movieguy Posted June 15, 2006 Report Share Posted June 15, 2006 Gangster Gets Life For Hit On Gay Mob Boss by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff June 13, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET (New York City) More than a decade before The Sopranos, real life gay mobster John D'Amato was gunned down after he was outed. Monday, Stefano Vitabile, 71, was sentenced to life in prison for the killing. Viabile's trial had all the markings of a TV series. D'Amato (pictured), known to his associates as Johnny Boy, was a boss in the DeCavalcante crime family. In a 1991 video shown in court John Gotti was seen giving D'Amato the traditional Mafia kiss on the cheek. But in 1992, a jilted girlfriend outed D'Amato to the mob. DeCavalcantes consigliere Vitabile didn't pull the trigger - that was done by Anthony Capo - but Vitabile did order the hit. Capo in a deal with prosecutors for a lighter sentence testified against Vitabile in the 3 year trial. "Nobody's gonna respect us if we have a gay homosexual boss sitting down discussing La Cosa Nostra business," Capo told Manhattan federal court in 2003. He also described how Vitabile ordered the hit. "The rule in La Cosa Nostra is not to take down a boss without the permission of the commission," Capo said. Capo then described how in 1992 he and another mobster arranged to pick up D'Amato on the pretext of going to a meeting "John D'Amato got in the car and sat in the back," Capo said. "He said, 'Let's go eat,' and as we drove away, I turned and shot John D'Amato." Vitabile also was convicted of conspiring in two other mob-related murders and conspiring to commit extortion. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The killing and sensational trial grabbed the interest of The Sopranos producers who made mob character in the series Vito Spatafore gay. In the hit series Spatafore, played by actor Joe Gannascoli, fled to New Hampshire after two other gang members spotted him in a gay bar. They passed on the information to brother-in-law Phil Leotardo who ordered a hit on Spatafore. He was killed in the series in a motel room while Leotardo looked on. ©365Gay.com 2006 links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.