cook hit 21 points; Watts, 12; Richard Weaver, 11; Gall, eight; Brown, six; and McPherson Cook, three.”

“The Sparta Academy basketball team will host the 1A West Region AISA basketball tournament on Mon., Feb. 18th, and Tues., Feb. 19th. The Warrior final regular season game will be Friday night at Sparta. The Warriors will host Wilcox Academy. The Warriors record so far this year is 17-3.”

35 YEARS AGO
FEB. 12, 1976

“Lyeffion High School held its annual football banquet on Jan. 23 in the school cafeteria. Master of ceremonies was Frank Chavers of Evergreen. Honored speakers were Arnold Abreu, starting guard and Tony Long, starting linebacker for Auburn University. Letter awards were presented by Coach Ronald E. Williams and Miss Geneva Stovall, cheerleader sponsor. Coach Ronnie Brogden presented the Jr. Team Leadership Award to Eric Finklea. Coach Danny Covin presented the following awards: Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Lenn Ryals; Outstanding Offensive Back, Mickey Booker; Outstanding Defensive Back, Steve Anthony; and Outstanding Defensive Lineman, Johnny House. Keith Holcombe from WBLO presented the WBLO Award to Jim Delaney.”

“The (Evergreen High School) Aggies avenged two earlier season losses by defeating Greenville, 77-67, and their strong rival, the Jackson Aggies, 63-59.”
Players on the varsity team that year included Chuck Jones, Ronald Fantroy, Edward Rankin and Marion Stanton. Players on the B-team were Earnest Williams, Willie Strong, Nelson Bradley, Larry Byre, Terry Floyd and Levon White. Charles Branum was coach.

“(Ronnie) Pugh meshed 29 points as the (Sparta Academy) Warriors eased past Fort Deposit Academy, 74-64, Friday night.”
Other players on the team that year included Bobby Johnson, Walker Scott, Jerry Peacock, Hugh Bradford, Joe Andrews and Jeff Daniels.”

80 YEARS AGO
FEB. 12, 1931

“Aggie Girls Defeat Repton 32 to 16: The Evergreen girls won their third game of the season Saturday night by defeating Repton 32 to 16. It was an exciting game, with Evergreen leading 19 to 4 at the end of the half, and Repton coming back to score 12 points in the last half.
“Ila Mae Hart played fine ball for the Aggies and scoring 16 points. Kelly had a good eye for the goal and scored on practically all of the Aggies trials for foul shots.
“The following girls played for Evergreen: forwards, Kelly, Hart and Whitley; guards, Snowden, Whitley and Sowell; centers, Pierce, Reeder and Bower. All of the girls played good ball to keep their record for the season clear of a defeat.”

“Banded Duck Killed Near Country Club: F.R. Wakefield, Evergreen man, while hunting near the Country Club a few weeks ago, killed a duck which he discovered had a band around its leg, which requested that same be returned to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey. The band was mailed in by O.C. McGehee and the letter published below was promptly received.
‘The Biological Survey is in receipt of your recent communication. The bird carrying band No. 457748 was a black duck banded at Lake Scugog, Ont., Canada, Oct. 1926, by H.S. Osler.
‘By means of these numbered metal bands important investigations relative to the migrations and other facts in the life histories of North American birds are being advanced. The bands are attached to the birds by volunteer cooperators, both in the U.S. and Canada, who serve without pay. Success in the bird-banding work is therefore dependent upon the reports of persons in both countries on such banded birds as come to their attention.
‘Migratory waterfowl have been banded in large numbers at more than 50 stations scattered over the continent and have been recovered as far south as Central America and the island of Trinidad. Small song birds have been banded in still greater numbers, and many interesting facts concerning their movements are being discovered. The Biological Survey, accordingly, desires to have a report on every banded bird that may be recovered, and it is hoped that you will continue to help in this work by reporting any bands that come to your attention, giving the number (with series designation, if any, as A,B, etc.) date of recovery, and the locality.
‘Thanking you for your interest and cooperation, I am
‘Very truly yours,
‘Paul G. Redington, Chief.’”

