Horrific Homicides: A Judge Looks Back at the Amityville Horror Murders and Other Infamous Long Island CrimesA scorned woman, an incensed deli owner, a drunken cop, and an antisocial son. These were the most memorable murder defendants to appear before Long Island Judge Thomas M. Stark during his thirty seven years on the bench. None was more notorious than Ronald DeFeo Jr., who in 1975 was convicted of shooting six members of his family, a crime that sparked tales of hauntings later recounted in the best selling book The Amityville Horror: A True Story.