Vincenzo Puccio (November 27, 1945 – May 11, 1989) was a member of the
Sicilian Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
. He was from
Palermo and joined the
Ciaculli
Ciaculli is an outlying suburb of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It counts less than 9500 residents. Ciaculli is close to the suburb of Croceverde. Ciaculli has been important within the history of the Cosa Nostra. The best known Mafia family is the Gre ...
Mafia family sometime in the late 1970s, although like many other members of that particular family he operated a great deal under the orders of the
Corleonesi.
Criminal career
He was arrested together with two other men,
Giuseppe Madonia and
Armando Bonanno, on May 4, 1980 for the murder of
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
captain
Emanuele Basile
Emanuele Basile (; July 2, 1949 – May 4, 1980) was an Italian captain of the Carabinieri and a collaborator of Paolo Borsellino on anti-Mafia investigations. He was killed by Cosa Nostra in Monreale, Palermo, shot repeatedly in the back whi ...
, who had been shot earlier that day. Puccio and his accomplices were tried twice; the first trial was annulled, and they were acquitted at the second. As part of Sicilian law, the judge, despite the acquittal, ordered the three men to be sent into a form of
exile to
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, but they swiftly made their way back to Sicily.
Puccio was involved as well in the killing of
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
Colonel Giuseppe Russo, on August 20, 1977, Antimafia judge
Cesare Terranova[Ecco chi uccise Terranova]
Corriere della Sera, June 4, 1997 and
Piersanti Mattarella
Piersanti Mattarella (; 24 May 1935 – 6 January 1980) was an Italian politician. He was assassinated by the Mafia while he held the position of President of the Regional Government of Sicily. He was the brother of Sergio Mattarella, who ha ...
– the president of the autonomous
Sicilian Region – on January 6, 1980.
In 1985, Puccio and
Giuseppe Lucchese
Giuseppe Lucchese (; born September 2, 1959), known as ''Occhi di ghiaccio'' (Eyes of ice), is a member of the Sicilian Mafia from the Brancaccio neighbourhood in Palermo. He was one of the favourite hitmen of the Corleonesi, headed by Totò Rii ...
murdered their boss,
Pino Greco
Pino or Piño may refer to:
People
* Danny Pino (born 1974), American actor
* Domenico Pino (1760–1826), Italian general of the Napoleonic Wars
* Fernando Solanas (born 1936), aka "Pino" Solanas, Argentine filmmaker
* Frank J. Pino (1909 ...
, on the orders of
Salvatore Riina. As a reward, Puccio was granted the prestigious position of chief of the Mafia family and the
mandamento of Ciaculli.
Late in 1986, Puccio was captured and held on suspicion of multiple murder. On May 11, 1989, he was beaten to death in his cell at the Ucciardone Prison in Palermo, by fellow inmates Antonino and
Giuseppe Marchese, two other Mafiosi who had been acting on Riina's orders. In 1990 an informant,
Francesco Marino Mannoia
Francesco Marino Mannoia (born 5 March 1951) is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia who became a pentito (government witness) in 1989. His nickname was ''Mozzarella''. He is considered to be one of the most reliable government witnesses against ...
, subsequently claimed that Puccio had become the boss of the Ciaculli Family after the murder of his predecessor,
Giuseppe Greco
Giuseppe Greco (; 4 January 1952 – September 1985) was a hitman and high-ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia. A number of sources refer to him exclusively as Pino Greco, although Giuseppe was his Christian name; "Pino" is a frequent abbr ...
, in 1987. Puccio had been planning on taking on the Corleonesi, and overthrowing Riina and
Bernardo Provenzano
Bernardo Provenzano (; 31 January 1933 – 13 July 2016) was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia clan known as the Corleonesi, a Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone, and ''de facto'' the boss of bosses (''il capo ...
, the most powerful mafiosi in the Sicilian Mafia. Riina had found out about this conspiracy after Corleonesi mafioso
Leoluca Bagarella
Leoluca Bagarella (; born 3 February 1942) is an Italian criminal and member of the Sicilian Mafia. He is from the town of Corleone. Following Salvatore Riina's arrest in early 1993, Bagarella became the head of the stragist strategy faction, ...
had been let in on the plan but, for whatever reason, had treacherously revealed all to his boss.
Antonino and
Giuseppe Marchese - both nephews of another Mafia boss,
Filippo Marchese
Filippo Marchese (11 September 1938 in Palermo – September 1982 in Palermo) was a leading figure in the Sicilian Mafia and a hitman suspected of dozens of homicides. Marchese was one of the most feared killers working for mafia boss Vincenzo Chi ...
- claimed they had killed Vincenzo Puccio in
self defence after a fight, but their claim was ruined by Riina who deliberately had Vincenzo Puccio's brother, Pietro, killed that same day outside of prison. This meant the Marchese brothers had no chance of convincing a
jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment.
Juries developed in England du ...
they had acted in self-defence during a spontaneous fight, when their victim's brother had been deliberately shot dead that same day. They were both sentenced to
life imprisonment for Puccio's murder. Puccio's successor as head of the Ciaculli Mafia Family was
Giuseppe Lucchese
Giuseppe Lucchese (; born September 2, 1959), known as ''Occhi di ghiaccio'' (Eyes of ice), is a member of the Sicilian Mafia from the Brancaccio neighbourhood in Palermo. He was one of the favourite hitmen of the Corleonesi, headed by Totò Rii ...
.
Giuseppe Marchese subsequently cooperated with the government and became a
pentito
''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...
. He confirmed the details
Francesco Marino Mannoia
Francesco Marino Mannoia (born 5 March 1951) is a former member of the Sicilian Mafia who became a pentito (government witness) in 1989. His nickname was ''Mozzarella''. He is considered to be one of the most reliable government witnesses against ...
had given previously of the events leading to Puccio's killing on Riina's orders.
One of Vincenzo Puccio's other brothers, Antonino Puccio, was killed on July 5, 1989, presumably to prevent him from seeking revenge for the deaths of Vincenzo and Pietro. In October 1993, nine months after his capture, Riina was sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering the murders of Vincenzo and Pietro Puccio.
Mafia Kingpin Jailed for Life
The Independent, October 9, 1993
References
References
*
*
External links
Culture of Lawlessness; The Role of the Mass Media
- page 17
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puccio, Vincenzo
1945 births
1989 deaths
Gangsters from Palermo
Mafiosi murdered by the Corleonesi
Prisoners murdered in custody
Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy
Prisoners who died in Italian detention
People murdered in Italy