When the boss of a crime family is murdered, there must be retribution. Otherwise ppl you deal with - especially outside the USA - and local upstarts (especially ethnic gangs who are pretty hungry and ruthless) will lose respect for you. Fear, violence, murder are an integral part of OC.

If they don't avenge the murder of a boss because they're scared of jail sentences and LE, their business will be in trouble. Other groups - who are willing to use violence - will encroach on their business.

And you don't have to use high ranking members of your organization to to hits. Look at what's happening in Canada. Many suspected shooters show up on surveillance as being black. If they're caught, they don't even know who originally ordered the hit. The contracts are "layered" so the original person who ordered the hit is insulated.