1 00:00:01,376 --> 00:00:11,386 ♪♪ 2 00:00:11,511 --> 00:00:15,181 Richard: There was a man who was begging and pleading, 3 00:00:15,306 --> 00:00:23,815 and I told him he could have a half hour to pray to God, 4 00:00:23,898 --> 00:00:28,653 and if God could come down and change the circumstances, 5 00:00:29,946 --> 00:00:31,865 he'd have that time. 6 00:00:34,284 --> 00:00:39,539 But God never showed up. 7 00:00:39,664 --> 00:00:41,708 And that was that. 8 00:00:41,833 --> 00:00:52,969 ♪♪ 9 00:00:53,053 --> 00:01:04,230 ♪♪ 10 00:01:04,314 --> 00:01:06,483 Welcome to "Very Scary People". 11 00:01:06,566 --> 00:01:07,984 I'm Donnie Wahlberg. 12 00:01:08,068 --> 00:01:11,446 Mafia hitman and serial killer Richard Kuklinski 13 00:01:11,571 --> 00:01:13,615 got away with murder for years. 14 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:17,243 He used guns, cyanide, even tire irons 15 00:01:17,327 --> 00:01:18,870 to execute his victims, 16 00:01:18,953 --> 00:01:21,247 then skillfully covered his trail, 17 00:01:21,331 --> 00:01:24,209 but after he took out two of his crime ring cronies, 18 00:01:24,292 --> 00:01:26,419 he was on investigators' radar. 19 00:01:26,503 --> 00:01:31,549 Now, Kuklinski and an undercover agent were about to face off. 20 00:01:31,633 --> 00:01:34,344 Could the investigator manipulate the notoriously 21 00:01:34,427 --> 00:01:36,846 secretive killer to talk about his crimes? 22 00:01:36,930 --> 00:01:40,225 Here is part two of "The Iceman". 23 00:01:40,308 --> 00:01:50,985 ♪♪ 24 00:01:51,111 --> 00:01:52,654 Richard: I beat a guy to death one time. 25 00:01:52,779 --> 00:01:56,658 I had blood on my shoes -- his blood on my shoes. 26 00:01:59,786 --> 00:02:01,496 Just goes on that way. 27 00:02:01,621 --> 00:02:04,791 Had to throw all my clothes away. 28 00:02:04,874 --> 00:02:09,129 His name was Richard Kuklinski, also known as The Iceman. 29 00:02:09,254 --> 00:02:12,549 Richard Kuklinski allegedly killed for profit coldly 30 00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:14,926 and without remorse. 31 00:02:15,010 --> 00:02:20,015 Shot a guy one time in his Adam's apple, 32 00:02:20,140 --> 00:02:23,810 see how long it would take him to die. 33 00:02:23,935 --> 00:02:26,896 Kane: Richard Kuklinski was a Mafia contract killer... 34 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:28,440 [ Dog barks ] 35 00:02:28,523 --> 00:02:30,525 ...but he was also a freelance killer. 36 00:02:30,650 --> 00:02:32,402 Smith: After making contact with somebody, 37 00:02:32,485 --> 00:02:35,947 he would lure them into thinking that he was able to provide 38 00:02:36,031 --> 00:02:40,910 a quantity of something that that person was looking for, 39 00:02:40,994 --> 00:02:43,079 and he was not gonna just rob them. 40 00:02:43,163 --> 00:02:44,789 He was gonna kill them. 41 00:02:44,873 --> 00:02:48,710 ♪♪ 42 00:02:48,835 --> 00:02:51,004 Sanderson: In 1983, the authorities found a body 43 00:02:51,087 --> 00:02:53,381 wrapped up in Orangetown, New York. 44 00:02:53,506 --> 00:02:56,843 This turned out to be Louis Masgay. 45 00:02:56,968 --> 00:02:58,887 Carroll: He was brought to the medical examiner's office 46 00:02:59,012 --> 00:03:00,221 and examined. 47 00:03:00,347 --> 00:03:02,599 He had the same clothes on 48 00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:06,102 that he disappeared in two years prior. 49 00:03:06,186 --> 00:03:08,438 Smith: Even more interesting is they found what they termed 50 00:03:08,521 --> 00:03:11,024 as ice crystal artifacts. 51 00:03:11,107 --> 00:03:14,361 Which indicated that he had in fact been frozen. 