On the morning of October 25, 1957, Umberto 'Albert' Anastasia, a 55-year-old Italian-American male, settled into a barber's chair at the Park Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. The powerful and feared boss of what would become the Gambino crime family was left unprotected when his driver parked the car and went for a walk. As Anastasia relaxed, two men with scarves concealing their faces entered the barbershop, pushed the barber aside, and opened fire.
After the initial barrage of bullets, Anastasia reportedly rose from his chair and lunged towards the mirror before falling to the floor, where the gunmen continued to shoot him until he was dead.
The brazen assassination of one of the most ruthless figures in the American Mafia, known for co-founding and leading the notorious enforcement squad Murder, Inc., sent shockwaves through the criminal underworld. The murder was widely believed to have been ordered by rival mob bosses Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino, the latter of whom was Anastasia's own underboss and subsequently took control of the family. The motive was seen as a power grab by Genovese and Gambino.
Despite the high-profile nature of the crime and numerous eyewitnesses, the identities of the shooters have never been definitively confirmed, and no one was ever officially charged or convicted for the murder. Over the years, several names have been put forward as the potential triggermen. One prevalent theory points to members of the Gallo crew, with 'Crazy Joe' Gallo himself reportedly boasting about his crew being responsible. Carmine Persico later claimed that he and Gallo were the ones who shot Anastasia. Another account, reported by journalist Jerry Capeci, identified the assassins as Stephen 'Stevie Coogan' Grammauta and Arnold 'Witty' Wittenberg, acting on the orders of a Carlo Gambino ally. The investigation into Anastasia's death was extensive, but ultimately, the case remains officially unsolved, leaving a lasting mystery in the annals of organized crime history.
