Roy DeMeo: Assembly Line Hit Man
Legendary Gambino family hit man Roy DeMeo was once the most feared man in the mob. Federal authorities have estimated that his victim count neared 200, and he was easily one of the most brutal killers the Mafia had ever seen.

DeMeo was a top hit man for New York's Gambino family, and was devoted to his work. His was inventive and efficient, owing to what might be called his “assembly line” methods.

According the Carl Sifakis' The Mafia Encyclopedia, a former associate of DeMeo explained, “When the person would walk in, somebody would shoot him in the head with a silencer, somebody would wrap a towel around his head to stop the blood, and somebody would stab him in the heart to stop the blood from pumping.

“They would then drag him into the bathroom, put him in the shower, bleed him, pull him out, put him on a pool liner in the living room, take him apart, and package him.” Indeed, DeMeo's victims never came out in one piece, and were often hacked to small bits to facilitate the disposal process.

At one time a butcher's apprentice, DeMeo demanded that things be done his way, and taught his crew how to take a body apart bit by bit. He also showed them the finer point of putting the head into a trash compactor to further diminish the possibility of the victim being identified.

For these purposes, DeMeo kept a special “clubhouse,” a bar-turned-slaughterhouse where the hits could be carried out to DeMeo's exact specifications. When no one was being murdered, DeMeo's crew liked to invite their girls over for dates... just like any old clubhouse.

At first, DeMeo's efficiency and enthusiasm were thought to be assets to the Gambinos. He became one of Paul Castellano and Nino Gaggi's most trusted hit men and was given the most sensitive jobs. When Gaggi was tried on racketeering charges, DeMeo stepped in and assassinated three government witnesses. He also carried out personal killings for Castellano, including the murder of Castellano's son-in-law.

Most of DeMeo's victims were mobsters, including members of his own crew. But he would kill anyone who got in his way. If DeMeo even suspected someone of being an informer, that person disappeared for good.

Soon it became clear that DeMeo and his crew were running rampant, murdering for profit, for revenge, and even for plain old kicks. Federal authorities began investigating the DeMeo crew by the early 1980s, and Castellano, knowing that the trail would lead from DeMeo to Gaggi and from Gaggi to himself, tried to get DeMeo to tone down his operations. But no one could slow down Roy DeMeo. Instead, he became even more erratic. DeMeo was in it for pleasure by that point, and he liked to tell people about it.

Castellano called DeMeo in a meeting, but DeMeo never showed. Shortly thereafter, a bug in Castellano's home revealed that he was making attempts to put a contract out on DeMeo. No takers. DeMeo was too widely feared. Even John Gotti decided to pass on the contract.

Carl Sifakis reports that Castellano finally said to Gaggi, “Take care of him, Nino.” Gaggi was the only man DeMeo still trusted, and the only man who could get close to him. Business was taken care of, and on January 10, 1983, DeMeo's body was found in the trunk of his car.

Sources: The Mafia Encyclopedia by Carl Sifakis; “There's Something About Geno,” New York Magazine, Eric Konigsberg