Johnny Martorano
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John Martorano (b. December 13, 1940) is a former hitman for the Winter Hill Gang in Boston, Massachusetts who has admitted to 20 gang-related killings.
Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Martorano was raised in Milton, Massachusetts. Martorano attended Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where he played football with future CBS News television journalist Ed Bradley whom he affectionally used to call "Big Ed". [1] After joining the Winter Hill Gang, Martorano became known as the "Basin Street Butcher" and "Sickle Cell Anemia". The latter nickname was derived from Martorano's killing of several African-American men in the Roxbury section of Boston. [2]
Arrested in 1995, Martorano agreed to a plea bargain deal in 1999. In return for confessing his murders, Martorano received a reduced prison sentence of 14 years. In 2007, he was released from prison and given $20,000 to start a new life.[3] On January 15, 2008, Martorano appeared on the CBS News television program 60 Minutes [4]. During the interview, Martorano expressed remorse for the murder of a woman who was unexpectedly with one of his targets inside a car.
[edit] Murder victims of John Martorano
- Alfred Angeli
- John Banno
- Douglas Barrett
- John Callahan
- Richard Castucci
- Elizabeth Dickson
- Ronald Hicks
- John Jackson
- Tommy King
- Michael Milano
- Joseph J. "Indian Joe" Notarangelli
- William O'Brien
- James "Spike" O'Toole
- Robert Palladino
- Albert Plummer
- William O'Brien
- Herbert Sith
- James Sousa
- Tony Veranis
- Roger Wheeler
[edit] References
- ^ From prison to prime time
- ^ Justice For John-Newly Discovered Evidence
- ^ Murphy, Shelley (2008-01-16). US paid hit man $20,000 on release. The Boston Globe.
- ^ The Executioner. 60 Minutes (2008-01-15).
