"Who are we, miserable men, that we claim the right to execute our fellows, our brothers, to substitute to Almighty God in giving death? Crazy, only crazy "
(Leonardo Vitale)


Leonardo Vitale (Palermo, June 27, 1941 - Palermo, December 2, 1984) was an Italian criminal tied to Cosa Nostra and is considered the first Mafia pentito after Melchiorre Allegra ..

Called the Joe Valachi of Altarello of Baida, in 1960, became a man of honor. In March 1973 he denounced many bosses, including Toto Riina, Pippo Calo, Rosario Riccobono and Vito Ciancimino to the police, asking to speak only with Bruno Contrada, then head of the investigation section of the Mobile Squad, but later convicted of external complicity in mafia. After being subjected to numerous psychiatric expert, was imprisoned for 10 years in the insane asylum of Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto, in the province of Messina. After two months since the day of return to freedom, was killed leaving a church, before the family.
Leonardo (Leuccio) is the first "real" Mafia pentio for reasons of conscience. After his conversion he has sought only the truth and no one wanted to believe him, has not either tried to hide; attended daily Mass at the Church of the Capuchins in Palermo, where a Sunday at the exit was killed.


"He was released in June 1984, was killed a few months later, on December 2, while returning from Sunday mass. Unlike the Justice of the State, the Mafia felt the importance of his revelations and punished him relentlessly for having violated the law of omerta.
It is hoped that, at least after his death, Vitale has the credit they deserved and deserve. '

(Giovanni Falcone, Maxi Trial in Palermo 1986 )


Vitale was considered insane because in 1973 he explained the links between the mafia and the state. and since then the Mafia did not exist, he was considered mentally ill and stayed for 10 years in asylum, given electric shocks when it came out and was killed only after the maxi-trial in 1986 he was recognized his merit.
opposite Henry Hill, Salvatore Gravano, Vincent Palermo, even if they left the witness protection program, Hill at the end of the 80s, was not killed, Gravano was sentenced to 20 years for selling ecstasy could easily be killed in prison, but it is still alive, Vincet Palermo is doing the good life in texas without hiding, if we were in Italy, they would have died on the first occasion