Contract killing(also known asmurder-for-hire) is a form ofmurderorassassinationin which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people.[1]It involves anillegal agreementwhich includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be a person, group, or organization. Contract killing has been associated withorganized crime,government conspiracies,dictatorships,andvendettas.For example, in the United States, theItalian-andJewish-American organized crimegangMurder, Inc.committed hundreds of murders on behalf of theNational Crime Syndicateduring the 1930s and 1940s.
Contract killing provides the hiring party with the advantage of not having to carry out the actual killing, making it more difficult forlaw enforcementto connect the hirer with the murder. The likelihood that authorities will establish that party's guilt for the committed crime, especially due to lack offorensic evidencelinked to the contracting party, makes the case more difficult to attribute to the hiring party. Contract killers may exhibitserial killertraits, but are generally not classified as such because of third-party killing objectives and detached financial and emotional incentives.[2][3][4]Nevertheless, there are occasionally individuals that are labeled as both contract killers and serial killers.[5][6][7]
A contract killer is colloquially known as ahitman.
Statistics
editA study by theAustralian Institute of Criminologyof 162 contract murders and attempted contract murders in Australia between 1989 and 2002 indicated that the most common reason for murder-for-hire wasinsurance policypayouts. The study also found that payments varied from $5,000 to $30,000 per killing, with an average of $15,000, and that the most commonly used weapons werefirearms.Contract killings accounted for 2% of murders in Australia during that time period.[8] Contract killings generally make up a small percentage of murders. For example, they accounted for about 5% of all murders inScotlandfrom 1993 to 2002.[9]
Notable persons
editPerpetrators
edit
- Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll,anIrish-Americanhitman fromGweedore,County Donegal,who worked forSalvatore Maranzano,Dutch Schultz,andOwney Madden.
- Elmer "Trigger" Burke,notorious hitman and supporting player in theGreat Brink's Robbery
- Maia "Mainha" Cunha, a notoriousBrazilianhitman; he is considered the biggest hitman inNortheast Braziland his targets were usually northeastern politicians, mostly mayors of cities in the interior of northeastern Brazil.[10][11]
- Glennon Engleman,American dentist who moonlighted as a hitman.
- Ray Ferritto,Italian-American hitman and soldier for theClevelandandLos Angeles crime families,best known for the October 1977car bombingmurder ofIrish mobBossDanny GreeneinLyndhurst, Ohio;later Ferritto became a government witness and testified against the mob.
- Christopher Dale Flannery,reputed Australian hitman.
- El Chino Ántrax,a notorious Mexicandrug lordand hitman, he was a high-ranking member ofSinaloa Carteland the leader ofLos Antrax,a feared hitman squad and an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel.
- Giuseppe Greco,a Sicilian hitman who killed at least 58 people during theSecond Mafia War.
- Charles Harrelson,American hitman, father of actorWoody Harrelson.
- Patrick Holland,Irishalleged hitman for theDublin-baseddrug traffickingring led byJohn GilliganandJohn Traynor.Accused byIrish law enforcementof having been responsible for the 1996 murder ofinvestigative journalistVeronica Guerin.
- Richard Kuklinski,an alleged hitman for theDeCavalcante crime familyand theFive Familieswho claimed responsibility for more than 200 murders.
- Marinko Magda,Serbian hitman convicted for 11 murders.
- Tommy "Karate" Pitera,[Note 1]an Italian-American hitman andsoldierin theBonanno crime family.He was known for having serial killer-like characteristics, and was a skilledmartial artist.
- Alexander "Sasha-Soldier" Pustovalov,Russian mafiahitman andOrekhovskaya gangsoldier. Pustovalov has 22 confirmed kills.
- Abe Reles,hitman and initial leader ofMurder, Inc.along withMartin Goldstein.
