FILE 101 / 10 January 2019 / 153 MIN / full

First Degree Stupid

Amityville, New YorkListen

The town

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

We're going all the way to Amityville, New York ... this is in Suffolk County. about 0:07:46

History, in brief

1653

The area was first visited by people from Huntington around 1653, who came for the salt hay used as animal fodder.

about 0:11:19

1658

Chief Wyandanch granted the first deed to land in Amityville in 1658.

about 0:12:22

Town note

The area was originally called Huntington West Neck South.

about 0:12:31

1846

The name was changed in 1846 when residents wanted their own post office.

about 0:12:47
All 12 history facts

1653

The area was first visited by people from Huntington around 1653, who came for the salt hay used as animal fodder.

about 0:11:19

1658

Chief Wyandanch granted the first deed to land in Amityville in 1658.

about 0:12:22

Town note

The area was originally called Huntington West Neck South.

about 0:12:31

1846

The name was changed in 1846 when residents wanted their own post office.

about 0:12:47

Town note

According to village lore, someone at the meeting said 'what this meeting needs is some Amity'; another version says a boat was named the Amity.

about 0:13:47

Town note

In the early 1900s tourists came for the hotels, canals, boating and fishing.

about 0:14:15

Town note

Will Rogers had a home in the village, and Al Capone had a house because his wife was from there.

about 0:14:49

1979

Amityville has been twinned with Le Bourget in France since 1979.

about 0:15:15

1974

In November 1974 Ronald DeFeo Jr shot his whole family in the house.

about 0:15:49

1975

In December 1975 George and Kathy Lutz bought the house at Ocean Avenue and within a month claimed to be haunted.

about 0:17:11

1927

The house was built in 1927 and its address has since been changed because of the tourist traffic.

about 0:19:08

2010

The house sold for $1.15 million in May 2010 and for $950,000 in September 2018.

about 0:19:11

The figures, as told

Religious

72.6%

Biggest faith: Catholic, 60%

about 0:27:00

Who lives here

White 67.29% · Black 9.4% · Asian 1.83% · Hispanic almost 19%

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Property crime
▼ about 10% below

about 0:34:26

Violent crime
▲ about 10% above

about 0:34:26

Money

Median home value$326,600
Two-bedroom rent$2,250
Median household income$81,135
Cost of living131
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2019

Property crime

"about 10% below"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2019 about 0:34:26

Violent crime

"about 10% above"

Comparison: "national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:34:26

Population

"9,486"

Comparison: "up 2% since 1990". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:21:05

Median age

"46.2"

Comparison: "national average 37.4". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:21:36

Female population

"54.5%"

Comparison: "high". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:21:49

Married population

"almost 55%"

Comparison: "above average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:12

White population

"67.29%"

Comparison: "national average 62.77%". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:51

Black population

"9.4%"

Comparison: "national average 12%". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:24:55

Asian population

"1.83%"

Comparison: "not a lot". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:25:06

Hispanic population

"almost 19%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:25:06

Democrat voters

"44%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:44

Republican voters

"51%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:44

Religious population

"72.6%"

Comparison: "50-50 is the normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:27:00

Unemployment rate

"3.9%"

Comparison: "5.2% is normal". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:28:39

Median household income

"$81,135"

Comparison: "national average $54,000". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:28:53

Cost of living index

"131"

Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:29:16

Housing cost index

"175 out of 100"

Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:29:25

Median home cost

"$326,600"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:29:31

Most houses

"between $300,000 and $600,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:29:41

Average two-bedroom rent

"$2,250"

Comparison: "a thousand dollars more than the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2019 about 0:30:03

One-bedroom condo

"$185,000"

Comparison: "1,100 square feet, not yet built". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:30:37

Three-bedroom house

"$439,000"

Comparison: "1,567 square feet". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:30:41

Four-bedroom house

"$699,990"

Comparison: "3,500 square feet". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:31:01

Amityville horror house sale

"$1.15 million"

Comparison: "sold May 2010". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:19:11

Amityville horror house sale

"$950,000"

Comparison: "sold September 2018". No direction stated.

As told in 2019 about 0:19:19

The reviews

No rated reviews

No reviews recorded.

In New York

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The story

She married young, was divorced by nineteen and had a son, Christopher, whom she raised alone while working to pay the bills. By the account her father gave, she put her son first and was a good mother.

