1 00:00:07,007 --> 00:00:09,492 Journey into the dark side of the soul, 2 00:00:12,909 --> 00:00:15,015 into the nightmare world of mafia hit men. 3 00:00:17,983 --> 00:00:20,019 Learn the secret to violent madness 4 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:22,953 as you probe the minds of the killers from the underworld. 5 00:00:59,921 --> 00:01:01,508 They may be international syndicates 6 00:01:01,509 --> 00:01:03,786 or inner city street gangs. 7 00:01:03,787 --> 00:01:05,374 Their criminal activities can range 8 00:01:05,375 --> 00:01:08,446 from drug smuggling to white-collar scams. 9 00:01:08,447 --> 00:01:10,724 But regardless of the illicit enterprise culture 10 00:01:10,725 --> 00:01:13,313 or sphere of power, the chief currency 11 00:01:13,314 --> 00:01:16,558 of all underworld empires is death. 12 00:01:16,559 --> 00:01:18,836 For the history of organized crime 13 00:01:18,837 --> 00:01:20,908 is a history soaked in blood. 14 00:01:22,634 --> 00:01:24,498 A blood-drenched tide is rising. 15 00:01:25,809 --> 00:01:28,294 Violence and death flood our cities. 16 00:01:28,295 --> 00:01:30,124 The homicide rate is escalating, 17 00:01:31,229 --> 00:01:33,058 for killers walk among us. 18 00:01:34,266 --> 00:01:37,820 They look like anyone, professional assassins, 19 00:01:37,821 --> 00:01:41,480 sexual sadists, nomadic serial killers. 20 00:01:43,413 --> 00:01:46,415 Chances are, you may meet one someday. 21 00:01:46,416 --> 00:01:49,211 You could pass a psychopathic person on the street, 22 00:01:49,212 --> 00:01:51,903 even a killer, and not really know it. 23 00:01:51,904 --> 00:01:54,492 Although I have met some psychopathic killers 24 00:01:54,493 --> 00:01:56,632 who've killed a lot of people who have 25 00:01:56,633 --> 00:02:01,189 that so-called reptilian stare, where there's a cold iciness 26 00:02:01,190 --> 00:02:02,776 that you feel when you sit with them 27 00:02:02,777 --> 00:02:04,951 because you know that there's just nothing there. 28 00:02:04,952 --> 00:02:07,816 Many of them, particularly more sophisticated ones, 29 00:02:07,817 --> 00:02:10,681 can put on a chameleon-like exterior, 30 00:02:10,682 --> 00:02:14,719 which is superficially glib, engaging, and charming, 31 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,997 disarming everyday people 32 00:02:16,998 --> 00:02:19,068 from realizing what they're sitting with. 33 00:02:19,069 --> 00:02:22,279 Psychologist Kris Mohandie is a criminal profiler 34 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,936 for the Los Angeles Police Department. 35 00:02:24,937 --> 00:02:26,628 The people that I've talked to 36 00:02:26,629 --> 00:02:29,458 that are of this psychopathic killer variety, 37 00:02:29,459 --> 00:02:32,910 when they relay their stories of the details of their crimes 38 00:02:32,911 --> 00:02:35,223 and how they killed people, hunted people, 39 00:02:35,224 --> 00:02:40,229 and harmed people, there is not one bit of remorse 40 00:02:41,437 --> 00:02:42,851 in the hardened ones that I've talked with, 41 00:02:42,852 --> 00:02:45,474 the ones that have made a repetitive venture 42 00:02:45,475 --> 00:02:47,753 of hunting and killing people. 43 00:02:49,997 --> 00:02:51,894 When you talk with them about the killing, 44 00:02:51,895 --> 00:02:53,448 it's as if they're talking about 45 00:02:53,449 --> 00:02:55,796 what they had for dinner the night before. 46 00:02:57,625 --> 00:03:00,179 John Yarbrough is a criminal profiler. 47 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:02,905 He uses psychology to build personality profiles 48 00:03:02,906 --> 00:03:04,391 of possible suspects. 49 00:03:05,530 --> 00:03:08,670 His specialty, the sex murderer. 50 00:03:08,671 --> 00:03:11,949 And I don't mean to create panic in anybody, 51 00:03:11,950 --> 00:03:16,056 but the reality is, there are these sexual predators 52 00:03:16,057 --> 00:03:21,097 that no endless amount of incarceration is going to deter. 53 00:03:21,891 --> 00:03:23,099 They are going to do this. 54 00:03:24,376 --> 00:03:26,308 University of California neuroscientist 55 00:03:26,309 --> 00:03:30,071 Adrian Raine is probing the brains of violent criminals. 56 00:03:30,969 --> 00:03:34,143 This is an MRI which shows 57 00:03:34,144 --> 00:03:35,869 the brain of a violent individual. 58 00:03:35,870 --> 00:03:37,768 We can literally cut inside 59 00:03:37,769 --> 00:03:40,529 the brains of violent offenders using this technique. 60 00:03:40,530 --> 00:03:41,772 It's non-invasive. 61 00:03:41,773 --> 00:03:44,602 There's no pain or anything like that, 62 00:03:44,603 --> 00:03:47,329 but it's a technique which allows us to look, 63 00:03:47,330 --> 00:03:51,126 with exquisite detail, at the structure of the brain 64 00:03:51,127 --> 00:03:52,783 of the violent offender. 65 00:03:52,784 --> 00:03:55,234 Probe inside the brain of a killer. 66 00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:58,271 Psychoanalyze the mind of a sex murderer. 67 00:03:58,272 --> 00:04:01,481 Years ago, this would be absurd. No longer. 68 00:04:01,482 --> 00:04:05,105 Today, researchers and criminologists are at the threshold 69 00:04:05,106 --> 00:04:08,178 of answering questions that have long tormented society. 70 00:04:09,594 --> 00:04:11,698 Why are we the only animal who finds joy and torturing 71 00:04:11,699 --> 00:04:14,011 in killing our own kind? 72 00:04:17,084 --> 00:04:20,398 What forces transform a person into a lord of death? 73 00:04:21,882 --> 00:04:24,022 What motivates their violent madness? 74 00:04:25,161 --> 00:04:27,818 Who are the killers who walk among us? 75 00:04:27,819 --> 00:04:32,098 We can get people who, to the extreme, 76 00:04:32,099 --> 00:04:35,377 are cunning, clever, manipulative. 77 00:04:35,378 --> 00:04:37,897 They're very charismatic, 78 00:04:37,898 --> 00:04:41,176 but they don't care an iota about the victims. 79 00:04:41,177 --> 00:04:44,421 They have no empathy for the victims. 80 00:04:44,422 --> 00:04:46,457 They have no remorse for the crimes they've committed, 81 00:04:46,458 --> 00:04:47,976 and they're motivated by thrill. 82 00:04:47,977 --> 00:04:50,634 And that's the classic psychopath. 83 00:04:50,635 --> 00:04:53,395 They usually look at the everyday citizen 84 00:04:53,396 --> 00:04:55,742 as just kind of this inert, neutral, 85 00:04:55,743 --> 00:04:59,367 they would look at them as the sheep that are out there 86 00:04:59,368 --> 00:05:04,304 that are pawns in their war against the system. 87 00:05:05,408 --> 00:05:06,477 Their fury has reached 88 00:05:06,478 --> 00:05:07,928 our neighborhoods and homes. 89 00:05:08,963 --> 00:05:11,414 Drive-by shootings, home invasions. 90 00:05:12,726 --> 00:05:15,175 In the ultraviolet new world of organized crime, 91 00:05:15,176 --> 00:05:16,488 everyone is vulnerable. 92 00:05:18,076 --> 00:05:21,906 In the old days, if two of us beat up one of you, 93 00:05:21,907 --> 00:05:24,875 you and your group could or could not retaliate. 94 00:05:24,876 --> 00:05:27,326 It was pretty much an option for you. 95 00:05:27,327 --> 00:05:30,915 But if two of us shoot and kill one of yours, 96 00:05:30,916 --> 00:05:33,297 the demand character of that situation is such 97 00:05:33,298 --> 00:05:36,058 that you are almost bound and determined 98 00:05:36,059 --> 00:05:40,097 somebody in your group to try and repay that event, 99 00:05:40,098 --> 00:05:43,169 to fire back at some point, maybe not successfully, 100 00:05:43,170 --> 00:05:45,102 but the requirement to do so 101 00:05:45,103 --> 00:05:46,414 is much greater than used to be. 102 00:05:46,415 --> 00:05:49,140 So the homicide cycles on itself. 