- Julio Santana,a notorious Brazilian hitman; he is considered by the Brazilian and international media as "the deadliest hitman in history", for having killed 492 people officially (more than 500 unofficially),[Note 2]considered the highest number of fatal victims killed by a single hitman.[12]
- Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran,a union official and mob hitman, who was associated withRussell Bufalino.Sheeran claimed to have murdered formerTeamsterspresidentJimmy Hoffa.[13]
- Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel,a Jewish hitman who headed theBugs and Meyer Moband was a hitman forMurder, Inc.;Siegel was also theItalian mob's main hitman duringProhibition.
- Alexander Solonik,Russian hitman, known for carrying a firearm in each hand. Alexander Solonik was a main killer in the Kurganskaya criminal group.
- Harry Strauss,hitman forMurder, Inc.he is possibly the most prolific hitman to have ever lived, committing 100 (possibly 500) murders during his career.
- Jhon Jairo "Popeye" Velásquez,Colombian hitman who was part of theMedellín Cartel.[14]
- Ilpo Larha,Finnish criminal who also became Finland's first known hitman in 1992
- Robert Young,a.k.a.Willie Sanchez, an escaped convict and contract killer employed by anAfrican-American organized crimegang headed byNicky Barnes.[15][16][17]
- Z,a 15-year-old minor who was convicted of murdering an insurance agent under the orders of her husband in Singapore in 2001. He was detained atthe President's Pleasurefor 17 years.
- Kenneth Eugene Smith,Billy Gray WilliamsandJohn Forrest Parker,the three hitmen who murdered a pastor's wife on the orders of the pastor (who committed suicide) in 1988. Parker was executed in 2010, while Williams was given a life sentence and later died in prison in 2020, and Smith was executed in 2024.
Victims
edit- Griselda Blanco,Colombian drug lord of theMedellín Cartel,gunned down inMedellínon September 3, 2012.
- Harry Greenberg,aMafiaassociate ofCharles "Lucky" Luciano,Meyer Lansky,and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. He was killed by Siegel,Whitey Krakower,Albert Tannenbaum,andFrankie Carboin 1939.
- Danny Hogan,anIrish mobBoss based in theTwin Cities,whose 1928 assassination, allegedly by disgruntled associateHarry Sawyeris believed to be the first murder bycar bombingin the history of American organized crime.
- Annie Leong,an insurance agent in Singapore who was murdered by a minor hired by her husband, who was subsequently sentenced to death and later executed.
- Walter Liggett,aninvestigative journalistspecializing in exposes of collusion betweenDepression eraorganized crimein theTwin Citiesand senior politicians fromMinnesota's rulingFarmer-Labor Party.Assassinated before his wife and children in December 1935, allegedly byKid Cann,an enforcer for aMinneapolis-basedJewish-American organized crimegang called the "AZ Syndicate".
- Li Fuguo,aTang dynastyeunuch killed by a hitman hired by EmperorTang Daizong.
- Salvatore Maranzano,a Castellammarese Mafia Boss and rival to Masseria in theCastellammarese Warwho was killed by Siegel and several other men in 1931.
- Dan Markel,an attorney and legal academic murdered inTallahassee, Florida,in 2014.
- Joe Masseria,aMafiaBossmurdered by Siegel,Vito Genovese,Albert Anastasia,andJoe Adonisin 1931.
- Harry Millman, gang leader and formerPurple Gangmember, killed byHarry StraussandHarry Maione.
- Nativo da Natividade,a well-knownunion leaderfrom theCenter-West of Brazil(who was originally a rural worker), he was one of the 492 people who were killed by the notorious Brazilian hitmanJulio Santana.
- Dion O'Banion,Irish mobBoss ofChicago'sNorth Side Gang,whose 1924 assassination byFrankie Yale,John Scalise,and Albert Anselmi touched off almost a decade of gangland warfare.
- Maria Lúcia Petit,ateacher,far-left militant,andcommunist guerrilla,was a member of theCommunist Party of Brazil(PCdoB) and theGuerrilha do Araguaia.She was one of the 492 people who were killed by the notorious Brazilian hitmanJulio Santana(as well as Nativo da Natividade).
