Francesco Cirofici (also known as Frank Murato or Dago Frank, 1887 – April 13, 1914) was an

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

criminal and gangster, who, along with

Harry Horowitz Harry Horowitz ( – April 13, 1914), also known as "Gyp the Blood", was an American underworld figure and a leader of the Lenox Avenue Gang in New York City. Early life and career Harry Horowitz was born on the Lower East Side of Manhatta ...

, was responsible for the July 16, 1912 murder of gambler

Herman Rosenthal Herman Rosenthal (October 6, 1843 – 1917) was an American author, editor, and librarian. Biography Rosenthal was born in Friedrichstadt (Jaunjelgava), Courland. He was educated at Bauske (Bauska) and Jakobstadt (Jēkabpils), graduating in 18 ...

outside the Hotel Metropole.

Early life

Francesco Cirofici was born in 1887 in Italy. He worked as a steam fitter as well as being a member of the Lenox Avenue Gang. Before his arrest in connection with the Rosenthal killing, he had been arrested only once. In 1905, he was imprisoned on a burglary charge in the

Elmira Correctional Facility Elmira Correctional Facility, also known as "The Hill," is a maximum security state prison located in Chemung County, New York, in the City of Elmira. It is operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The ...

. In 1907, Cirofici's name appeared on a list released by the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

of gamblers known to make a practice of cheating steamship passengers.

Arrest and trial

Cirofici was arrested in connection with the Rosenthal murder on July 25, 1912. It was rumored that Cirofici had been betrayed to the police by the owner of the Dante Café, James Verrella. Verrella was murdered on July 30, 1912 in retaliation for his supposed betrayal. Cirofici was convicted of the Rosenthal killing after 25 minutes of jury deliberation on November 19, 1912. He was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

on November 26, 1912 for the Rosenthal killing along with

Charles Becker Charles Becker (July 26, 1870 – July 30, 1915) was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department between the 1890s and the 1910s. He is known for the scandal of being tried, convicted, and executed for the first-degree murder of the Man ...

, and "Lefty Louis Rosenberg" by Judge John W. Goff. The four gunmen appealed their conviction, but Cirofici's guilty verdict, along with the verdicts of Horowitz and Rosenberg, were affirmed on February 25, 1914, with Becker winning a new trial. In March 1914, Cirofici's sister, Mary Cirofici, collected signatures for an appeal for

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

to New York State Governor Martin H. Glynn. Glynn denied the appeal on April 7, 1914. On April 10, 1914, Cirofici's lawyers submitted five

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a stateme ...

s from five alibi witnesses. Two days later, on April 12, 1914, Cirofici's mother and sister attempted to see Glynn to beg for clemency. Glynn refused to allow them into his office and stated it would not be fair as he had not seen the mothers of any of the other men convicted. Cirofici reportedly confessed his guilt in the killing 2 hours before he was executed in the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

on April 13, 1914, despite warden James M. Clancy's attempt to grant him a temporary reprieve to allow Glynn to evaluate Cirofici's confession.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cirofici, Frank 1887 births 1914 deaths Executed gangsters Rosenthal murder case People convicted of murder by New York (state) People executed by New York (state) by electric chair People executed for murder 20th-century executions by New York (state) 20th-century executions of American people American gangsters of Italian descent American people convicted of murder Italian emigrants to the United States Executed Italian people Date of birth unknown Lenox Avenue Gang 20th-century American criminals