52 00:03:14,444 --> 00:03:21,201 In the hope that the time of death would be not known. 53 00:03:21,284 --> 00:03:24,204 Carroll: That particular crime was the genesis of the name 54 00:03:24,329 --> 00:03:25,497 "Iceman". 55 00:03:25,580 --> 00:03:26,956 We knew we were looking for somebody 56 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:28,875 that had literally frozen a person. 57 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:33,380 Sanderson: Kuklinski was also working with a small crime ring. 58 00:03:33,505 --> 00:03:37,634 Kuklinski knew that they posed a real threat to him. 59 00:03:37,717 --> 00:03:41,888 And he got rid of them, one by one. 60 00:03:42,013 --> 00:03:44,641 Kuklinski had mixed cyanide in the ketchup 61 00:03:44,724 --> 00:03:47,268 that was then brought on a hamburger. 62 00:03:47,394 --> 00:03:51,564 Man: At least five killings between 1980 and 1983, 63 00:03:51,648 --> 00:03:54,275 with handguns and cyanide. 64 00:03:57,612 --> 00:04:01,366 Smith: Richard Kuklinski was a very low-key individual. 65 00:04:01,449 --> 00:04:02,784 He was secretive. 66 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:07,080 He looked to be living a normal suburban life. 67 00:04:07,163 --> 00:04:09,624 He married Barbara, and they had three children -- 68 00:04:09,749 --> 00:04:11,251 two girls and a boy. 69 00:04:11,376 --> 00:04:14,379 His wife, Barbara, told me she really didn't know too much 70 00:04:14,462 --> 00:04:16,548 about what he did. 71 00:04:16,631 --> 00:04:17,757 Roberts: You have said of Richard, 72 00:04:17,882 --> 00:04:19,009 "There were two Richards. 73 00:04:19,092 --> 00:04:20,760 I never knew who'd be walking in the door. 74 00:04:20,885 --> 00:04:23,763 He could be generous to a fault or the meanest man on Earth." 75 00:04:23,847 --> 00:04:25,140 Tell us more about that. 76 00:04:25,265 --> 00:04:26,433 That's true. 77 00:04:26,516 --> 00:04:29,436 He was kind, considerate. 78 00:04:29,519 --> 00:04:33,106 You know, he would have done anything for all of us. 79 00:04:33,189 --> 00:04:35,400 Very generous -- gifts and flowers 80 00:04:35,483 --> 00:04:38,737 and the best dinners and nice wine. 81 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:43,616 But when whatever twisted him, whatever happened, 82 00:04:43,742 --> 00:04:46,327 it didn't matter how good those times were, 83 00:04:46,453 --> 00:04:47,912 because the bad was so bad. 84 00:04:47,996 --> 00:04:49,122 And he abused you physically? 85 00:04:49,247 --> 00:04:50,790 He certainly did. What did he do? 86 00:04:50,915 --> 00:04:54,002 Stabbed me, broke my nose. 87 00:04:54,127 --> 00:04:58,298 Merrick: He had said that if he ever went too far with mom -- 88 00:04:58,381 --> 00:04:59,758 Killed her. Right. 89 00:04:59,841 --> 00:05:01,885 That I would have to understand 90 00:05:01,968 --> 00:05:05,138 that he would have to get rid of all of us 91 00:05:05,221 --> 00:05:07,015 because he could leave no witnesses 92 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:08,767 and that it would be hardest. 93 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:11,353 He'd have to kill you? 94 00:05:11,478 --> 00:05:14,356 Carlo: They planned to poison him -- Barbara and Chris, 95 00:05:14,481 --> 00:05:16,608 but they realized that if they tried to do it 96 00:05:16,691 --> 00:05:18,651 and it didn't work, that he would kill them. 97 00:05:18,735 --> 00:05:22,906 ♪♪ 98 00:05:22,989 --> 00:05:25,033 Polifrone: This guy was a walking time bomb. 99 00:05:25,158 --> 00:05:28,536 You don't listen to him, you die. 100 00:05:28,661 --> 00:05:31,831 He feels you betrayed him, you die. 101 00:05:31,915 --> 00:05:36,711 You say anything bad about the family, you die. 102 00:05:36,836 --> 00:05:39,881 That's his world. 