In the early morning hours of June 28, 1978, the city of Boston was rocked by a brutal crime that would come to be known as the Blackfriars Massacre. Inside the Blackfriars Pub on Summer Street, a janitor arriving for his shift made a gruesome discovery in the basement. Five men, including 34-year-old John A. "Jack" Kelly, lay dead, the victims of what police would describe as a gangland-style slaying.
Kelly, a married father of four and a former investigative journalist, had been working as the night manager of the pub. The other victims were the pub's owner, Vincent E. Solmonte, and three other men: Charles Magarian, Peter Meroth, and Freddy Delavega.
The scene in the blood-spattered basement told a story of extreme violence. The men had been shot at close range with a shotgun and a. 25-caliber pistol, leading investigators to believe there were at least two assailants. The motive initially appeared to be robbery, as a significant amount of cash and several kilograms of cocaine were reportedly on the premises. However, the discovery of a small arsenal of firearms and some drugs and money left behind at the scene suggested a more complex and sinister motive, possibly a targeted assassination related to organized crime. It was rumored that the killers had not intended to leave witnesses, but when Kelly recognized one of the perpetrators, the robbery turned into a massacre.
John "Jack" Kelly was no stranger to the city's criminal underworld. In his previous career as a hard-hitting investigative reporter, he had built a reputation for his connections with mobsters, which he cultivated for stories. Friends and colleagues noted that Kelly was drawn to the dangerous allure of the mob. Police reports indicated he had been seen in the company of known organized crime figures on numerous occasions. While there was no evidence he was directly involved in high-level drug trafficking, his association with such individuals placed him in a precarious position. In the end, it may have been these very connections that led to his untimely death, a man who sought to report on the city's dark side and ultimately became one of its victims.
The investigation into the Blackfriars Massacre was extensive but ultimately frustrating for law enforcement. Less than a month after the killings, two men, Robert Italiano and William N. Ierardi, were arrested and charged with the murders. Their trial, however, ended in an acquittal, leaving the case officially unsolved. Over the years, speculation has continued to swirl, with the names of infamous Boston gangsters like Stephen "the Rifleman" Flemmi, James "Whitey" Bulger, and Nicholas Femia being linked to the crime. Flemmi had reportedly been at the pub with his girlfriend shortly before the killings but left after sensing trouble. Despite the persistent rumors and the enduring notoriety of the case, no one has ever been convicted for the five murders that took place in the basement of the Blackfriars Pub, leaving the full story of that tragic night lost to history.