103 00:05:49,141 --> 00:05:50,522 Didn't used to be the case. 104 00:05:52,904 --> 00:05:54,732 It wasn't violent until the '80s. 105 00:05:54,733 --> 00:05:56,493 Well, I can tell you I came into this detail 106 00:05:56,494 --> 00:05:59,461 in 1972 and it was violent then. 107 00:05:59,462 --> 00:06:02,257 The difference is, they had junk guns in those days. 108 00:06:02,258 --> 00:06:05,018 They didn't have necessarily good guns, 109 00:06:05,019 --> 00:06:07,987 sawed-off shotguns and .22s, 110 00:06:07,988 --> 00:06:10,507 where now they all have excellent weaponry. 111 00:06:10,508 --> 00:06:12,578 The new 9 millimeter or .380 112 00:06:12,579 --> 00:06:14,304 tends to be their favorite weapon 113 00:06:15,789 --> 00:06:16,996 and you put a lot of bullets in the air with one of those. 114 00:06:16,997 --> 00:06:18,894 All of a sudden, now y'all is into it 115 00:06:18,895 --> 00:06:20,482 because of the drugs. 116 00:06:20,483 --> 00:06:22,001 You know, now either he wants to kill you 117 00:06:22,002 --> 00:06:23,382 or you want to kill him. 118 00:06:23,383 --> 00:06:26,074 Either it's behind, he want to jack you 119 00:06:26,075 --> 00:06:29,905 or he want this neighborhood, or you want the neighborhood. 120 00:06:29,906 --> 00:06:31,562 So everybody want to be Scarface. 121 00:06:31,563 --> 00:06:33,978 Crips killing Crips. 122 00:06:33,979 --> 00:06:35,290 Crips killing Bloods, 123 00:06:35,291 --> 00:06:36,429 Bloods killing Bloods, 124 00:06:36,430 --> 00:06:38,397 Bloods killing Crips. 125 00:06:38,398 --> 00:06:39,812 The thing just went haywire. 126 00:06:39,813 --> 00:06:44,057 The drugs came in and had everybody going crazy. 127 00:06:45,991 --> 00:06:46,958 It's all negative. 128 00:06:49,616 --> 00:06:51,963 Gangland murder is evolved into mafia terrorism. 129 00:06:54,379 --> 00:06:56,829 Our homes are stormed, our families brutalized 130 00:06:56,830 --> 00:07:00,177 by ethnic gangs who live by the code of death. 131 00:07:00,178 --> 00:07:03,767 Well within these Chinese gangs and the Vietnamese gangs, 132 00:07:03,768 --> 00:07:08,324 for that matter, home invasions are commonplace. 133 00:07:09,843 --> 00:07:12,846 First thing they do when they burst into a home, 134 00:07:14,261 --> 00:07:16,504 if the head of the family, the male person is present, 135 00:07:16,505 --> 00:07:18,747 they shoot that person in the leg. 136 00:07:28,448 --> 00:07:30,207 Give me all you got! 137 00:07:30,208 --> 00:07:32,209 Where's the money? 138 00:07:32,210 --> 00:07:33,555 Shut up! 139 00:07:33,556 --> 00:07:35,350 Give me the money! 140 00:07:35,351 --> 00:07:37,146 I want the money now. 141 00:07:38,388 --> 00:07:41,529 We know it's here. Go and get it! 142 00:07:43,463 --> 00:07:45,947 Another technique they use, if a very small child, 143 00:07:45,948 --> 00:07:49,329 preferably a baby's present, they take the baby. 144 00:07:50,780 --> 00:07:57,062 No! 145 00:07:59,064 --> 00:08:00,996 And they tape it to the wall 146 00:08:00,997 --> 00:08:04,379 using the electrical duct tape. 147 00:08:04,380 --> 00:08:05,967 They then take their weapon 148 00:08:05,968 --> 00:08:08,763 and they fire a round into the wall. 149 00:08:10,731 --> 00:08:12,284 Bit like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, 150 00:08:13,216 --> 00:08:14,907 but a little bit more dangerous. 151 00:08:14,908 --> 00:08:17,185 The wholesale slaughter by today's gang bangers 152 00:08:17,186 --> 00:08:19,083 is far different than how the mafia 153 00:08:19,084 --> 00:08:21,052 once fulfilled their blood lust. 154 00:08:23,641 --> 00:08:27,678 Lucky Luciano once boasted at the mob only kills each other. 155 00:08:27,679 --> 00:08:29,922 Killing outside the ranks of organized crime 156 00:08:29,923 --> 00:08:32,201 would only bring down the heat, they reason. 157 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,618 Politicians, public servants, the average citizen, 158 00:08:36,619 --> 00:08:38,932 they were all off limits to mob hitman. 159 00:08:40,312 --> 00:08:42,659 The transformation of the mafia into an organization 160 00:08:42,660 --> 00:08:45,316 with enforcement rules, recruitment procedures 161 00:08:45,317 --> 00:08:48,181 on a managerial hierarchy, occurred when 162 00:08:48,182 --> 00:08:51,427 the fabric of America was undergoing a major alteration. 163 00:08:54,188 --> 00:08:57,846 It was the Industrial Age, a fresh breeze whistled 164 00:08:57,847 --> 00:09:00,194 through the skyscrapers of American business. 165 00:09:01,713 --> 00:09:03,611 New theories on labor productivity 166 00:09:03,612 --> 00:09:05,786 and management were picking up steam. 167 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,686 Mom and pop stores and shops fell victim 168 00:09:09,687 --> 00:09:12,206 to the consolidation and growth of national firms. 169 00:09:13,622 --> 00:09:17,211 A new species of American was born, the corporate man. 170 00:09:18,350 --> 00:09:20,179 The loyal worker who rose to prominence 171 00:09:20,180 --> 00:09:22,044 by simply following orders. 172 00:09:23,217 --> 00:09:25,598 It's been said organized crime is a twisted image 173 00:09:25,599 --> 00:09:27,118 of the society of praise. 174 00:09:28,947 --> 00:09:32,053 Mob kingpins were quick to embrace the new business ideas 175 00:09:32,054 --> 00:09:34,781 of specialization, marketing, and merging. 176 00:09:36,541 --> 00:09:39,094 Godfather's Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky 177 00:09:39,095 --> 00:09:41,891 consolidated the mob into a national syndicate. 178 00:09:43,479 --> 00:09:46,446 They decided to market one of their principle resources, 179 00:09:46,447 --> 00:09:50,106 mob gunman, masters of killing and torture. 180 00:09:52,488 --> 00:09:55,836 The enterprise was called Murder Incorporated. 181 00:09:58,598 --> 00:10:00,116 The business plan was simple: 182 00:10:01,117 --> 00:10:02,808 Acquire an elite stable of killers 183 00:10:02,809 --> 00:10:06,674 whose job description was mafia hitman. 184 00:10:06,675 --> 00:10:08,986 Any crime group associated with a syndicate 185 00:10:08,987 --> 00:10:12,093 could purchase a service of Murder Incorporated. 186 00:10:12,094 --> 00:10:15,303 The reigning godfathers must approve all killings. 187 00:10:15,304 --> 00:10:16,615 Payment would always be made 188 00:10:16,616 --> 00:10:18,824 before the murder was completed. 189 00:10:18,825 --> 00:10:20,549 After the job was done, 190 00:10:20,550 --> 00:10:22,966 the hitmen would receive a new assignment. 191 00:10:22,967 --> 00:10:26,417 For years, there had been rumors of such an operation, 192 00:10:26,418 --> 00:10:28,661 but most refused to believe that a death squad 193 00:10:28,662 --> 00:10:30,215 could be working in America. 194 00:10:31,458 --> 00:10:34,943 But in 1939, disbelief was shot full of holes 195 00:10:34,944 --> 00:10:38,292 when a Murder Incorporated's top enforcers took the stand. 196 00:10:40,674 --> 00:10:42,123 Quiet! 197 00:10:42,124 --> 00:10:44,953 It was a murder trial of a mob killer. 198 00:10:48,993 --> 00:10:51,270 A highly placed enforcer called Kid Twist 199 00:10:51,271 --> 00:10:53,066 had turned informant. - There he is. 200 00:10:55,620 --> 00:10:58,139 Abe Reles' testimony opened the public's eye 201 00:10:58,140 --> 00:11:00,245 to the evil that was Murder Incorporated. 202 00:11:03,317 --> 00:11:05,181 Mobsters were not pleased. 203 00:11:06,458 --> 00:11:08,667 You open your mouth and you're a dead man, kid! 204 00:11:08,668 --> 00:11:12,947 I swear I'll beat you myself. 