103 00:05:40,006 --> 00:05:41,633 Carroll: Richard Kuklinski claimed to have killed 104 00:05:41,716 --> 00:05:43,009 100, 200 people. 105 00:05:43,093 --> 00:05:44,386 We simply have no idea. 106 00:05:44,511 --> 00:05:46,012 Carlo: He was the toughest guy on the block. 107 00:05:46,137 --> 00:05:49,724 He was the most dangerous animal in the jungle. 108 00:05:49,849 --> 00:05:52,602 Smith: We had acquired a lot of information 109 00:05:52,686 --> 00:05:54,604 through various law enforcement sources, 110 00:05:54,688 --> 00:05:57,023 which pointed to Richard Kuklinski. 111 00:05:57,107 --> 00:05:59,693 The problem with it was there wasn't enough information 112 00:05:59,818 --> 00:06:01,361 to arrest him. 113 00:06:01,486 --> 00:06:03,196 The idea that was suggested was 114 00:06:03,321 --> 00:06:07,033 we could have an undercover pose as another criminal. 115 00:06:07,158 --> 00:06:11,413 I used the name of Dominic Michael Provenzano. 116 00:06:11,538 --> 00:06:15,834 After 18 months in there, I first met Kuklinski. 117 00:06:15,917 --> 00:06:18,837 He goes, "I hear you have a lot of connections. 118 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,464 Can you get pure cyanide?" 119 00:06:21,548 --> 00:06:31,057 ♪♪ 120 00:06:31,182 --> 00:06:40,316 ♪♪ 121 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,486 Everybody's sitting at this long table, 122 00:06:43,570 --> 00:06:45,780 and my pager goes off. 123 00:06:45,905 --> 00:06:49,034 Dobyns: This untouchable serial murderer 124 00:06:49,117 --> 00:06:52,287 was now seeking Dominick out. 125 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:55,331 Dom was no longer hunting Kuklinski. 126 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:58,126 Kuklinski was hunting Dom. 127 00:06:58,251 --> 00:07:02,047 Everyone is excited for Dom to call back. 128 00:07:02,130 --> 00:07:03,590 Polifrone: One guy says, "Get a tape. 129 00:07:03,715 --> 00:07:05,091 I want it recorded. 130 00:07:05,216 --> 00:07:07,427 I want this done now," and I said, "I'm not doing that. 131 00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:09,012 I'm gonna tell you why. 132 00:07:09,095 --> 00:07:12,307 Everybody that he dealt with jumped. 133 00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:13,641 I'm not jumping for him. 134 00:07:13,767 --> 00:07:14,851 He came to me. 135 00:07:14,934 --> 00:07:17,771 He reached out to me." 136 00:07:17,896 --> 00:07:20,482 Dobyns: Gangsters are not prompt. 137 00:07:20,607 --> 00:07:24,486 One of the simplest ways to identify an undercover cop, 138 00:07:24,611 --> 00:07:25,945 if he's always prompt, 139 00:07:26,071 --> 00:07:29,449 if he's always on time, you know who does that? 140 00:07:29,532 --> 00:07:31,409 Cops do that. 141 00:07:31,493 --> 00:07:34,454 Polifrone: I waited a day to give him a call back. 142 00:07:34,537 --> 00:07:38,208 So, what happened is the following day, 143 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:40,460 we started talking. [ Telephone rings ] 144 00:07:51,513 --> 00:07:53,640 They began talking about doing crimes together, 145 00:07:53,723 --> 00:07:55,975 and they began talking about different things. 146 00:08:02,524 --> 00:08:04,317 Richard: [ Laughs ] 147 00:08:21,334 --> 00:08:22,752 Dobyns: So, during the conversation, 148 00:08:22,836 --> 00:08:26,423 when Dom references his use of iron, 149 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:30,844 he opens the door for Kuklinski to brag on his technique. 