But you have to ask: Who would have the balls, and the muscle to deal with the fallout, to whack a boss, even a Jersey boss? It had to be the New York Lupertazzi Family. The assassination was professionally done, that's unquestionable.
Probably a little late to respond to this, but I just read this now.
As you obviously refer to the "presumed" assassination, I don't think it was actually carried out profesionally.
First of all, why would the "members only" hitman first go to the bathroom and then kill Tony? He could have killed him immediately after he walked beside him and get the hell out of there. Or was it that they desperately wanted to make yet another reference to The Godfather?
Second, Mafia hitmen mostly carry out assassinations as a "hit and run". You don't want people to recognise you. Therefore, I don't think a professional hitman would sit around in a public restaurant showing his face while observing his target before killing him on the spot.
Third, although I'm not totally sure, but isn't it against mafia protocol to kill someone in front of his wife and children?
Fair enough, Phil Leotardo was killed that way, but they had to make the exception as he was in constant hiding and it was probably the only change to get to him.
The point I'm trying to make, if Tony would have been killed by the hitman, it was not professionally done IMO.