205 00:11:12,948 --> 00:11:14,535 You squeal and you're dead. 206 00:11:29,343 --> 00:11:32,242 Mafia bosses enact their codes, achieve goals, 207 00:11:32,243 --> 00:11:34,762 and maintain control through enforcers, 208 00:11:34,763 --> 00:11:37,385 wise guys who take care of contracts. 209 00:11:37,386 --> 00:11:40,940 In the 1930s, they were called the Muscle. 210 00:11:40,941 --> 00:11:43,115 When Murder Incorporated was established, 211 00:11:43,116 --> 00:11:44,703 Mob Muscle became a business. 212 00:11:44,704 --> 00:11:48,051 Never in the history of crime had murder become such an 213 00:11:48,052 --> 00:11:51,676 organized enterprise as it did with Murder Incorporated. 214 00:11:53,195 --> 00:11:56,128 Kid Twist knew where all the bodies were buried. 215 00:11:56,129 --> 00:11:58,855 He told of hundreds of killings by mob enforce, 216 00:11:58,856 --> 00:12:01,305 fingering godfathers like Lucky Luciano 217 00:12:01,306 --> 00:12:03,895 and sadistic gunman Frank Abbandando. 218 00:12:07,140 --> 00:12:08,450 For the first time, 219 00:12:08,451 --> 00:12:10,970 the deadly language of the mob was heard. 220 00:12:10,971 --> 00:12:15,216 Orders for killings were contracts, hits were murders, 221 00:12:15,217 --> 00:12:18,495 and the victim was always known as the bum. 222 00:12:18,496 --> 00:12:19,772 For the record, Your Honor, 223 00:12:19,773 --> 00:12:21,394 the witnesses pointed out the defendant, 224 00:12:21,395 --> 00:12:25,640 Mr. Frank Abbandando, also known as The Dasher. 225 00:12:25,641 --> 00:12:29,402 Now, according to your testimony, Mr. Reles, 226 00:12:29,403 --> 00:12:32,164 Mr. Abbandando has committed over 45 murders. 227 00:12:32,165 --> 00:12:33,510 Is that correct? 228 00:12:33,511 --> 00:12:35,374 Yeah, The Dasher was always busy. 229 00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:37,514 He may have even knocked out more. 230 00:12:37,515 --> 00:12:40,724 He was getting contracts all the time. He loved his job. 231 00:12:40,725 --> 00:12:44,763 Where would you and The Dasher receive your orders, 232 00:12:44,764 --> 00:12:46,765 your contracts? 233 00:12:46,766 --> 00:12:49,077 All of us guys hung around Midnight Roses. 234 00:12:49,078 --> 00:12:51,735 You know the place, the candy store in Brooklyn. 235 00:12:51,736 --> 00:12:53,702 Rose is where we got our orders. 236 00:12:53,703 --> 00:12:55,635 We went all over the country. 237 00:12:55,636 --> 00:12:57,396 Now the boss only gave us contracts 238 00:12:57,397 --> 00:12:59,294 to places we've never been before, 239 00:12:59,295 --> 00:13:01,158 and that was the beauty of the operation. 240 00:13:01,159 --> 00:13:03,402 We go into some town, we hit the bum, 241 00:13:03,403 --> 00:13:05,922 and then we take the next train out. 242 00:13:05,923 --> 00:13:07,199 Cops always look for a motive, 243 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,995 but with an unknown killer, there was none. 244 00:13:09,996 --> 00:13:11,928 Guys were coming and going all the time. 245 00:13:11,929 --> 00:13:14,102 We were the doing hits and dumping bodies. 246 00:13:14,103 --> 00:13:17,865 Guys like Michael Coppola. Trigger Mike, we called him. 247 00:13:17,866 --> 00:13:19,452 He had his wife murdered in a hospital bed 248 00:13:19,453 --> 00:13:20,971 after she gave birth. 249 00:13:20,972 --> 00:13:22,283 He felt bad though, 250 00:13:22,284 --> 00:13:24,457 always wished he had done the hit himself. 251 00:13:24,458 --> 00:13:26,770 Happy Malone. Called him happy. 252 00:13:26,771 --> 00:13:27,875 He's always laughing and giggling 253 00:13:27,876 --> 00:13:29,738 every time he's killing someone. 254 00:13:29,739 --> 00:13:32,120 Veto Gurino, he kept his to him 255 00:13:32,121 --> 00:13:34,157 by shooting the heads off chickens, 256 00:13:34,158 --> 00:13:36,090 so we called him Chicken Head. 257 00:13:36,091 --> 00:13:38,402 Pittsburgh Phil, called him Pep. 258 00:13:38,403 --> 00:13:41,785 He held the top score for kills. Over 60. 259 00:13:41,786 --> 00:13:44,857 Yeah, those guys were the best in the country. 260 00:13:44,858 --> 00:13:46,859 Cream of the crop. 261 00:13:46,860 --> 00:13:51,865 And this organization, Murder Incorporated, 262 00:13:52,521 --> 00:13:54,142 whose idea was it? 263 00:13:54,143 --> 00:13:55,972 All the bosses had their hands in it, 264 00:13:55,973 --> 00:13:58,940 but it was Louis Lepke and Luciano's idea. 265 00:13:58,941 --> 00:14:01,736 You see, Lucky got where he is by killing people and Lepke, 266 00:14:01,737 --> 00:14:04,118 well, he just liked to hurt people too. 267 00:14:04,119 --> 00:14:07,087 Yeah, Murder Inc. was their baby, all right. 268 00:14:09,434 --> 00:14:11,780 Louis Lepke and the formative Luciano 269 00:14:11,781 --> 00:14:14,645 cultivated a charming, sophisticated image. 270 00:14:14,646 --> 00:14:18,926 In reality, Luciano and Lepke's first solution 271 00:14:18,927 --> 00:14:21,067 to any problem was violent aggression. 272 00:14:22,309 --> 00:14:25,070 The decision to push the power of mafia families 273 00:14:25,071 --> 00:14:28,245 by establishing Murder Incorporated was instinctive 274 00:14:28,246 --> 00:14:32,594 for men who under the skin were pure psychopaths. 275 00:14:32,595 --> 00:14:34,734 Now, what typically will happen 276 00:14:34,735 --> 00:14:38,048 is in these families, you'll have kind of a leader. 277 00:14:38,049 --> 00:14:40,326 You'll definitely have a leader, 278 00:14:40,327 --> 00:14:45,159 a person who is often charismatic, very psychopathic, 279 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:50,165 meaning that they have little or no regard for social rules 280 00:14:50,993 --> 00:14:53,029 and establishes norms of conduct 281 00:14:53,030 --> 00:14:55,203 that go on in society at large, the law. 282 00:14:55,204 --> 00:14:57,309 They have no regard for the laws, 283 00:14:57,310 --> 00:15:00,933 but they create their own belief system 284 00:15:00,934 --> 00:15:02,970 and norms within their group. 285 00:15:02,971 --> 00:15:07,941 And this charismatic psychopath inclined leader will 286 00:15:09,391 --> 00:15:12,945 spot people for different roles within the organization. 287 00:15:12,946 --> 00:15:16,293 So it's a subculture that condones violence 288 00:15:16,294 --> 00:15:18,813 and it's a subculture in which you have a charismatic, 289 00:15:18,814 --> 00:15:22,437 psychopathic leader who will resourcefully identify 290 00:15:22,438 --> 00:15:25,095 those that are even more inclined towards violence 291 00:15:25,096 --> 00:15:29,411 to use those people for service of the group. 292 00:15:31,206 --> 00:15:33,379 Abe Reles' testimony was a first time 293 00:15:33,380 --> 00:15:36,417 in gangland history a top mobster told all 294 00:15:36,418 --> 00:15:39,939 and Kid Twist told it in gruesome detail. 295 00:15:40,870 --> 00:15:42,664 He was dead already. 296 00:15:42,665 --> 00:15:44,908 We then took the bum down to the river- 297 00:15:44,909 --> 00:15:46,323 All right, thank you very much. 298 00:15:46,324 --> 00:15:47,463 That'll be plenty. Thank you. 299 00:15:50,156 --> 00:15:53,434 Mr. Reles, are all the killings 300 00:15:53,435 --> 00:15:56,024 for Murder Incorporated this brutal? 301 00:15:56,886 --> 00:15:58,715 Nah, some are straight pops. 302 00:15:58,716 --> 00:16:02,132 Nail the bum between the eyes. That's a sign of a pro hit. 303 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:05,308 Most guys were shot in the back. It was easier that way. 304 00:16:05,309 --> 00:16:08,967 Some put the bum on his knees and then point blank range... 305 00:16:08,968 --> 00:16:10,830 I like that. 306 00:16:10,831 --> 00:16:12,315 I take my gun out real slowly, 307 00:16:12,316 --> 00:16:14,696 walk behind him as they're crying and begging, 308 00:16:14,697 --> 00:16:15,801 saying their last breath. 