A quiet family day, Sunday November 28, 1976. It’s Thanksgiving weekend and every family is home together, laughing, enjoying the day, except one. On this weekend in 1976 in Montvale, NJ , Harry de la Roche was home from the military academy spending the holiday with his family. Harry was a troubled young boy who had been bullied most of his life.

After graduating high school Harry’s family made the decision to send him to The Citadel, a military academy for young men, mostly at the wishes of his father. In accordance with online accounts of those who knew the family or brothers Harry Sr. was a well respect individual who played a roll in the local little league and boy scout troop. He was someone who you could reply on to be there and take action when needed. Some say that Harry Sr. wanted to push his family to be the best, and for him that “may” have been through discipline. It was assumed that behind the public eye he was a controlling father. Although Harry Sr. seemed to be pushing his son to mature and grow, he had apparently been putting his one son (Harry Jr) in a dangerous situation.

Some say Harry De La Roche was bullied heavily by his classmates, something which had remained constant since his high school days. Harry said that in high school he felt alienated from the other students and he faced this uncomfortable situation by missing classes and letting his grades drop. This only led to more chaos at home.

Then on Sunday November 28, 1976 Harry gave into his rage killing his family one by one, shooting each family memeber at least twice and beating both brothers. After the incident, around 4 AM, Harry left the house, ran through a stop sign and was pulled over by police. Harry told police that his family had been killed and his one brother was missing.

Although the facts are not clear, the story seems to change each time its told. At one point Harry told the police that it was his brother, Ronnie, who had been intoxicated with drugs, and Harry was forced to kill him after coming home to a murdered family. This according to multiple lie detector tests was never proven true and since then Harry has confessed to the murder of his parents and brothers.

Harry pled not guilty by reason of insanity, even testified in his own defense along with a psychiatrist who said that the thought of Harry going back to The Citadel drove him “mad”. After three and a half weeks of trial Harry was found guilty on four counts of first degree murder and to this day remains in the South Woods State Prison.

Many contemplate what truly happened, why and how an ordinary family could be ruined in such a horrific manner.

Photo Credit of Google Maps

The former De La Roche family home is located in Montvale, NJ. Please remember that the house has changed owners and is now a private residence that should not be disturbed.

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Scott Amundsen

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I read ANYONE’S SON years ago and I have no reason to believe Harry Jr was lying. As a boy I was bullied at school from kindergarten through high school so I know exactly what he went through. Thank God I never thought of killing anyone, and at any rate my parents were supportive and gave me love without demands.
Unlike Harry Sr, my Dad loved me for who I WAS, not who he expected me to be.
4 months ago
Anonymous

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Harry has actually made an account that his father was terribly abusive to the entire family. He may have been seen as an upstanding member of the community, but that means nothing when it comes to what happens behind closed doors. Obviously, we only have Harry’s account of this, but the person I know who grew up with him believes it to be true. Their classmate also interviewed him while he was in prison. (he still is obviously.)
9 months ago
Simcha Maccabee

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The De la Roche boys liked to play hide and seek in the house and Ronnie liked to hide in the steamer trunk in the attack. The police found Ronnie “hiding” in the steamer trunk and allegedly Harry killed Ronnie and then stuffed the corpse in the steamer trunk. Did Harry go to the local 7-11 after killing his family to get a Slurpee?
2 years ago
dream weaver

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Fantastic presentation
2 years ago
Anonymous

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2 years ago
Harry

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Harry didn’t like your town
3 years ago
GARY WRIGHT/ DREAM WEAVER DECEMBER 1975

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This is what what Harry said: According to Harry, he came from a family who idolized sports, and his Dad was a coach. The more his family pushed and pushed him to participate in sports, and the more abuse he suffered as a result. I hope it gave that abuse back to Montvale the way Montvale abused Harry. Harry was thin and delicate, not good at sports and was closer to his mom. He liked doing anything other than sports, as he was always getting beaten up and I hope he got back at all those Montvale people who beat Harry up. I sure hope Harry got them back.. It got worse, he was sent to the Citadel to make him into a man. Well, the abuse he suffered there was unimaginable. Sadly, they wanted to make a man out of him
3 years ago
Dream Weaver ( The Dream Weaver album December 1975 )

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This happened when Gary Wright’s #1 song “DREAM WEAVER” was on the radio. In October 1975 Robert Reldan from Closter dumped the 2 Susan’s one from Haworth the other from Demarest. Reldan was 35 and DeLaroche was 18. Remember Gary Wright’s song “DREAM WEAVER”? Yes, Gary grew up in Cresskill right by Reldan and close to Montvale. I remeber this case and the other ones back in 1975 and 1976 and everybody thought DeLaroche was not guilty by reason of insanity in 1976. Remember in October 1975 those 2 Susan’s vanished in Demarest and Haworth? Susan Reeve 22 and Susan Haynes 27 and Robert Reldan did it and Reldan grew up in Closter and lived with his parents in Closter. Remember that? Yeah, Gary and Reldan both attended Tenefly High School but Reldan was 3 grades older. Anyway, nobody helped Harry. Harry’s dad was a terrible tyrant and his mom neglected Harry for sure. “DREAM WEAVER” was the #1 song in 1976 and Gary Wright grew up in Cresskill near Montvale.
3 years ago
Anonymous