My movie picks this week are 'The Eagle' and 'Paranormal Activity 2'

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this Friday include:

Carancho (Drama, Thriller, Not Rated): Directed by Pablo Trapero and starring Richardo Darin, Martina Gusman, Carlos Weber, Jose Luis Arias and Loren Acuna.

Carbon Nation (Documentary, Special Interest, Not Rated): Directed by Peter Byck and starring Richard Branson and James Woolsey.

Cedar Rapids (Comedy, R): Directed by Miguel Arteta and starring Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver and Rob Corddry.

The Eagle (Drama-Epic and Historical, PG-13): Directed by Kevin MacDonald and starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong and Denis O’Hare.

Gnomeo and Juliet (Animation, Comedy, G): Directed by Kelly Asbury and starring James McAvoy and Emily Blunt.

In Her Skin (Drama, Not Yet Rated): Directed by Simone North.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Family, Musicals, G): Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Justin Bieber.

Just Go With It (Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Brooklyn Decker and Bailee Madison.

Mooz-Ium (Drama, PG-13): Directed by Qasim Basir and starring Danny Glover, Nia Long, Summer Bishil and Evan Ross.

The Sky Turns (Documentary, Not Rated): Directed by Mercedes Alvarez.

Vidal Sassoon: The Movie (Documentary, Epic and Historical, Special Interest, PG): Directed by Craig Teper and starring Vidal Sassoon, Caroline Baker, Richard Blass, Christopher Booker and Liza Bruce.

New DVD releases for the week of Feb. 8 include:

For Colored Girls (Drama, R): Directed by Tyler Perry and starring Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, Janet Jackson and Kimberly Elise.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story (Drama, Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden and starring Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis and Zoe Kravitz.

Life As We Know It (Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Greg Berlanti and starring Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, Christina Hendricks, Josh Lucas and Majandra Delfino.

Middle Men (Comedy, R): Directed by George Gallo and starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macth, James Caan and Peter Stormare.

My Soul to Take (Horror, Thriller, R): Directed by Wes Craven and starring Max Thierot, Denzel Whitaker, Shareeka Epps, Emily Meade and Nick Lashaway.

Ong Bak 3 (Drama, R): Directed by Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai and starring Tony Jaa and Dan Chupong.

Paranormal Activity 2 (Drama, Thriller, R): Directed by Tod Williams and starring David Bierend, Daniel Boland, Molly Ephraim and Katie Featherston.

Pure Country 2: The Gift (Drama, Not Yet Rated): Directed by Christopher Cain and starring Katrina Elam, George Strait, Travis Fimmel, Michael McKean and Cheech Marin.

The Romantics (Comedy, Drama, PG-13): Directed by Galt Niederhoffer and starring Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman and Jeremy Strong.

I Spit on Your Grave (Horror, Thriller, R): Directed by Steven R. Monroe and starring Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, Daniel Franzese, Sarah Butler and Andrew Howard.

Tamara Drewe (Drama, R): Directed by Stephen Frears and starring Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, Roger Allam and Bill Camp.

Wild Target (Comedy, PG-13): Directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, Rupert Everett and Martin Freeman.

You Again (Comedy, Family, PG): Directed by Andy Fickman and starring Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Odette Yustman and Kristin Chenoweth.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “The Eagle,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Paranormal Activity 2.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

What's your favorite John Grisham novel?

This morning, I read on The Writer’s Almanac that today – Feb. 8 – is John Grisham’s birthday. Grisham, a best-selling author who is best known for his legal thrillers, turned 56 today.

Grisham published his first novel, “A Time to Kill,” in 1989 and since then he’s published 23 novels, a short story collection and one nonfiction book.

Below I provide you with a complete list of Grisham’s published works, and I want you to use this list to answer just one question: Which of these John Grisham books is your favorite?

