Going back in time.
He was a teen when cops branded him ‘the devil.’ Decades later, he was baptized to a standing ovation.
Leon Robert Blais was a notorious child criminal. Today, he’s entrusted with the keys to a downtown church. Has he redeemed himself?
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilt...2f5716f-d861-5b70-a102-b87fc73a0ee2.htmlExcerpt:
[Leon Robert] Blais didn’t know much about his biological grandfather, George Joseph Hasler, who died before he was born. It was only as an adult that he came to understand that he was essentially a hitman for the Mob.
After one of Blais’ many arrests, he happened to find himself on the same Barton jail range as the now dead Hamilton mobster Pat Musitano. Hamilton’s criminal underworld can be a small community, especially behind bars, and Blais knew everybody.
When he got to the range Musitano approached and handed Blais a book. They shook hands.
“I didn’t know your grandfather was George Hassler?” Musitano said, handing over a copy of “The Enforcer” by Adrian Humphreys, about the life and death of crime boss Johnny “Pops” Papalia.
On Page 77, the book talks of Papalia expanding his organization. This included moving “the much-feared Joe Hasler” to “designated enforcer.”
It was through this book and later conversations that Blais learned who his grandfather was. His mom later told him stories about her dad, who spent much of her life in prison.