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I grew up directly across the street from the DeLaRoche family, on Grand Ave. We played with the boys as kids, but the family seemed very reclusive. We never got to know the parents, we were never allow inside the home, but we could hear fighting and yelling from across the street quite often. I recall my dad sitting on our front porch commenting that Harry’s father needed to stop yelling at the kids all the time. We had moved away a few years before the murders, and it was so disturbing to hear about it, just knowing these kids all those years and never suspecting anything like this could ever happen.
4 years ago
David B

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I was nine years old, (I lived 1 mile away in River Vale) I remember it happened but I did not know them personally.
4 years ago
Anonymous

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Apparently it’s true. My dad went to school with the guy. He also tried to blame it on his brother, and I guess stuffed him in some type of chest or drawer.
4 years ago
OwO

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Can’t belive something like this happened in such a safe town
4 years ago
PHHS Student

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Our teacher, Mrs Wagner, livees there now.
4 years ago
Students at PHHS

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I know this is kind of strange, but my friend and I are writers for the PHHS newspaper, and we’re writing an article on these murders. I’m not sure if anyone will see this, but if anyone has any extra information about this, or is was a classmate of Harry’s, please email us at truszkal@pascack.org
Thanks in advance,
PHHS Students
4 years ago
Steven Scarzello

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I know some other facts that should be added to your story,
I was his class mate at pascack hills high school
4 years ago
Ex-Convict

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I spent 10 years with Harry in the Yardville Correctional Facility and got to know him quite well. Back in those days we could still smoke and Harry was a fiend with those rollies/hand rolled cigarettes, his cell walls sticky and gummy with the tar residue. Early in his sentence the Classification Committee decided to ship him to the Rahway facility and something terrible happened to Harry there (I think he got raped). He was then transferred to the Youth Correctional Facility in Yardville. I remember one Christmas morning… our cell doors were unlocked and Harry was still asleep in his bunk. I opened his door slowly and quietly, stepped inside and then locked myself in with him. He jumped up out of his steel bunk and lunged for his shank as I pulled out a joint and wished him a Merry Christmas! He had a nice stereo system with speakers which were grandfathered into the institution, so we smoked the joint, got stoned, and listened to Eric Clapton, the Stones, Deep Purple, and other bands from his era. Sad to say that the parole board continues to deny his release since he won’t admit to killing his parents and his one brother, still claiming that Eric did it all. His health is failing him now and he will likely die in prison because he is considered psychologically unstable.
5 years ago
Montvale Hometown Guy

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I went to school with Eric. I can remember when they told us as a class what happened & Eric’s best friend Scott was shaken to his core. we were all kids, little kids, and this was beyond comprehension… what a horrific episode in an otherwise quite town
5 years ago
Rev Carole A Rothe Lilly

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I cannot even bear to look at the house, knowing what transpired there so many years ago. I knew Harry, he was my paperboy for years. He was a quiet, delicate man, who was always getting bullied for being different. We attended the same High School, and took Home Economics together. I guess I was his closest friend, as he was a loner and felt safe with me. I made it a point to befriend those who were bullied and suffering for being different, and show them the Love of Jesus. According to Harry, he came from a family who loved sports, and his Dad was a Coach. The more his family pushed him to participate in sports, the more abuse he suffered. It was just not who he was… Harry was thin and delicate, not good at sports and was closer to his mom. He liked doing anything other than sports, as he was always getting beaten up. It got worse, he was sent to the Citadel to make him into a man. Well, the abuse he suffered there was unimaginable. Sadly, they wanted to make a man out of him, I guess he is a man now.
Praying for my old friend Harry to make peace with his life, to forgive his abusers, his family and himself, and accept forgiveness from GOD. What a nightmare… Yes, this should scare anyone. There comes a time when you push someone so far that they cannot live, so homicide or suicide is the outcome. Forgive us Lord, for our failures and help us to do better as human beings!
5 years ago
Bob

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I knew Harry for a long time. My experience with Harry was that he was always testing boundaries and was quite defiant. For example, I remember working him on the Parkway pumping gas. We would be on shift in the gas pump booth on a cold winter day. To keep warm, we would have to keep the doors closed ( 1 small electric heater) except when we went out to pump gas. Harry would smoke incessantly despite repeated requests to stop. In many respects, Harry sowed the seeds of his problems with people.
5 years ago
Bergen County Resident

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Ronnie allegedly was “hiding” in the steamer trunk in the attic after Ronnie murdered his parents and his brother, Eric. T
Harry claimed that his father had confronted Ronnie about his drug use and dealing and that Ronnie reacted with violence. The story was rejected and Harry was convicted of the murder of his parents and two brothers.
5 years ago
Pat McQuade

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Did Ronnie end up in a steamer trunk in the attic?
6 years ago
Tim Flanagan

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I knew Harry and his father and mother real well. I knew his mom and dad because they were members of American Legion Post 153 in Park Ridge, NJ where I was a post officer. I also knew Harry, because right across the street where Harry lived on Grand Avenue, my friend Jim Rice lived. We use to work on our cars in Jim’s driveway, and Harry would come across the street, and hang out with us. We let Harry hang with us, but we all knew he was a laid back kid, and felt sorry for him. In other words he was a DORK, but he was ok. I knew his parents real well. His dad was not a controlling person as far as I could see , nor was his mom. And I knew them WELL from The American Legion. They were at our Legion Post a lot, always with the kids, and I NEVER saw Harry’s parents try to be a controlling parent to the kids, just regular folks. I was in shock when I found out Harry killed his family, REAL SHOCK. So whatever happened that night is still a mystery to me to this very day. We all knew Harry was a bit weird, but never, never thought he could do something like that.
6 years ago

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De La Roche Family Murder : Montvale, NJ

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