309 00:16:15,802 --> 00:16:17,734 "Hail Mary, full of grace." 310 00:16:20,358 --> 00:16:23,085 I like that. It's the least I can do for the bum, huh? 311 00:16:24,949 --> 00:16:26,537 Returning to the murder now, 312 00:16:27,607 --> 00:16:31,161 why was Whitey treated so harshly? 313 00:16:31,162 --> 00:16:32,749 Did Luciano order it? 314 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:34,751 Nah, he didn't have to. 315 00:16:34,752 --> 00:16:37,167 Bum was a rat. Everybody knew that. 316 00:16:37,168 --> 00:16:38,755 We just wanted to send a message. 317 00:16:38,756 --> 00:16:43,140 We do that in various ways. It depends on the guy's taste. 318 00:16:47,351 --> 00:16:50,249 - Is is this the weapon? - Yeah. 319 00:16:50,250 --> 00:16:52,941 You see, with that murder, we had plenty of time. 320 00:16:52,942 --> 00:16:54,771 We found the hiding in the back room of the garage, 321 00:16:54,772 --> 00:16:57,808 so we kind of used everything we had, 322 00:16:57,809 --> 00:16:59,569 you know, for practice. 323 00:16:59,570 --> 00:17:00,949 Pep and I put him down first. 324 00:17:00,950 --> 00:17:03,262 I used my whatchamacallit, garotte. 325 00:17:03,263 --> 00:17:05,471 Pep made it special for for me. 326 00:17:05,472 --> 00:17:09,786 Well Whitey, he wouldn't shut up. Just kept going on and on. 327 00:17:09,787 --> 00:17:13,203 So Happy hit him with the meat cleaver right here. 328 00:17:13,204 --> 00:17:17,380 The guy misses, I had to call in Pep to hold the guy, 329 00:17:17,381 --> 00:17:19,140 takes another crack and hits it 330 00:17:19,141 --> 00:17:21,142 with the meat cleaver right here. 331 00:17:21,143 --> 00:17:25,872 Best way to slice into the brain. That shut him up. 332 00:17:28,806 --> 00:17:31,187 Pep was pulling and he couldn't get it out. 333 00:17:31,188 --> 00:17:34,156 He was yelling, "Hey Putts, give me my ax." 334 00:17:36,572 --> 00:17:38,436 Putts got a headlock on my ax. 335 00:17:42,682 --> 00:17:44,269 Seemed comical at the time. 336 00:17:44,270 --> 00:17:48,238 Mr. Reles, do you recognize this implement? 337 00:17:48,239 --> 00:17:51,586 Yeah, that's the ice picked used on Whitey. 338 00:17:51,587 --> 00:17:54,934 And was the victim dead at the time? 339 00:17:54,935 --> 00:17:56,419 He was making noise. I don't know if he was dead. 340 00:17:56,420 --> 00:17:58,006 I mean, he could have been dead. He should have been dead. 341 00:17:58,007 --> 00:17:59,387 I thought he was dead. He looked dead. 342 00:17:59,388 --> 00:18:00,631 I thought he was dead. 343 00:18:02,564 --> 00:18:05,013 They should have made sure of that though. 344 00:18:05,014 --> 00:18:06,532 I would like to submit, Your Honor, 345 00:18:06,533 --> 00:18:09,225 as evidence to the court, coroner's report 346 00:18:09,226 --> 00:18:13,850 very clearly stating that there were over 60 puncture wounds 347 00:18:13,851 --> 00:18:15,817 in the victim's body. 348 00:18:15,818 --> 00:18:19,995 Like I said before, day of selector's work. 349 00:18:21,307 --> 00:18:24,032 Thank you very much, Mr. Reles. That'll be all. 350 00:18:24,033 --> 00:18:26,345 Your Honor, after noon recess, I would like to recall 351 00:18:26,346 --> 00:18:28,520 Mr. Abbandando to the stand 352 00:18:28,521 --> 00:18:31,144 to continue my cross-examination. 353 00:18:46,021 --> 00:18:49,437 The blood-thirsty mafia families of the US are not unique. 354 00:18:49,438 --> 00:18:52,820 All the world's crime lords employ teams of executioners 355 00:18:52,821 --> 00:18:54,650 who carry out their deadly orders. 356 00:18:55,789 --> 00:18:57,894 Similar to the scent left by an animal, 357 00:18:57,895 --> 00:19:00,517 organized crime lays down territorial boundaries 358 00:19:00,518 --> 00:19:03,555 and markers for the use of deadly IDs. 359 00:19:03,556 --> 00:19:06,178 To experts, these tracks are as recognizable 360 00:19:06,179 --> 00:19:07,973 as a bloody footprint. 361 00:19:07,974 --> 00:19:10,803 The Chinese Triads of Southeast Asia 362 00:19:10,804 --> 00:19:13,600 are one of the oldest crime organizations in the world. 363 00:19:14,877 --> 00:19:16,430 In the 16th century, 364 00:19:16,431 --> 00:19:18,812 they were monks cloistered behind shrines and temples. 365 00:19:19,951 --> 00:19:21,780 Today, the Triads are the most elusive 366 00:19:21,781 --> 00:19:23,369 of underground syndicates. 367 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,544 The once sacred vows had been perverted 368 00:19:27,545 --> 00:19:29,823 into rituals of blood and death. 369 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,862 I shall not disclose the secrets of the family, 370 00:19:34,863 --> 00:19:37,796 not even to my parents, brothers, or wife. 371 00:19:37,797 --> 00:19:40,040 I shall never disclose the secrets of money. 372 00:19:44,424 --> 00:19:46,563 An initiation ritual consists of drinking 373 00:19:46,564 --> 00:19:49,291 a tea that has been mixed with the blood of a chicken. 374 00:19:51,776 --> 00:19:55,158 Whether it is prostitution, rackets, or drug smuggling, 375 00:19:55,159 --> 00:19:56,780 Triads use violence and fear 376 00:19:56,781 --> 00:19:58,611 to enforce their scope of influence. 377 00:20:01,372 --> 00:20:03,649 If you cross their paths, you will learn the Triads 378 00:20:03,650 --> 00:20:06,238 are murderers in business suits. 379 00:20:07,689 --> 00:20:11,174 Triad executioners are trained butchers of human flesh. 380 00:20:11,175 --> 00:20:12,658 The traditional murdering tool 381 00:20:12,659 --> 00:20:14,868 is a weapon similar to a meat cleaver. 382 00:20:16,318 --> 00:20:19,355 This is a typical Triad fighting implement right here. 383 00:20:19,356 --> 00:20:22,427 This is a sort of, well, it's a food chopper 384 00:20:22,428 --> 00:20:25,845 and the Triads actually fight with these 385 00:20:27,260 --> 00:20:30,193 and they undertake what's called a chopping 386 00:20:30,194 --> 00:20:31,401 where they attack people 387 00:20:31,402 --> 00:20:32,402 and they hack them with these things. 388 00:20:32,403 --> 00:20:33,541 These are razors sharp. 389 00:20:33,542 --> 00:20:35,405 In places like Hong Kong, 390 00:20:35,406 --> 00:20:37,994 it's very difficult to get hold of a firearm. 391 00:20:37,995 --> 00:20:40,755 So violence with a firearm is not so frequent. 392 00:20:40,756 --> 00:20:42,654 So that's why we see resorting 393 00:20:42,655 --> 00:20:44,966 to these kind of traditional weapons. 394 00:20:44,967 --> 00:20:47,797 Chopping is for the lower ranks of killers. 395 00:20:47,798 --> 00:20:50,248 A technique called "death by a thousand cuts" 396 00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:52,802 is reserved for master assassins. 397 00:20:52,803 --> 00:20:55,080 Wielding the razor-sharp cleaver, 398 00:20:55,081 --> 00:20:57,221 they slice off long strips of flesh. 399 00:20:58,464 --> 00:21:00,706 Killers are careful to make shallow cuts, 400 00:21:00,707 --> 00:21:02,777 the killer's attempt to keep the victim alive 401 00:21:02,778 --> 00:21:04,987 while administering 1000 cuts. 402 00:21:05,781 --> 00:21:07,266 They rarely succeed. 403 00:21:09,371 --> 00:21:11,372 The Russian mob is one of the newest members 404 00:21:11,373 --> 00:21:13,099 of the international underworld. 405 00:21:14,273 --> 00:21:16,101 Russian mobsters were once street thugs 406 00:21:16,102 --> 00:21:18,414 running black market operations. 407 00:21:18,415 --> 00:21:20,864 Russians are different in that they kill people 408 00:21:20,865 --> 00:21:23,798 and they're not as sophisticated about it, 409 00:21:23,799 --> 00:21:26,905 but they also do a lot of torturing of people 410 00:21:26,906 --> 00:21:28,769 before they kill them. 411 00:21:28,770 --> 00:21:30,357 During the Stalin era, 412 00:21:30,358 --> 00:21:32,117 the most ruthless of Russian criminals 413 00:21:32,118 --> 00:21:34,569 were banished to the Siberian prison system. 