After his release he went into business, opening the Dolphin Fitness Club in Amityville, a 24-hour weightlifting gym, with his best friend Alex Algieri. Their son Nicholas was born and Algieri was made his godfather.

In July 2000, while Paul was out, she took Christopher, Nicholas, the furniture and $140,000 in cash and moved to her mother's house in Florida. Paul called and asked for his son and his money back. On 25 August 2000 he filed for divorce in New York to force a custody hearing. In December 2000 she returned to the house in Babylon with the children and the money that was left, and Paul cancelled the divorce. The family believed he had got over his drug use.

What Paul did not know was that his wife had begun an affair.

In December 2000 he asked Michael Paglianti to help him get a gun and to rent a van on Paglianti's credit card, offering $3,000 to drive him to New York to kill Paul. Paglianti refused. Deodato passed him two employees, one of whom, Lucas Schuck, rented a white minivan. Jimmy Dazzler, the other, refused.

Alex Algieri was at the gym running an aerobics class and went out of the back door to his car to fetch CDs. The back parking lot was dark and the two men drove similar black GMC Yukons with Dolphin Fitness Club emblems, parked in the same spot, and looked alike. Algieri walked back into the gym, leaving a trail of blood, and collapsed. He died before the ambulance reached the hospital.

The killing made no sense to anyone at first. Algieri had no enemies and no money trouble, and nothing was taken. A year passed without a lead, and police began to wonder whether the intended target had been his partner, with his drug history and his cash. He said he had killed the wrong man.

The gun, a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver, was recovered from a creek along the Montauk Highway.

The judge asked when the charade would end, and the prosecutor called her the most self-absorbed defendant she had ever prosecuted.

The case

Murder of Alex Algieri

Victims

Alex Algieri. co-owner of Dolphin Fitness Club, shot by mistake for Paul

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 10 January 2019.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Scott Paget. drove to New York and back for $3,000
Michael Hubbard. drug dealer who named and Paget to the DEA
Larry Deodato. friend of Elizabeth who passed on the request for a beating
Pat. mother, who introduced her to
Elizabeth. Pat's partner, who testified about the plan
Richard Pollock. friend of at the meeting in Florida
Frank Paglianti. Michael Paglianti's father, at whose house the news of the mistake broke
Michael Zelster. witness who heard boast in a nightclub
Lucas Schuck. rented the white minivan on his credit card
Jimmy Dazzler. employee asked to rent a car, who refused
Christopher Armanini. first son, who defended her in online comments
Zachary. and son, raised by sister
Bruce Barkett. defence attorney
Denise Merryfield. assistant district attorney who prosecuted both defendants
Salvatori Algieri. Alex's father

The timeline

  1. 1967 Armanini is bornabout 0:35:13
  2. when she was eleven Her parents divorce; her mother moves to Florida with a female partnerabout 0:37:50
  3. at 19 She is married, divorced and has her first son, Christopherabout 0:39:11
  4. 1998 meets Paul at a gym on Long Islandabout 0:41:45
  5. July 1998 and Paul marry in a big church weddingabout 0:58:21
  6. before July 2000 Their son Nicholas is born and Alex Algieri becomes his godfatherabout 1:09:59
  7. July 2000 takes the children, the furniture and $140,000 and moves to her mother's house in Florida (Pat's house)about 1:12:39
  8. July 28, 2000 The first phone records show contact between and about 1:36:26
  9. the summer of 2000 Pat and Elizabeth meet and Richard Pollock to arrange a beating for Paul (Pat's house)about 1:31:35
  10. August 25, 2000 Paul files for divorce to start custody proceedingsabout 1:14:25
  11. December 2000 asks Michael Paglianti for a gun and a van rented on his credit cardabout 1:43:04
  12. December 2000 returns to Babylon with the children and the remaining money; Paul cancels the divorce (Babylon house)about 1:16:33
  13. January 2001 asks Larry Deodato to rent him a car, but Deodato has no credit card eitherabout 1:45:09
  14. January 16, 2001 and Scott Paget leave Florida for New York in a white minivan rented with Lucas Schuck's cardabout 1:48:01
  15. January 17, 2001 shouts 'hey Paul' and shoots Alex Algieri in the gym's back parking lot (Dolphin Fitness Club back parking lot)about 1:48:44
  16. January 17, 2001 Algieri walks back into the gym and collapses; he dies before reaching hospital (Dolphin Fitness Club)about 1:19:13

Places and phrases

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode