In the criminal underworld of New York City, Roy Albert DeMeo, a male of Italian-American descent, carved out a fearsome reputation as a member of the Gambino crime family. Born on September 7, 1940, the Brooklyn native led a crew that became infamous for its ruthless efficiency and for a gruesome method of body disposal that left countless victims vanishing without a trace.
His crew was involved in a wide range of criminal enterprises, including car theft, drug trafficking, and loansharking, but it was their penchant for murder that set them apart, with estimates of their victims ranging up to 200 individuals. DeMeo's rise within the Gambino family was marked by a strategic alliance with an Irish-American gang known as the Westies, a move that earned him his formal induction into the mafia.
By the early 1980s, however, the very violence that had propelled DeMeo's ascent began to precipitate his downfall. Law enforcement, particularly the FBI, was intensifying its investigation into the staggering number of people who had disappeared after being linked to DeMeo and his crew. The pressure mounted on the Gambino family leadership, specifically its boss, Paul Castellano. Castellano, who viewed himself more as a businessman, grew increasingly wary of DeMeo's high-profile and uncontrollable violence, fearing that DeMeo could become a government witness to save himself from a long prison sentence. This fear led Castellano to make a fateful decision: Roy DeMeo had to be eliminated.
The order to kill DeMeo circulated within the mob, but his formidable and violent reputation made many reluctant to take on the contract. It is widely believed that the task ultimately fell to those closest to him—members of his own crew. On January 10, 1983, the 42-year-old DeMeo drove to a meeting at the home of crew member Patty Testa. He was never seen alive again. He failed to show up for his daughter's birthday party that night, raising his family's suspicions. Ten days later, on January 20, 1983, his Cadillac was found in the parking lot of a boat club in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Inside the trunk lay his partially frozen body, riddled with multiple gunshot wounds. The wounds to his hands suggested he had tried to shield himself in his final moments.
In the aftermath of the murder, no one was ever convicted specifically for killing Roy DeMeo. The prime suspect for ordering the hit, Paul Castellano, was indicted for the murder as part of a larger racketeering case but was gunned down in December 1985 on the orders of John Gotti before his trial could conclude. DeMeo's mentor, Anthony 'Nino' Gaggi, and crew members Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter were all suspected of being the triggermen. Gaggi died of natural causes while on trial for other crimes. Years later, surviving members of the DeMeo crew, including Testa and Senter, were convicted on a slew of charges, including multiple murders, and sentenced to life in prison, effectively ending the reign of one of Brooklyn's most violent gangs.