414 00:21:35,708 --> 00:21:38,123 Inside the freezing hell of the Gulag, 415 00:21:38,124 --> 00:21:40,195 the Russian mafia began to form. 416 00:21:41,023 --> 00:21:42,783 They adopted a killing technique 417 00:21:42,784 --> 00:21:44,785 tailored to the grueling prison conditions 418 00:21:44,786 --> 00:21:46,581 and their own primitive barbarity. 419 00:21:49,446 --> 00:21:52,620 A crushing blow to the head is a killing sign 420 00:21:52,621 --> 00:21:54,450 of the Russian mafia. 421 00:21:54,451 --> 00:21:56,486 Once, a wooden club was used. 422 00:21:56,487 --> 00:21:59,490 Now a common baseball bat is a trademark weapon. 423 00:22:01,043 --> 00:22:03,666 For over three decades, the Mexican Mafia 424 00:22:03,667 --> 00:22:05,358 has left a bloodstained trail. 425 00:22:06,325 --> 00:22:08,049 Mexican drug lord's blood lust 426 00:22:08,050 --> 00:22:10,708 is often coupled to a morbid sense of humor. 427 00:22:12,054 --> 00:22:15,885 Correo took, in '93 and '94, to killing people 428 00:22:15,886 --> 00:22:18,232 where he wanted the bodies found 429 00:22:18,233 --> 00:22:21,373 and were tying them with yellow ribbons as a message. 430 00:22:21,374 --> 00:22:23,444 Gradually, Amato progressed. 431 00:22:23,445 --> 00:22:26,620 He apparently owned the only tiger in Juarez. 432 00:22:26,621 --> 00:22:28,242 There's a history among drug guys 433 00:22:28,243 --> 00:22:30,278 of liking to own big predators. 434 00:22:30,279 --> 00:22:33,040 In '96, the tiger escaped actually 435 00:22:33,041 --> 00:22:35,353 and ran around in the streets there. 436 00:22:35,354 --> 00:22:37,562 It was captured and sent to see it at Chihuahua, 437 00:22:37,563 --> 00:22:40,461 the capital, to be placed in that zoo. 438 00:22:40,462 --> 00:22:44,051 About that time, drug killing started appearing 439 00:22:44,052 --> 00:22:46,329 where the people would be dead, executed, 440 00:22:46,330 --> 00:22:48,504 hands tied, shot through the head, but would be 441 00:22:48,505 --> 00:22:51,955 delicately draped with these cheap tapestries 442 00:22:51,956 --> 00:22:53,785 with tigers on them. 443 00:22:53,786 --> 00:22:57,513 If you're found in this fashion, it's to send a message. 444 00:22:57,514 --> 00:22:59,067 It's a form of policing. 445 00:23:00,793 --> 00:23:02,034 The Yakuza Japan 446 00:23:02,035 --> 00:23:04,692 traced their roots to Samurai warriors. 447 00:23:04,693 --> 00:23:08,662 Today, even with availability of guns, swords and daggers 448 00:23:08,663 --> 00:23:11,493 remain the weapon of choice for Yakuza assassins. 449 00:23:14,116 --> 00:23:16,670 The most skilled of killers are highly tattooed 450 00:23:16,671 --> 00:23:18,431 and often are missing fingers. 451 00:23:21,296 --> 00:23:25,195 The Yakuza and Asian Asian gangs generally 452 00:23:25,196 --> 00:23:30,236 are renowned for being very deadly and having no hesitation 453 00:23:31,410 --> 00:23:32,997 in killing people to further their aims. 454 00:23:37,588 --> 00:23:40,107 From Jamaica came one of the most sadistic gangs 455 00:23:40,108 --> 00:23:43,697 to ever reap their deadly harvest on American shores. 456 00:23:43,698 --> 00:23:46,527 The Jamaican posses are thrill killers 457 00:23:46,528 --> 00:23:48,841 whose blood sent is torture and slaughter. 458 00:23:51,153 --> 00:23:54,017 These savage island killers first shoot the elbows 459 00:23:54,018 --> 00:23:55,985 and knees of the victim 460 00:23:55,986 --> 00:23:58,195 before pumping the body full of holes. 461 00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:01,473 The professional killer, 462 00:24:01,474 --> 00:24:03,406 the quote unquote, "contract killer" 463 00:24:03,407 --> 00:24:05,960 is going to be a highly organized offender. 464 00:24:05,961 --> 00:24:08,515 There's been a long socialization process 465 00:24:08,516 --> 00:24:11,069 for this person to get them over the hump 466 00:24:11,070 --> 00:24:13,623 as far as right versus wrong killing, 467 00:24:13,624 --> 00:24:17,006 and to turn it into a business issue. 468 00:24:17,007 --> 00:24:20,630 For ordinary people out there in America 469 00:24:20,631 --> 00:24:24,738 who have been socialized that thou shalt not kill, 470 00:24:24,739 --> 00:24:28,500 it seems foreign, but I think everybody can think 471 00:24:28,501 --> 00:24:31,952 of circumstances under which they may kill. 472 00:24:31,953 --> 00:24:36,992 Such as if my children are being threatened, 473 00:24:38,235 --> 00:24:39,787 I will do what I have to do to protect them. 474 00:24:39,788 --> 00:24:44,275 If our country is it war and we have to protect ourselves 475 00:24:45,173 --> 00:24:47,864 and our interests, that's okay. 476 00:24:47,865 --> 00:24:50,936 It's not good, but it's accepted. 477 00:24:50,937 --> 00:24:53,836 Well, you take that out a few notches 478 00:24:53,837 --> 00:24:56,908 and that's where you have the development of a culture, 479 00:24:56,909 --> 00:24:59,117 a subculture that accepts violence 480 00:24:59,118 --> 00:25:01,396 as a way of solving problems. 481 00:25:02,708 --> 00:25:05,399 Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, 482 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,505 gang-related homicides in many US cities 483 00:25:07,506 --> 00:25:10,093 average one murder every day. 484 00:25:10,094 --> 00:25:12,751 It's even higher in the city that was the home 485 00:25:12,752 --> 00:25:15,030 to America's first lords of death. 486 00:25:17,585 --> 00:25:20,310 It was in New Orleans in the early 1800s 487 00:25:20,311 --> 00:25:23,244 and the Black Hand Society brought a bloody brand 488 00:25:23,245 --> 00:25:25,247 of Sicilian fevery to America. 489 00:25:28,906 --> 00:25:32,978 New Orleans was the first American city 490 00:25:32,979 --> 00:25:38,019 that the Sicilian Mafia began to inhabit. 491 00:25:39,192 --> 00:25:42,540 And long before New York or Chicago or any other, 492 00:25:42,541 --> 00:25:45,370 they were attracted to New Orleans 493 00:25:45,371 --> 00:25:48,131 and to the state of Louisiana 494 00:25:48,132 --> 00:25:51,273 because it resembled somewhat Sicily. 495 00:25:52,620 --> 00:25:54,482 And so they came here in droves, 496 00:25:54,483 --> 00:25:57,451 and by the turn of the century, you're talking about 497 00:25:57,452 --> 00:26:02,422 by 1900, there were about 100 mafiosi in New Orleans. 498 00:26:05,011 --> 00:26:06,667 The Black Hand earned their livelihood 499 00:26:06,668 --> 00:26:08,773 through extorting money from New Orleans shops 500 00:26:08,774 --> 00:26:10,878 and dockside businesses. 501 00:26:10,879 --> 00:26:14,124 They then spread to other cities, New York, Chicago. 502 00:26:15,332 --> 00:26:17,367 The extorted money not by the traditional forms 503 00:26:17,368 --> 00:26:19,507 of intimidation, such as threats, 504 00:26:19,508 --> 00:26:22,269 wreck shops, or broken bones. 505 00:26:22,270 --> 00:26:26,585 The Black Hand's technique was simple: pay or you die. 506 00:26:28,069 --> 00:26:30,795 The ability to kill without hesitation gave the Black Hand 507 00:26:30,796 --> 00:26:33,833 a reputation that paralyzed society with fear. 508 00:26:35,041 --> 00:26:36,524 They would send letters that would've symbols 509 00:26:36,525 --> 00:26:39,113 of skull and crossbones, the outline of a hand, 510 00:26:39,114 --> 00:26:42,289 and the wording was always direct and to the point. 