150 00:09:28,860 --> 00:09:30,987 Dominick Polifrone told Kuklinski 151 00:09:31,071 --> 00:09:34,115 that he was interested in purchasing weapons, 152 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,868 and in fact, he was looking for a hit kit. 153 00:09:36,951 --> 00:09:39,746 Hit kit is a .22 with a silencer on it. 154 00:09:39,871 --> 00:09:42,874 Kuklinski told him, "Yes, I can deliver that to you, 155 00:09:42,957 --> 00:09:44,417 but I'm looking for cyanide." 156 00:09:44,542 --> 00:09:47,128 I said, "You're gonna give me an assassination kit, 157 00:09:47,253 --> 00:09:49,339 and I'm gonna pay you $1,100. 158 00:09:49,422 --> 00:09:51,466 After you do that, you come and see me. 159 00:09:51,591 --> 00:09:54,594 Now we'll talk business for your pure cyanide." 160 00:09:54,719 --> 00:09:56,346 Kane: It was like the ultimate chess game. 161 00:09:56,429 --> 00:09:59,474 You got to make a move and hope it's not the wrong move. 162 00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:03,478 ♪♪ 163 00:10:05,355 --> 00:10:06,690 ♪♪ 164 00:10:06,773 --> 00:10:10,652 Woman: Did you ever murder anyone you liked? 165 00:10:10,777 --> 00:10:12,987 All my friends are dead. 166 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:17,867 At one point in time, I'm sure I liked them. 167 00:10:17,951 --> 00:10:19,411 Kane: In the 1980s, 168 00:10:19,494 --> 00:10:24,040 Richard Kuklinski met a fellow named Robert Prongay. 169 00:10:24,124 --> 00:10:25,959 He was also a hitman, it appears, 170 00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:28,586 and so they had a lot in common. 171 00:10:28,670 --> 00:10:31,464 Prongay was a self-taught chemist, 172 00:10:31,548 --> 00:10:35,301 and he had an adjacent garage to Kuklinski's. 173 00:10:35,427 --> 00:10:40,056 Where Richard Kuklinski killed several individuals. 174 00:10:41,474 --> 00:10:44,394 Sanderson: Interestingly, to me, Prongay ran a Mr. Softee truck, 175 00:10:44,477 --> 00:10:46,771 and Kuklinski used to call him 176 00:10:46,855 --> 00:10:48,565 Mr. Softee. 177 00:10:48,648 --> 00:10:51,443 Richard: He sold ice cream to the kids in the neighborhood. 178 00:10:51,526 --> 00:10:54,612 He'd go into these neighborhoods and sell ice cream to the kids 179 00:10:54,696 --> 00:10:58,491 and maybe kill one of their fathers. 180 00:10:58,575 --> 00:11:01,244 Robert Prongay killed in different ways. 181 00:11:01,327 --> 00:11:04,497 I heard a story once where he liked explosions, 182 00:11:04,581 --> 00:11:09,669 and he developed a method to put it in a remote control car, 183 00:11:09,794 --> 00:11:12,839 and he drove that under another car of a target... 184 00:11:12,964 --> 00:11:15,258 [ Explosion, glass shatters ] 185 00:11:15,342 --> 00:11:18,386 ...and he exploded it. 186 00:11:18,511 --> 00:11:23,350 Heide: Now, Robert taught Richard some "sophisticated" 187 00:11:23,433 --> 00:11:28,271 ways of killing, including cyanide. 188 00:11:28,355 --> 00:11:31,566 Smith: He showed him how he could put it in a liquid 189 00:11:31,691 --> 00:11:33,151 and put it in a drink. 190 00:11:33,234 --> 00:11:36,905 He taught him how he could put it on gravy. 191 00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:40,075 He could also put it in a spray mist. 192 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:41,868 Sanderson: And Mr. Softee helped him obtain 193 00:11:41,951 --> 00:11:46,498 some of the cyanide he needed for his homicides. 194 00:11:46,581 --> 00:11:49,209 Schumacher: The relationship between Kuklinski and Prongay 195 00:11:49,334 --> 00:11:51,628 went swimmingly for a while, 196 00:11:51,711 --> 00:11:54,881 but before long, they had a falling out. 197 00:11:55,006 --> 00:11:57,300 Smith: Apparently, Kuklinski realized that this guy 198 00:11:57,384 --> 00:12:00,637 could be a liability, and "I don't need him anymore. 