I think DeMeo is notoriously overrated as a mobster. Yeah he was a good criminal - a killer and a money maker. But it was obvious he would have never been pegged under any circumstance for a leadership position. He wasn't even a capo and only through a stroke of luck combined with attrition was the only way he'd probably ever make capo. If he wasn't killed when he was, Gotti probably would have had him killed a few years later for something or other. and that whole thing about Gotti and Co. turning down the DeMeo murder contract because they were afraid - I don't buy that. I'm guessing that there is a 90% chance there as another untold reason. Gotti had some hitters around him, maybe not as methodical as DeMeo's killers but he still had killers none the less.
I agree with you about Demeo not being able to rise to a higher position in the mafia because of his uncontrollable nature. But he still was one of the most feared guys in mob history, sure he wasn't a captain but anybody who kills that much and makes that much money is gonna be talked about. also I hate to break it to you but gotti was definetly afraid of demeo and would never take the contract to kill him. thats not an opinion its a fact from a wiretap of gene Gotti saying that john was wary of trying to take on roy demeo since demeo and his crew are an army of killers and gottis crew had only killed around 10 people. Another guy gotti feared is Casso who after a botched attempy on his life started taking out gambino members and gotti/gravano started ducking him. But back to demeo i don't think its a matter of "overrating" demeo. He is talked about because he killed like 200 people and made money