- Shiori Ino,a 21-year-old university student, who was stabbed to death in 1999. Hitman had been hired by Ino's abusive ex-boyfriend (who committed suicide before he could be apprehended) and the ex-boyfriend's brother, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
- Alexander Solonik,was strangled to death by Russian hitman and ex-Marine Alexander Pustovalov inside hisAthensvilla in 1997.
- Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel,Las Vegas-basedJewish American organized crimefigure, killed by unknown assailants in 1947.
- Barry Seal,American airline pilot and undercover CIA informer, who became a major drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel.
- Brian Stidham,a pediatric ophthalmologist who was killed in a murder-for-hire plot by his colleague, Bradley Schwartz.
- Grady Stiles,afreak showperformer whose family hired a hitman to kill due to his abusiveness.
- John H. Wood Jr.,an American Federal judge known as "Maximum John" for giving severe prison sentences for drug offenses, murdered byCharles Harrelsonat the behest ofLebanese-Americandrug lordJamiel Chagra.
Employers
edit- Dana Ewell,convicted of hiring his college roommate to murder Ewell's mother, father, and sister for the US$8,000,000 estate.
- John Gotti,Italian-Americancrime Boss,hired hitmen to murderPaul Castellanooutside ofSparks Steak Housein December 1985.[18]
- Robert Fratta,ex-police officer, hired two men to kill his wife.
- Lawrence Horn,record producer whose hiring of a hitman led to the caseRice v.Paladin Press.
- Mike Danton,former NHL player, hired an undercover federal agent to kill his sports agent.
- Richard Glossip,a former motel manager, was convicted of ordering the 1997 killing of his Boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese.
- Silas Jayne,Chicago-area stable owner, was convicted in 1973 of hiring hitmen to murder his half-brother George.[19]
- Tim Lambesis,heavy metal vocalist who attempted to hire an undercover police officer to murder his wife.[20]
- Charlotte Karin Lindström,Swedish waitress/model who attempted to hire a hitman to kill persons testifying against her boyfriend in a drug trial in Australia.
- Charles "Lucky" Luciano,American MafiaandLuciano crime familyBoss.Ordered Siegel, Tannenbaum, Genovese, Buchalter, Carbo, and Krakower to murderMustache PetesJoe Masseria and Sal Maranzano in 1931, andstool pigeonHarry Greenbergin 1939.
- Joseph Maldonado-Passage(better known by his stage nameJoe Exotic), an American zoo owner who attempted to hire an undercover FBI agent to murder a rival, the CEO ofBig Cat Rescue(with whom he had a long-running and public feud).[21]
- Diana Lovejoy,a technical writer, and her gun instructor Weldon McDavid were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder of Lovejoy's husband in 2016.[22]
- Jennifer Pan,aVietnamese-Canadianwoman who hired three men to stage ahome invasionin order to assassinate her parents in retaliation for decades oftiger parentingin 2010.
- Nicole Doucet Ryanattempted to hire an undercoverRoyal Canadian Mounted Policeofficer to kill her husband. After ruling that she could not use the defense ofduress,theSupreme Court of Canadaordered she could not be retried.[23]
- Pamela Smarthired teenage lover Billy Flynn and his friends to murder her husband.
- Thomas Bartlett Whitaker,an American man who hired people to attack his parents and brother in a home invasion in 2003.
- Flordelis dos Santos de Souza,former Brazilian congresswoman, convicted of the murder of her husband, pastor Anderson do Carmo.[24]
- Anthony Ler,a Singaporean who hired a 15-year-old student in 2001 to murder his wife with promises of money and sex, as well as manipulation and death threats.
- María del Pilar Pérez,a Chilean architect who hired a hitman to kill her husband (who had come out as gay), his boyfriend, and her niece's boyfriend.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^His nickname, "Karate" is due to the fact that he is a martial artist and also to the fact that he is ablack beltinGoju-ryu Karate.