Without further ado, he’s the list:

Novels:
1. A Time to Kill (1989)
2. The Firm (1991)
3. The Pelican Brief (1992)
4. The Client (1993)
5. The Chamber (1994)
6. The Rainmaker (1995)
7. The Runaway Jury (1996)
8. The Partner (1997)
9. The Street Lawyer (1998)
10. The Testament (1999)
11. The Brethren (2000)
12. A Painted House (2001)
13. Skipping Christmas (2001)
14. The Summons (2002)
15. The King of Torts (2003)
16. Bleachers (2003)
17. The Last Juror (2004)
18. The Broker (2005)
19. Playing for Pizza (2007)
20. The Appeal (2008)
21. The Associate (2009)
22. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (2010)
23. The Confession (2010)

Grisham’s short story collection, “Ford County,” was released in 2009, and his lone nonfiction work, “The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town,” was published in 2006.

As I’m sure many of you are aware, more than a few of Grisham’s novels have been adapted to the big screen. They include “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” “The Client,” “A Time to Kill,” “The Chamber,” “A Painted House,” “Runaway Jury” and “Christmas with the Kranks,” (which was based on “Skipping Christmas.”)

In the end, I want to know which of Grisham’s books is your favorite. What did you like about it? Which others would you recommend? Which film adaptation was your favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

Dirk Pitt debuts in 1973's 'The Mediterranean Caper'

For almost a year now, I’ve been trying to read all of Clive Cussler’s novels, and yesterday, I scratched another of his famous action-adventure novels off my list of those left to read.

The time around it was “The Mediterranean Caper,” which was first published in 1973. This novel is remarkable for a number of reasons, but is best known for being the first appearance of Cussler’s legendary character, Dirk Pitt.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Pitt, he’s a renowned adventurer, sort of what you would get if you combined James Bond and Jacques Cousteau. His official title is Special Projects Director for the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA).

Since his first appearance in “The Mediterranean Caper,” Pitt has appeared in 20 other Cussler novels. You may be have read or at least heard of some of these books. They include “Iceberg,” 1975; “Raise the Titanic!” 1976; “Vixen 03,” 1978; “Night Probe!” 1981; “Pacific Vortex!,” 1983; “Deep Six,” 1984; “Cyclops,” 1986; “Treasure,” 1988; “Dragon,” 1990; “Sahara,” 1992; “Inca Gold,” 1994; “Shock Wave,” 1996; “Flood Tide,” 1997; “Atlantis Found,” 1999; “Valhalla Rising,” 2001; “Trojan Odyssey,” 2003; “Black Wind,” 2004; “Treasure of Khan,” 2006; “Artic Drift,” 2008; and “Crescent Dawn,” 2010.

Some of you may be familiar with Pitt from the 2005 motion picture version of “Sahara,” which starred Matthew McConaughey as Pitt.

In “The Mediterranean Caper,” Pitt and his faithful sidekick, Deputy Special Projects Director Al Giordino, find themselves on an assignment in the Aegean Sea, where a NUMA research ship is busy trying to find a living Teaser fish, which was thought to be extinct. As Pitt and Giordino arrive in the area by plane, they receive a distress call from a nearby U.S. Air Force Base. The control tower there tells Pitt that they are under attack, and that’s when Pitt springs into action.

Before it’s all over with, Pitt and Giordino find themselves in a dogfight against a WWI-era German bi-plane. Pitt manages to drive off the attacking craft, but not before it does serious damage to most of the aircraft at the airfield.

As the story unfolds, Pitt finds himself battling an international drug ring, which is controlled by one of the most successful – and ruthless – smugglers of all time.

As Cussler’s debut novel, “The Mediterranean Caper” garnered a lot of attention. In fact, it was nominated for a prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award in the category of “Best Paperback Original Novel of 1973.”

I enjoyed this book, but I have to say that I have read other Cussler novels that were much better. “Pacific Vortex!” and “Inca Gold” come immediately to mind as two of my personal favorites.

In the end, how many Cussler fans do we have out there? What’s your favorite Cussler book? How many of you have read “The Mediterranean Caper”? What did you think about it? What did you like? Dislike? Let me know in the comments section below.