On a summer day in Boston, on June 28, 1978, a grim discovery was made in the basement of the Blackfriars Pub on Summer Street. Peter Meroth, a 31-year-old male, was found deceased alongside four other men in what would become known as the "Blackfriars Massacre." The scene was described as a blood-splattered, gangland-style killing that shocked the city. The victims had been shot, some with a. 12 gauge shotgun and others with a.
25 caliber automatic pistol, leading investigators to believe there were at least two shooters.
The other victims were identified as the pub's owner, Vincent E. Solmonte, the night manager and former investigative reporter John "Jack" Kelly, Charles Magarian, and Freddy Delavega. It appeared the men had been surprised while playing a game of backgammon after the pub had closed for the night. They were herded into the basement, which served as an office, where the executions took place. Investigators found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana at the scene, along with $15,000 in cash in an open safe, leading them to believe the motive was not robbery but was related to a drug deal gone wrong.
The investigation into the quintuple homicide pointed towards organized crime, with potential links to the Winter Hill Gang and the Patriarca crime family. Several individuals were considered suspects, including prominent figures in Boston's criminal underworld. Two men, Robert J. Italiano and William N. Ierardi, were arrested and tried for the murders in 1979. However, after a twenty-seven-day trial, both men were acquitted of the charges.
Despite the initial arrests and suspicions of involvement by notorious gangsters, the Blackfriars Massacre officially remains an unsolved crime. The brutal killing of Peter Meroth and the other four men in the basement of the downtown pub has left a lasting mark on the city's history, a stark reminder of the violent world of organized crime that once held a firm grip on Boston. No one has ever been convicted for the murders that transpired on that fateful June night.