- ^According to Julio Santana himself, he stopped counting the number of targets he killed after the 492nd victim, implying that the actual number of victims he killed would be (unofficially) 500 or more.
References
edit- ^Frank Shanty; Patit Paban Mishra (2008).Organized Crime: From Trafficking to Terrorism.ABC-CLIO. p. 210.ISBN978-1-57607-337-7.
- ^Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi (2013).The Economics of Crime.Business Expert Press. p. 162.ISBN978-1-60649-583-4.
- ^Holmes & Holmes 2009,p. 7.
- ^David Wilson; Elizabeth Yardley; Adam Lynes (2015).Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder: A Student Textbook.Waterside Press - Drew University. p. 43.ISBN978-1-909976-21-4.
- ^David Wilson; Elizabeth Yardley; Adam Lynes (2015).Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder: A Student Textbook.Waterside Press. p. 43.ISBN978-1-909976-21-4.
- ^R.J. Parker; Scott Bonn (2017).Blood Money: The Method and Madness of Assassins.ABC-CLIO. pp. 9–10.ISBN978-1-987902-34-1.
- ^Holmes, Ronald M.; Holmes, Stephen T. (2009).Serial Murder.SAGE. p. 140.ISBN978-1-4129-7442-4.
- ^"Lovers top contract killing hit list".CNN. February 5, 2004.
- ^"Homicide in Scotland, 2002".Government of Scotland.
- ^G1 (Ceará): Assassinato do pistoleiro cearense Mainha completa 10 anos e segue sem condenação
- ^Aventuras na História: CONFUSÃO E MORTE: MAINHA, O MAIOR JUSTICEIRO DO NORDESTE
- ^Aventuras na História: JÚLIO SANTANA: O BRASILEIRO QUE MATOU 492 PESSOAS E ESCAPOU DA POLÍCIA
- ^"Interview: Charles Brandt, author 'I Heard You Paint Houses'".amp-clickondetroit-com.cdn.ampproject.org.Archived fromthe originalon October 18, 2019.RetrievedAugust 2,2019.
- ^"El ex jefe de sicarios de Pablo Escobar seguirá en prisión al menos hasta 2016"[Ex-chief of Pablo Escobar's hitmen to be in prison until 2016].El Mundo(in Spanish).Bogotá.September 16, 2013.RetrievedNovember 7,2021.
- ^Wilson, Michael (April 26, 2019)."Her 'Prince Charming' Turned Out to Be a Crazed Hit Man on the Run".The New York Times.RetrievedMay 8,2019.
- ^"Hired Killer Sentenced".The Evening Press.Binghamton, NY: The New York Times Company. November 11, 1980. p. 7-A.
- ^"'Hitwoman' charged in 6 slayings ".Pacific Stars and Stripes.Japan. UPI. February 16, 1980. p. 7.
- ^"Mob Boss John Gotti Is Dead".The Smoking Gun.June 10, 2002.RetrievedMay 10,2015.
- ^Boyle, Robert H. (June 4, 1973)."End Of A Bloody Bad Show".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon September 22, 2010.RetrievedMarch 21,2013.
- ^"Tim Lambesis Sentenced to Six Years in Jail for Murder-for-Hire Plot".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 21,2016.
- ^Brulliard, Karin (January 22, 2020)."Zookeeper who killed tigers and tried to have rival murdered is sentenced to 22 years in prison".The Washington Post.RetrievedApril 16,2020.
- ^Pelisek, Christine (November 22, 2017)."How Divorce Led to Diana Lovejoy's Murder-for-Hire Plot".PEOPLE.RetrievedJuly 27,2020.
- ^"Ex-husband in hit-man case says courts were wrong - Nova Scotia".CBC News.
- ^"Brazil: Former congresswoman sentenced to 50 years in prison for husband's murder".Wion.November 14, 2022.RetrievedMay 10,2023.
External links
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