John Baida, a 19-year-old male, was discovered murdered on February 5, 1984, in Brooklyn, New York. His death was part of a brutal triple homicide that also claimed the lives of Richard 'Richie' DiNome and Frederick Seiden. The three victims were found in DiNome's living room, all having been shot to death with an automatic weapon. The scene suggested a violent and sudden end to their lives, with the act believed to have been carried out the day before, on February 4, 1984.
The
investigation into the grisly discovery quickly pointed towards organized crime, specifically the notorious DeMeo Crew, a violent faction of the Gambino crime family. Richie DiNome, one of the other victims, was a former member of this crew and the younger brother of a long-time associate of the crew's leader, Roy DeMeo. It is widely believed that DiNome was the primary target, killed because he possessed too much incriminating knowledge about the crew's extensive criminal operations, which included murder and car theft. Baida and Seiden were likely killed to eliminate any witnesses to DiNome's execution.
Despite the clear connections to a prominent criminal organization, the case of John Baida's murder, along with the others, quickly went cold. Law enforcement officials struggled to gather enough evidence to formally identify any suspects or make any arrests. The DeMeo Crew was known for its secrecy and brutal efficiency, making it exceedingly difficult for investigators to find cooperative witnesses or penetrate their wall of silence. Over the years, the investigation stalled, and the triple homicide became one of the many unsolved murders attributed to the violent reign of organized crime in Brooklyn during that era. To this day, the case remains officially unsolved, with no individuals ever being charged or brought to justice for the deaths of John Baida and the other two men.
