Benny, never saw a thing while growing up but heard about a lot while I was away in college (north dakota). A couple of friends were killed; a few from stupid stuff and brother of a friend was definitely a hit (not mob--drugs). Later in life I learned (through books and some guys I used to hang out with when I did some bookmaking) about guys who had been killed during the early 70's (while I was in college as well). Jerry Capecci's Murder Machine tells the Demeo story and one guy I knew personally (tough kid) was killed by someone from that crew.

On the other side of the coin, my mom's first cousin was killed by Tony Spilotro (or his crew) in Vegas. It's noted in Frattiano's book but they used his brother's name, not the cousin who was killed. I never met him, but the brother whose name they used I'd met several times.


Charlie Stella
Johnny Porno (April, 2010) Stark House Press
Mafiya: A Novel of Crime (January, 2008) Pegasus
Shakedown: A Novel of Crime (June, 2006) Pegasus
Cheapskates: A Novel of Crime (March, 2005) Carroll & Graf
Charlie Opera: A Novel of Crime (December, 2003) Carroll & Graf
Jimmy Bench-Press: A Novel of Crime (December, 2002) Carroll & Graf
Eddie's World: A Novel of Crime (December, 2001) Carroll & Graf
www.charliestella.com