On a cold December day in 1973, the life of 41-year-old Joseph Umile came to a violent and abrupt end on the streets of Flatlands, Brooklyn. His death was not a random act of violence but a calculated execution stemming from a monetary dispute. Umile was shot four times in the chest and once in the head before his body was unceremoniously dumped from a car.
The man identified as responsible for this brutal slaying was Roy DeMeo, a notorious figure in the Gambino crime family.
DeMeo was the leader of a crew known for its ruthless efficiency in carrying out murders and other criminal enterprises. The dispute that led to Umile's death was reportedly over money, a common catalyst for violence in the criminal underworld in which DeMeo operated.
Investigations and later testimonies would reveal that this was just one of many murders attributed to DeMeo and his crew. The authorities eventually caught up with DeMeo's violent reign, and in 1984, a sweeping 78-count indictment was brought against 24 defendants, including the surviving members of his crew. While DeMeo himself was murdered in 1983 before he could be brought to trial, the subsequent legal proceedings led to the conviction of several of his associates. In March 1986, six members of the DeMeo crew were convicted on various charges, including murder. A few years later, in June 1989, nine more members were convicted, with two of them, Anthony Senter and Joseph Testa, receiving life sentences for their roles in the crew's murderous activities.
