Picture of the DeFeo children / Location?

[BooshaGirl]

Of course none of us can be sure, but I imagine the photographer was taking a "nice" photo of the children and was trying to loosen them up by making a "goofy" one first. "Make a funny face!" and the younger kids jumped at the opportunity, while Dawn and Ronnie were too "cool" or too "mature" to do so...they just wanted to get the heck out of there and go hang with their friends! To me, it looks not so much as a physical disability as a kid goofing off for a photo...almost as if he's playing air guitar and doing his best "Joe Cocker" imitation (I can't stand when grown men play air guitar--it's not cool or sexy and about as effective as squealing your tires on your car if you're trying to impress a girl! ha!). Anyway, looking closely, he really DOES have something in his hands. Also, the three in back are kind of cramped together--it's not as if they could wave their arms about or sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder for a long period.

[sherbetbizarre]

It's a pity people read too much into this one photo - it's probably just one of many - and the only one Ric managed to steal out of the box when Barry Springer had his head turned

[Victoria Principles]

Of course none of us can be sure, but I imagine the photographer was taking a "nice" photo of the children and was trying to loosen them up by making a "goofy" one first. "Make a funny face!" and the younger kids jumped at the opportunity, while Dawn and Ronnie were too "cool" or too "mature" to do so...they just wanted to get the heck out of there and go hang with their friends! To me, it looks not so much as a physical disability as a kid goofing off for a photo...almost as if he's playing air guitar and doing his best "Joe Cocker" imitation (I can't stand when grown men play air guitar--it's not cool or sexy and about as effective as squealing your tires on your car if you're trying to impress a girl! ha!). Anyway, looking closely, he really DOES have something in his hands. Also, the three in back are kind of cramped together--it's not as if they could wave their arms about or sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder for a long period.

You don't need to coach kids to act goofy for the camera, it comes naturally.

I don't think a professional photographer took this picture. It's too blury. Someone in the family (grandparents?) probably took it.

[Dan the Damned]

I think Jodie took it.

[KNEW910]

Actually if you look closely the child looks like he may have some sort of actual physical affliction/ disability.
look at his hands and how they are bent in...

Actually if you look closely he's holding a slingshot in his right hand...and a ball in his left hand.

Also if you look closely or zoom in you can see part of the sling shot is hanging over Ronnie's head like a cats tail. Its almost hitting him in the eye.

[hardluckboogie]

when did Marc have is debilitating injury from football? It may be a clue when this photo was taken. Look at his legs "to me" they look like he was posed there and may be why his arm and hand looks like that. ONCE AGAIN it is just me

[Victoria Principles]

when did Marc have is debilitating injury from football? It may be a clue when this photo was taken. Look at his legs "to me" they look like he was posed there and may be why his arm and hand looks like that. ONCE AGAIN it is just me

This photo was taken a few years before the murders. John definitely looks much younger than 9 and Allison looks younger than 13 in this photo.

[Jacobmarley1]

i always criticized this picture, because it is unflattering (aside from Dawn and Ronnie, who look "normal") - I mean, c'mon - only ONE picture of this infamous family, and it has to be this one?! It doesn't do justice to the dead children, that's for sure.

The framed portraits are one thing - professional, almost as if they had lived hundreds of years ago - well, we have that. And, we have this photograph.

[Victoria Principles]

i always criticized this picture, because it is unflattering (aside from Dawn and Ronnie, who look "normal") - I mean, c'mon - only ONE picture of this infamous family, and it has to be this one?! It doesn't do justice to the dead children, that's for sure.

The framed portraits are one thing - professional, almost as if they had lived hundreds of years ago - well, we have that. And, we have this photograph.

What is so unflattering about this photo? It shows young kids being young kids. Have you ever thought there probably is many more photos of the DeFeo children, but the surviving family members chose not to release them to the morbid public? We have no idea where this photo came from. Good chance it wasn't from a family member.

[Jacobmarley1]

I"m sure there are hundreds of pictures of those children, but - we got this one. "young kids being young kids," yeah, but it doesn't do much to show what they looked like "normally." They're making faces, and it's the only picture of them we have, aside from the Portraits.

If I was killed, I'd be upset sitting up there in heaven if they only had the worst picture of me plastered all over the internet for all to see, when I know there were better pictures that existed. That's all I'm saying.

[Victoria Principles]

I"m sure there are hundreds of pictures of those children, but - we got this one. "young kids being young kids," yeah, but it doesn't do much to show what they looked like "normally." They're making faces, and it's the only picture of them we have, aside from the Portraits.

If I was killed, I'd be upset sitting up there in heaven if they only had the worst picture of me plastered all over the internet for all to see, when I know there were better pictures that existed. That's all I'm saying.

We don't know who past that photo on to the internet. My guess it wasn't a family member. That maybe the only photo that they had of the 5 DeFeo children. There were probably other photos, but they are either up in attics, old photo books, or just got lost.

There are very few of the DeFeo family still living who would remember the victims. I know I would not want any pictures of my dead family members from an infamous case plastered all over the internet for freaks to see.

[Jacobmarley1]

oh, so now we're all freaks, are we?

[Dan the Damned]

Well I am, for one...

[sherbetbizarre]

We don't know who past that photo on to the internet. My guess it wasn't a family member.

Correct. It was Ric Osuna, who claimed it came via Geraldine.

[Jacobmarley1]

Correct. It was Ric Osuna, who claimed it came via Geraldine.

Well, thank you, Ric Osuna, for adding insult to injury.

[Victoria Principles]

Was Geraldine ever married to Ronnie while in prison? I know her claims to be married to him at the times of the murders were false.

[Dan the Damned]

Depends how you look at it, I guess...

Here's a copy of their 1989 marriage license:



Then they got divorced 4 years later.

Trouble is, at the time of this 1989 marriage, Geraldine was already married to Gerald Gates (a man she is still married to today), so even though they seemed to have gone through the motions in 1989, it was a case of bigamy, which I believe would invalidate this 1989 marriage.

So no, in that sense I don't think you could truly consider them as ever being married. Not sure what the courts would say, as I don't think the bigamy aspect was ever brought up or challenged in court...

[Victoria Principles]

Bigamy is a crime in most states so they probably dissolved the case quietly. I don't think states want to jail someone for what is a victimless crime and the Bigamist probably doesn't want a criminal record.

Edited to add: I see they listed Ronnie's job as an auto mechanic. Wonder if that is his prison job. That was a notorious prison for serial killers in Fallsburg. The Son of Sam was/is there as well as other well known serial killers with New York state.

[Henry112]

Oh my lord people can we over analyze and read into a picture so much that the speculations that turn up are this asinine? There are 3 kids squished together, therefore Marc is positioned that way. "The photographer" was probably mom or dad not some Sears portrait studio photographer. The kids are goofing around, just had some lollipops or ices causing their mouths to be colored, and made silly faces for mommy and daddy. Marc's injury didn't occur until 1974. This picture is clearly 4 or 5 years previous.

[lizzyloo]

This photo was not taken in the T.V. room. If you look at the crime scene photos, the area in the photo looks like the foyer.

[msmart112]

This photo was not taken in the T.V. room. If you look at the crime scene photos, the area in the photo looks like the foyer.

The picture was taken in the southeast corner of the living room.