511 00:26:42,290 --> 00:26:44,809 Sometimes these were very polite, 512 00:26:44,810 --> 00:26:47,156 but they were all death warrants. 513 00:26:47,157 --> 00:26:49,090 You pay or you die. 514 00:26:50,401 --> 00:26:53,611 You got us some cash. I need $1,000. 515 00:26:53,612 --> 00:26:56,544 Place it at the $100 bills in an envelope 516 00:26:56,545 --> 00:26:58,926 and place it underneath the board in the northeast corner 517 00:26:58,927 --> 00:27:00,859 of Fifth and the Broad Street. 518 00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:03,828 If you place the money there and you still live. 519 00:27:03,829 --> 00:27:06,347 If you don't, you die. 520 00:27:06,348 --> 00:27:08,177 If you report this to the police, 521 00:27:08,178 --> 00:27:10,248 I'll kill you when I get out. 522 00:27:10,249 --> 00:27:14,805 They may save you the money, but they won't save your life. 523 00:27:15,944 --> 00:27:18,532 Most Gentlest Sir, will you be so good 524 00:27:18,533 --> 00:27:20,845 as to send me a $2,000? 525 00:27:20,846 --> 00:27:24,124 If your life is a dear to you, I beg you warmly 526 00:27:24,125 --> 00:27:27,265 to put the money on your doorstep within four days. 527 00:27:27,266 --> 00:27:30,578 If not, I swear by this week's time, 528 00:27:30,579 --> 00:27:33,754 not even the dust of your family will exist. 529 00:27:33,755 --> 00:27:37,240 With the warmest guards, your friends. 530 00:27:37,241 --> 00:27:40,935 Black Hand thugs would attend trials of members. 531 00:27:42,212 --> 00:27:44,075 Witnesses who were brave enough to show up in court 532 00:27:44,076 --> 00:27:46,664 quickly left after catching sight of Black Hand 533 00:27:46,665 --> 00:27:50,909 silent signals, a finger across the throat, 534 00:27:50,910 --> 00:27:53,222 displaying a red handkerchief, 535 00:27:53,223 --> 00:27:56,709 a finger to the head all meant one thing: 536 00:27:57,572 --> 00:27:59,712 testify and you die. 537 00:28:02,025 --> 00:28:04,612 With the rise of the mafia families of New York, 538 00:28:04,613 --> 00:28:07,857 the murder supremacy of the Black Hand Society faded. 539 00:28:07,858 --> 00:28:10,688 Criminal masterminds like Lucky Luciano 540 00:28:10,689 --> 00:28:12,828 or Meyer Lansky are often credited 541 00:28:12,829 --> 00:28:14,934 with the rapid growth of the American mob. 542 00:28:17,765 --> 00:28:20,905 But actually, their success was due to a cast of killers 543 00:28:20,906 --> 00:28:24,425 who were the most proficient murderers in criminal history. 544 00:28:24,426 --> 00:28:26,912 They were employees of Murder Incorporated. 545 00:28:29,259 --> 00:28:31,536 One mobster stood at the top of the heap 546 00:28:31,537 --> 00:28:33,435 of the gunman of Murder Incorporated. 547 00:28:34,713 --> 00:28:36,887 The man lived to kill and did it with a vengeance. 548 00:28:38,095 --> 00:28:40,441 The papers of the time dubbed Albert Anastasia 549 00:28:40,442 --> 00:28:42,789 the Lord High Executioner. 550 00:28:42,790 --> 00:28:45,515 Intensely loyal to Godfather Luciano, 551 00:28:45,516 --> 00:28:49,348 Anastasia was always ready to rub out a bum for Lucky. 552 00:28:50,901 --> 00:28:52,453 Albert Anastasia was considered 553 00:28:52,454 --> 00:28:54,559 the worst killer of them all. 554 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,458 He was the Lord High Executioner of Murder Incorporated. 555 00:28:57,459 --> 00:28:59,460 Luciano always thought Lucchese 556 00:28:59,461 --> 00:29:00,877 was a better killer than him. 557 00:29:02,085 --> 00:29:05,812 He could trust them more. He was cool. 558 00:29:05,813 --> 00:29:07,365 He followed orders. 559 00:29:07,366 --> 00:29:10,507 Whereas you know, Anastasia was pretty much a mad hatter 560 00:29:11,957 --> 00:29:13,992 and he would kill people that he shouldn't have killed. 561 00:29:13,993 --> 00:29:16,236 Known to mobsters as a mad hatter, 562 00:29:16,237 --> 00:29:19,032 by the 1940s, Anastasia had graduated 563 00:29:19,033 --> 00:29:22,518 from the killing squad to hit a mob family of his own. 564 00:29:22,519 --> 00:29:26,004 Even when Anastasia grew in power heading up his own family, 565 00:29:26,005 --> 00:29:28,386 he couldn't reign in his killing instinct. 566 00:29:28,387 --> 00:29:30,560 When his fellow godfathers heard Anastasia 567 00:29:30,561 --> 00:29:33,598 talking about killing civilians and politicians, 568 00:29:33,599 --> 00:29:36,152 they decided the mad hatter was out of control 569 00:29:36,153 --> 00:29:37,878 and had to be put down. 570 00:29:37,879 --> 00:29:40,122 Anastasia was cut down in a hail of bullets 571 00:29:40,123 --> 00:29:41,813 in a New York barbershop. 572 00:29:41,814 --> 00:29:43,781 The four killers strolled away, 573 00:29:43,782 --> 00:29:46,197 vanishing into the New York crowd. 574 00:29:46,198 --> 00:29:48,786 The mad hatter would call the murder 575 00:29:48,787 --> 00:29:51,168 a first-class hit on a real bum. 576 00:30:06,494 --> 00:30:08,702 One killer even surpassed the murderous wrath 577 00:30:08,703 --> 00:30:13,396 of Anastasia, Frank Abbandando was called The Dasher. 578 00:30:13,397 --> 00:30:16,296 The Dasher was one of Murder Incorporated's 579 00:30:16,297 --> 00:30:17,954 most prolific of killers. 580 00:30:18,989 --> 00:30:22,164 Abbandando was also a sexual sadist. 581 00:30:22,165 --> 00:30:24,925 After a day's work of killing, 582 00:30:24,926 --> 00:30:28,791 Abbandando would relax by brutalizing young women. 583 00:30:28,792 --> 00:30:31,104 Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you're about 584 00:30:31,105 --> 00:30:33,969 to give is the truth, the whole truth, 585 00:30:33,970 --> 00:30:37,213 and nothing but the truth so help you God? 586 00:30:37,214 --> 00:30:38,732 I do. 587 00:30:38,733 --> 00:30:40,527 The Dasher thought he had nothing to fear 588 00:30:40,528 --> 00:30:44,289 when he took the stand at his murder trial in 1939. 589 00:30:44,290 --> 00:30:49,087 Mr. Abbandando, or do you prefer to be called Dasher? 590 00:30:49,088 --> 00:30:50,882 Dasher, what I go by. 591 00:30:50,883 --> 00:30:53,609 Abbandando had always beaten murder reps. 592 00:30:53,610 --> 00:30:57,164 Like most mob hit men, he simply killed the witnesses. 593 00:30:57,165 --> 00:30:59,270 Turning to the night in question, 594 00:30:59,271 --> 00:31:02,066 according to the testimony of Abe Reles, 595 00:31:02,067 --> 00:31:05,172 you participated in the murder of George Rudnick, 596 00:31:05,173 --> 00:31:06,622 also known as Whitey. 597 00:31:06,623 --> 00:31:10,350 Is that correct, Mr. Abbandando? Oh, excuse me, Dasher. 598 00:31:10,351 --> 00:31:13,146 I don't know what you're talking about. 599 00:31:13,147 --> 00:31:16,218 Had a kid finished. 600 00:31:16,219 --> 00:31:17,495 Your Honor. 601 00:31:17,496 --> 00:31:19,290 Let's a record show that a defendant has made 602 00:31:19,291 --> 00:31:20,774 a slashing mark across the room 603 00:31:20,775 --> 00:31:23,329 while pointing at the witness! 604 00:31:25,849 --> 00:31:28,644 Hey, I walk or you're dead. 605 00:31:28,645 --> 00:31:31,302 I will kill you slow and hard. 606 00:31:31,303 --> 00:31:34,615 Call counsel to have a seat and object in proper format. 607 00:31:37,550 --> 00:31:41,416 So you know nothing about the murder then? Hmm. 608 00:31:44,005 --> 00:31:48,975 Okay, let's go to the night of October 22nd, shall we? 609 00:31:48,976 --> 00:31:51,909 A woman was gang raped repeatedly. 610 00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:54,946 You were there, you assaulted her. 611 00:31:54,947 --> 00:31:57,190 You bludgeoned a poor defenseless woman 612 00:31:57,191 --> 00:31:59,814 within an inch of her life, didn't you, sir? 613 00:32:01,195 --> 00:32:02,712 Hey, I don't have to rape women. 