Thomas Pitera
Thomas Pitera | |
---|---|
Mobster | |
Allegiance | Bonanno crime family |
Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking, murder (1992) |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (1992) |
Thomas Pitera (.
Early years
Thomas Pitera grew up in the
Pitera attended the David A. Boody Junior High School at 228 Avenue S in Gravesend, where he left little impression with his teachers, daydreamed a lot and was bullied by his peers because of his high-pitched voice.[citation needed] Before he became interested in martial arts he wanted to become involved in professional baseball but was too ostracized by fellow students to join the varsity baseball team. He later broke into Boody and stole the school baseball team's equipment as an act of revenge and sold it to "fences" in the neighborhood.
He was later arrested and charged for the burglary but was convicted as a juvenile and his record was sealed. He attended a Dojo in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and quickly rose to the top of his class. He had a daily regimen of working out, lifting weights, reading about Kyokushin fighting strategies and tactics and watching violent films, mostly kung fu films.
Martial arts
At the age of 12, Pitera had been a huge fan of the 1966 The Green Hornet television show and actor Bruce Lee starring alongside Van Williams, triggering his lifelong interest in martial arts. It was later solidified in 1969 with the release of the film Marlowe starring James Garner and Lee as "Lee Wong". He let his thick, straight, black hair grow down past his ears despite disapproval by his parents for not wanting him to look like a "hippie", started eating sushi as a regular part of his diet and immersed himself in Eastern philosophy.
After winning an arduous
His mother and aunt Angelina Bugowski went to visit him and were impressed with the change to his physical appearance, maturity, sensibility and understanding of the
Criminal career
Upon returning to Brooklyn, Pitera joined the
On August 29, 1988, Pitera allegedly ambushed and murdered Wilfred "Willie Boy" Johnson as he walked ahead to their car. Johnson had been a longtime associate and driver for Gambino family boss John Gotti. The hit was reportedly delegated to Pitera and fellow gunman Vincent "Kojak" Giattino after Gotti had discovered that Johnson had been a government informant since 1966. Pitera was charged with the Johnson murder but acquitted at trial.
Pitera was close to Spero, whose
Martini moved back to Sicily and continued his relationship with the Bonanno crime family while Pitera killed Tala Siksik, a
Pitera's approach to murder and body disposal was cold-hearted and clinical. He used the Staten Island graveyard because he believed that the damp soil would accelerate
On June 4, 1990, Pitera was indicted for heading a drug dealing crew and for his involvement in seven murders, including the 1988 Johnson murder. Investigators alleged that Pitera had been involved in as many as sixty murders. Pitera's crew sold about 220 pounds of cocaine per year, multiple kilos of
Trial
One of Pitera's crew members, Frank Gangi, the nephew of Genovese family capo Rosario Gangi, decided to testify against Pitera. Frank had been arrested for driving under the influence and allegedly started reliving Pitera's worst atrocities in his mind while sitting in the holding cell. Frank confessed to all the murders he was involved in with Pitera, and provided information on other Pitera murders. He described how Pitera matter-of-factly murdered Gangi's girlfriend Phyllis Burdi while she was passed out in bed after sharing cocaine and sex with Gangi. Pitera then cut Burdi's corpse into six pieces in the bathroom. Gangi also testified that during a fight with a drug dealer named Marek Kucharsky, Pitera pulled a knife and repeatedly stabbed Kucharsky and finally cut his throat.
In Pitera's trial, the chief prosecutor, David W. Shapiro, demanded the death sentence for the "heinous, cruel and depraved" murders committed by Pitera. He called Pitera a "heartless and ruthless killer," explaining in detail how Pitera tortured one victim by slowly, deliberately shooting him seven times in various parts of the body, in one of a series of murders carried out in a deliberately barbaric manner. The prosecution also produced a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent who testified to digging up graves containing the dismembered bodies of some of Pitera's victims.
Pitera's defense lawyer, David A. Ruhnke, urged the jury to reject the
Life sentence
On June 25, 1992, Pitera was convicted of murdering six people and supervising a massive drug dealing operation in Brooklyn. However, Pitera was acquitted in the 1988 Johnson murder.[2] During the deliberation on sentencing, the jury rejected the death penalty for Pitera.[3] In October 1992, alluding to evidence that Pitera brutally killed his victims and dismembered their bodies, Judge Reena Raggi sentenced him to life in prison, saying, "Mr. Pitera, nobody deserves to die as these people died."[4]
After the verdict was read, Pitera smiled and gave a
Gangi said he was sorry about killing five people and that he became an informer because he wanted to start a new life. He gets 10 years, a good deal, and he goes whimpering and weeping to the judge looking for a break. If you're really sorry for killing five people, you take your punishment like a man.
Later in 1992, Judge Raggi again refused a motion to reduce Gangi's sentence.
References
- ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (July 2, 1992). "Federal Jurors Considering Death Penalty for Mobster". New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Thomas, Pitera (June 26, 1992). "Reputed Mobster Guilty In Six Narcotics Murders". New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Lubasch, Arnold H (July 3, 1992). "Jurors Reject Death Penalty for Mobster". New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Life Prison Term in 6 Drug-Case Murders". New York Times. October 25, 1992. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Capeci, Jerry (April 4, 1995). "FISH MART RAP'S A FLUKE, HE SEZ". New York Daily News. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Thomas Pitera". Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator. Retrieved 8 April 2012.[permanent dead link]
External links
- Wilfred “Willie Boy” Johnson: Part Two - Source Wahoo – Out Sourced by Allan May
- Reppetto, Thomas Bringing Down the Mob: The War Against the American Mafia., Macmillan, 2006. ISBN 0-8050-7802-9