Do you know who murdered Peter Joseph Bufala? Peter Joseph Bufala, a former professional boxer and baccarat dealer in Las Vegas, was murdered on October 8, 1976, in an execution-style killing. Bufala, who had recently returned home from a graveyard shift at the MGM casino was gunned down in his driveway. He was shot twice with a 9mm handgun, and the crime had the hallmarks of a mob hit, given Las Vegas's criminal underworld at the time.
Bufala had no known vices—he didn't drink, smoke, or gamble, which made his death all the more
mysterious. While some theories suggest connections to the mafia, particularly individuals like Gaspare “Jasper” Speciale, a known loan shark and influential figure in Las Vegas at the time, others speculate that personal motives could have played a role, such as possible financial entanglements involving Bufala's family. Despite initial police investigations and various leads, no one was ever charged for Bufala's murder, leaving the case unsolved decades later.
Bufala's murder remains one of Las Vegas's enduring cold cases, emblematic of the city's darker history during the 1970s, when organized crime had a significant influence over its operations and many unsolved cases had mob ties. Despite ongoing interest and reexaminations over the years, the identity of Bufala's killer remains a mystery.