614 00:32:02,713 --> 00:32:05,405 The Dasher gets any broad in the city he wants. 615 00:32:05,406 --> 00:32:08,685 They love me. They can't get enough of The Dasher. 616 00:32:10,169 --> 00:32:12,308 Well, you know the state is prepared to call that woman, 617 00:32:12,309 --> 00:32:15,830 the woman whom you kidnapped, raped, and then disfigured. 618 00:32:19,868 --> 00:32:22,871 Do you recognize these, Dasher? 619 00:32:25,667 --> 00:32:27,946 I'm waiting for your answer, Mr. Abbandando. 620 00:32:31,604 --> 00:32:36,644 Did you use these when you sexually brutalize that woman? 621 00:32:37,507 --> 00:32:39,922 Did you not stand by and watch 622 00:32:39,923 --> 00:32:42,614 as she was repeatedly gang raped? 623 00:32:42,615 --> 00:32:44,409 Did you not then violate her 624 00:32:44,410 --> 00:32:47,137 in the most sadistic manner possible? 625 00:32:49,588 --> 00:32:53,281 I told you, The Dasher don't rape women. 626 00:32:57,976 --> 00:32:59,667 Want to know about the Whitey hit? 627 00:33:00,668 --> 00:33:02,946 He was a bum. He was a loan shark. 628 00:33:03,982 --> 00:33:05,224 We protected him. 629 00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:10,402 He tried to beat us on a payment and he got hit. 630 00:33:13,163 --> 00:33:16,822 We spotted him, he spotted us. He took off like a jackal. 631 00:33:18,410 --> 00:33:20,928 Runs into an empty garage. 632 00:33:20,929 --> 00:33:23,207 What an idiot. What did he expect? 633 00:34:06,389 --> 00:34:08,494 No, no, no! 634 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,744 Wire around his neck, he was turning blue, moaning. 635 00:34:22,232 --> 00:34:23,992 How'd to get the plate? Come on. 636 00:34:31,862 --> 00:34:34,072 Hit him right. 637 00:34:37,592 --> 00:34:42,632 Whitey's brain started oozing out. He starts moaning. 638 00:34:43,460 --> 00:34:44,565 Now that's when he got the pick. 639 00:34:46,187 --> 00:34:47,430 Point sharp as a needle. 640 00:34:57,405 --> 00:35:00,027 Get outta here! 641 00:35:00,028 --> 00:35:01,099 Sometimes a remedy, isn't it? 642 00:35:02,686 --> 00:35:05,241 Sometimes, just go in slow and easy. 643 00:35:08,278 --> 00:35:11,109 The juice started oozing out. 644 00:35:24,432 --> 00:35:25,744 I think you stabbed him enough. 645 00:35:28,091 --> 00:35:30,024 Then we whacked the bum with the ax. 646 00:35:31,301 --> 00:35:32,923 "One for good luck," as we say. 647 00:35:37,169 --> 00:35:38,619 No more questions. 648 00:35:40,552 --> 00:35:42,967 Sometimes you've got people doing these hits 649 00:35:42,968 --> 00:35:45,314 that start to really enjoy it 650 00:35:45,315 --> 00:35:47,523 and they just simply use this as an opportunity 651 00:35:47,524 --> 00:35:51,009 to act out their sadistic fantasies that were already there. 652 00:35:51,010 --> 00:35:52,563 So they figure it's a twofer. 653 00:35:52,564 --> 00:35:56,429 A. I'm getting paid to do it and it needs to be done. 654 00:35:56,430 --> 00:36:00,192 And B. Hey, I might as well enjoy it while I'm doing it. 655 00:36:01,987 --> 00:36:04,851 Brutality serves a number of different functions 656 00:36:04,852 --> 00:36:06,749 in these types of hits. 657 00:36:06,750 --> 00:36:09,269 If it's more or less a surgical hit, 658 00:36:09,270 --> 00:36:11,789 that suggests it's just about business, 659 00:36:11,790 --> 00:36:13,894 it's just about getting the job done. 660 00:36:13,895 --> 00:36:15,482 This person was in the way, 661 00:36:15,483 --> 00:36:18,554 or this person did something that they needed to be removed 662 00:36:18,555 --> 00:36:20,798 as an impediment to the group's business interest. 663 00:36:20,799 --> 00:36:23,664 So the more surgically it's done with the least amount 664 00:36:24,872 --> 00:36:25,975 of fanfare suggests that there wasn't some 665 00:36:25,976 --> 00:36:27,943 sort of personal slight involved. 666 00:36:27,944 --> 00:36:30,048 It was simply a matter of business. 667 00:36:30,049 --> 00:36:33,569 Remove this person so that the business can be conducted 668 00:36:33,570 --> 00:36:35,709 according to whoever ordered the hit, 669 00:36:35,710 --> 00:36:37,780 thinks business should be operated. 670 00:36:37,781 --> 00:36:39,368 When you see overkill, 671 00:36:39,369 --> 00:36:41,508 it can mean a number of different issues. 672 00:36:41,509 --> 00:36:43,993 Number one, it can mean that there was some sort of 673 00:36:43,994 --> 00:36:46,341 severe slight that was perceived 674 00:36:46,342 --> 00:36:48,722 by the person that ordered the hit. 675 00:36:48,723 --> 00:36:51,346 Number two, it can mean that the person 676 00:36:51,347 --> 00:36:54,487 that ordered the hit wants to send a strong message 677 00:36:54,488 --> 00:36:59,043 to other people that might be affiliated with the victim 678 00:36:59,044 --> 00:37:02,460 so that they won't do the same things that that victim did. 679 00:37:02,461 --> 00:37:04,980 Hits him with the meat cleaver right here. 680 00:37:04,981 --> 00:37:07,638 Best way to slice into the brain. 681 00:37:07,639 --> 00:37:11,711 There's a lack of affect, an emotionless detachment 682 00:37:11,712 --> 00:37:14,748 as they describe, from a technological standpoint, 683 00:37:14,749 --> 00:37:16,060 how they did it. 684 00:37:16,061 --> 00:37:18,407 And when you try to get them to access what, 685 00:37:18,408 --> 00:37:20,616 if any emotion they felt. 686 00:37:20,617 --> 00:37:23,585 Typically, the only thing I've encountered with a couple 687 00:37:23,586 --> 00:37:26,622 of them has been an annoyance that they didn't die quietly 688 00:37:26,623 --> 00:37:29,660 or that they sniffled or begged. 689 00:37:29,661 --> 00:37:32,077 And then they viewed that as being weak 690 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:34,699 and they looked down upon that. 691 00:37:34,700 --> 00:37:39,497 So typically, the reporting of past homicides 692 00:37:39,498 --> 00:37:43,019 is very detached, very cold, very matter of fact, 693 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:46,366 While he was in protective custody, 694 00:37:46,367 --> 00:37:48,265 Ellis ended up being thrown out the window 695 00:37:48,266 --> 00:37:50,128 of a Coney Island hotel. 696 00:37:50,129 --> 00:37:54,582 Rumor has it that Lucky Luciano paid $50,000 for the hit, 697 00:37:55,790 --> 00:37:57,791 but the enforcement division of the mafia 698 00:37:57,792 --> 00:38:01,382 was seriously wounded due to the testimony of Kid Twist. 699 00:38:02,590 --> 00:38:06,075 The Dasher was electrocuted in Sing Sing. 700 00:38:06,076 --> 00:38:08,802 So were Pittsburgh Phil and Happy Maione. 701 00:38:08,803 --> 00:38:10,494 Even godfather Louis Lepke 702 00:38:10,495 --> 00:38:12,635 took the long walk down death row. 703 00:38:13,601 --> 00:38:15,015 He was both the richest man 704 00:38:15,016 --> 00:38:18,433 and the highest ranking mobster ever to be executed. 705 00:38:33,552 --> 00:38:35,760 With all the murder and torture that society has endured 706 00:38:35,761 --> 00:38:38,591 from mafia killers, one can easily forget 707 00:38:38,592 --> 00:38:40,800 that most normal people tend to shun aggression 708 00:38:40,801 --> 00:38:42,698 and avoid hostility. 709 00:38:42,699 --> 00:38:45,632 In fact, military psychologists have noted that men 710 00:38:45,633 --> 00:38:48,704 entering combat are often more fearful of killing 711 00:38:48,705 --> 00:38:50,189 than being killed. 712 00:38:51,225 --> 00:38:53,260 This soldier reveals how a normal man 713 00:38:53,261 --> 00:38:55,090 can become a killing machine. 714 00:38:55,091 --> 00:38:56,713 He was a guy from farm in Iowa 715 00:38:57,611 --> 00:38:58,750 and I was from South. 