If you listen how everything played out leading up to him being boss, you can say he was a victim of his era. The last two bosses were murdered. Now he comes to be boss and he has new rules. Despite arrangements with prior Dons, Riccobene was disobeying the Philly boss. If he doesn't fall in line, others might to the same. "You gotta kill people. And you gotta keep on killing em." Little Nicky