716 00:39:00,338 --> 00:39:02,547 More than likely, we would've never been friends, 717 00:39:04,687 --> 00:39:05,550 but we were. 718 00:39:09,450 --> 00:39:12,487 He stepped on a mine and we looked and we looked 719 00:39:12,488 --> 00:39:16,250 and all we could find is what seemed like a wig. 720 00:39:18,148 --> 00:39:20,150 That's all we could put in the body bag. 721 00:39:21,807 --> 00:39:24,638 After that, I went on a vendetta. 722 00:39:27,088 --> 00:39:29,055 I used more ammo in the next three months 723 00:39:29,056 --> 00:39:30,713 than the entire time I was there. 724 00:39:32,231 --> 00:39:36,235 I even used napalm. Napalm was good for revenge. 725 00:39:38,410 --> 00:39:40,550 It would suck the air right out of your lungs. 726 00:39:42,863 --> 00:39:45,521 When an enemy soldier fired upon me 727 00:39:46,694 --> 00:39:49,351 after I gave him the chance to surrender, 728 00:39:49,352 --> 00:39:51,216 I emptied everything I had into him. 729 00:39:54,530 --> 00:39:56,048 It got worse as time went by. 730 00:39:58,568 --> 00:39:59,880 I really enjoyed killing. 731 00:40:02,365 --> 00:40:06,542 Every time I killed, it felt better. 732 00:40:11,374 --> 00:40:13,444 Under the extreme stress of combat, 733 00:40:13,445 --> 00:40:16,828 a killing instinct can emerge as ferocious as an animals. 734 00:40:18,968 --> 00:40:21,176 Nature may be read with tooth and claw, 735 00:40:21,177 --> 00:40:23,559 but killing in the wild is mercifully swift. 736 00:40:24,801 --> 00:40:26,078 A snap of the neck, 737 00:40:27,355 --> 00:40:29,461 a savage ripped through the jugular and it's over. 738 00:40:30,497 --> 00:40:32,359 Animals exhibit none of the brutality 739 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:35,155 that characterizes human killers. 740 00:40:35,156 --> 00:40:37,744 Animal behavior does offer clues to the violence 741 00:40:37,745 --> 00:40:40,299 and aggression that plagues human society. 742 00:40:42,405 --> 00:40:45,166 Animals share common survival instincts with man, 743 00:40:46,513 --> 00:40:50,516 the urges to mate, to fight or flee from aggression, 744 00:40:50,517 --> 00:40:53,934 dominate and kill for food, or to defend against an attack. 745 00:40:55,383 --> 00:40:57,695 The part of the brain with these basic emotions arise 746 00:40:57,696 --> 00:40:59,559 is the amygdala. 747 00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:01,458 In man, this region is often referred to 748 00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:03,081 as the reptilian brain. 749 00:41:04,082 --> 00:41:06,118 It is the oldest area of our brain. 750 00:41:08,673 --> 00:41:11,710 The massive frontal cortex area is unique to man. 751 00:41:13,471 --> 00:41:15,782 Surrounding the ancient reptilian brain, 752 00:41:15,783 --> 00:41:17,474 the frontal cortex is thought to be 753 00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:20,478 the seed of consciousness of our self-awareness. 754 00:41:21,582 --> 00:41:23,652 This is why humans and not animals 755 00:41:23,653 --> 00:41:25,654 built civilizations, produced art, 756 00:41:25,655 --> 00:41:28,209 founded religion, and created law. 757 00:41:29,417 --> 00:41:31,315 The frontal cortex is also thought to prevent 758 00:41:31,316 --> 00:41:33,629 the outflow of our most primitive instincts. 759 00:41:36,632 --> 00:41:38,598 Advances in technology have enabled science 760 00:41:38,599 --> 00:41:41,119 to analyze the brains of murders. 761 00:41:42,810 --> 00:41:45,398 What they're finding is a structure of frontal cortex 762 00:41:45,399 --> 00:41:47,366 is reduced in the brains of killers. 763 00:41:49,196 --> 00:41:51,991 It is theorized the diminished cortex cannot control 764 00:41:51,992 --> 00:41:54,719 the violent instincts of a reptilian brain center. 765 00:41:55,754 --> 00:41:57,824 This may result in an individual 766 00:41:57,825 --> 00:42:01,207 who possesses the metal faculties of a human 767 00:42:01,208 --> 00:42:03,590 with the instincts of a creature from the wild. 768 00:42:16,879 --> 00:42:18,811 We now have the techniques to actually 769 00:42:18,812 --> 00:42:21,468 literally look inside the mind of a murderer, 770 00:42:21,469 --> 00:42:24,713 to actually look at their brains, look inside the skull, 771 00:42:24,714 --> 00:42:26,404 see what's happening here. 772 00:42:26,405 --> 00:42:29,373 Is the structure of this brain different 773 00:42:29,374 --> 00:42:30,926 in violent offenders? 774 00:42:30,927 --> 00:42:34,378 This is a very primitive reptilian brain center, 775 00:42:34,379 --> 00:42:35,793 so to speak. 776 00:42:35,794 --> 00:42:39,348 These brain centers are involved in generating emotions 777 00:42:39,349 --> 00:42:42,628 like aggression, fear, rage. 778 00:42:42,629 --> 00:42:47,494 Now, most of us feel aggressive many times during the day, 779 00:42:47,495 --> 00:42:50,567 but we don't lash out at people in a violent fashion. 780 00:42:50,568 --> 00:42:54,709 Why? Well, we have a well-functioning prefrontal cortex. 781 00:42:54,710 --> 00:42:57,159 And this part of the brain, the frontal cortex, 782 00:42:57,160 --> 00:42:59,506 is involved in regulating and controlling 783 00:42:59,507 --> 00:43:02,406 these deeper brain mechanisms 784 00:43:02,407 --> 00:43:05,202 that give rise to aggressive feelings. 785 00:43:05,203 --> 00:43:08,170 What we found is that the murderers as a group 786 00:43:08,171 --> 00:43:11,967 had much poorer functioning of this part of the brain 787 00:43:11,968 --> 00:43:13,211 compared to the normals. 788 00:43:14,419 --> 00:43:16,316 One significance of the prefrontal cortex 789 00:43:16,317 --> 00:43:18,802 is that it's quite likely to be involved, 790 00:43:18,803 --> 00:43:21,528 at some level, in conscience. 791 00:43:21,529 --> 00:43:26,326 The sort of feelings that make us not go out 792 00:43:26,327 --> 00:43:29,433 and rob a bank or kill someone or commit rape. 793 00:43:29,434 --> 00:43:30,952 And if you lack a conscience, 794 00:43:30,953 --> 00:43:33,403 you are much more likely to become a psychopath. 795 00:43:35,682 --> 00:43:39,029 Psychopathy, at different points in our history, 796 00:43:39,030 --> 00:43:41,479 has had some survival value. 797 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:44,482 When there was a lot of war, a lot of strife, 798 00:43:44,483 --> 00:43:47,796 a lot of fighting, these kinds of issues going on, 799 00:43:47,797 --> 00:43:50,904 the psychopath was the person that could 800 00:43:52,181 --> 00:43:54,976 engage in behavior that would ensure the survival 801 00:43:54,977 --> 00:43:57,944 of the group to a certain extent, to be able to kill, 802 00:43:57,945 --> 00:44:00,188 to be able to harm, to be able to manipulate. 803 00:44:00,189 --> 00:44:02,777 Those genes were going to get carried on 804 00:44:02,778 --> 00:44:05,780 to form the next generation of human beings. 805 00:44:05,781 --> 00:44:08,817 The problem is the person that was going to rise to the top 806 00:44:08,818 --> 00:44:13,063 because they were not fettered by conscience 807 00:44:13,064 --> 00:44:15,721 rise to the top of these criminal organizations 808 00:44:15,722 --> 00:44:18,863 that become our most vicious killers. 809 00:44:24,006 --> 00:44:26,490 So it's possible violent crime and murder 810 00:44:26,491 --> 00:44:28,527 may be a waste product of our evolution. 811 00:44:29,874 --> 00:44:32,461 The killers of the underworld, perhaps they are nothing 812 00:44:32,462 --> 00:44:35,430 but the distorted reflection of the human race, 813 00:44:35,431 --> 00:44:37,640 the collective nightmare of mankind. 814 00:44:38,814 --> 00:44:42,230 I'm Robert Stack. Thanks for joining us.