199 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,014 He's taught me everything he needed to. 200 00:12:03,098 --> 00:12:04,557 He's got to go." 201 00:12:04,683 --> 00:12:05,767 And he killed him. 202 00:12:05,892 --> 00:12:08,061 [ Gunshots ] 203 00:12:08,186 --> 00:12:11,690 On August 8th, 1984, Robert Prongay's body 204 00:12:11,773 --> 00:12:16,236 was found shot to death in his Mr. Softee truck. 205 00:12:16,319 --> 00:12:18,530 Kane: Poor Bobby Prongay. 206 00:12:18,613 --> 00:12:20,740 Five in the chest. 207 00:12:20,824 --> 00:12:22,742 Schumacher: But one negative side effect 208 00:12:22,826 --> 00:12:24,411 of Prongay being dead 209 00:12:24,536 --> 00:12:29,207 is that Kuklinski no longer has a source for his cyanide, 210 00:12:29,290 --> 00:12:32,043 which has become his new passion as a way to kill people. 211 00:12:32,127 --> 00:12:37,424 So, now he's looking for other ways of acquiring cyanide. 212 00:12:37,507 --> 00:12:41,136 And so, I was his man. I was his connection. 213 00:12:41,261 --> 00:12:48,768 ♪♪ 214 00:12:48,852 --> 00:12:50,103 Sanderson: After they first met, 215 00:12:50,186 --> 00:12:51,771 Dominick Polifrone and Richard Kuklinski 216 00:12:51,855 --> 00:12:53,773 had a bunch of different meet-ups and discussions 217 00:12:53,857 --> 00:12:56,776 together about how to carry out their crimes. 218 00:12:56,860 --> 00:12:59,029 Dominick wore something called a Nagra. 219 00:12:59,112 --> 00:13:01,781 It was a little bulkier than the technology they use today, 220 00:13:01,906 --> 00:13:05,285 but a Nagra was state-of-the-art at the time. 221 00:13:05,368 --> 00:13:10,790 It is a reel-to-reel tape recorder, 222 00:13:10,874 --> 00:13:14,586 about the size of a microwave dinner. 223 00:13:14,669 --> 00:13:19,090 So, imagine yourself going to meet 224 00:13:19,174 --> 00:13:21,551 an organized crime serial killer 225 00:13:21,634 --> 00:13:26,139 with this duct-taped into the small of your back. 226 00:13:26,264 --> 00:13:30,477 The margin of error for Dom was zero. 227 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:35,148 If Richard Kuklinski finds out that Dom is lying to him, 228 00:13:35,273 --> 00:13:38,360 deceiving him, tricking him, 229 00:13:38,485 --> 00:13:42,280 he's going to drag a straight razor across his throat. 230 00:13:46,368 --> 00:13:48,661 In October, he calls. 231 00:13:48,787 --> 00:13:53,583 He says, "I have your assassination kit for you." 232 00:13:53,667 --> 00:13:55,835 We meet at the Vince Lombardi Service Station 233 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:57,462 that he suggests. 234 00:13:57,545 --> 00:13:59,047 Inside the trunk, a beautiful, 235 00:13:59,172 --> 00:14:02,050 high-standard .22 caliber silencer 236 00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:04,302 affixed to the weapon. 237 00:14:15,814 --> 00:14:19,359 So, I take the gun, and I give him $1,100. 238 00:14:19,484 --> 00:14:22,696 Dobyns: It was a clean criminal deal 239 00:14:22,779 --> 00:14:27,409 that just further enhanced Dom's credibility 240 00:14:27,534 --> 00:14:29,869 in the eyes of Kuklinski. 241 00:14:29,994 --> 00:14:31,705 Polifrone: He goes, "I can't stay that long." 242 00:14:31,830 --> 00:14:34,124 He says, "But you have your source for the pure cyanide?" 243 00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:35,709 I said, "Absolutely." 244 00:14:35,834 --> 00:14:38,628 He says, "Okay, let's stay in touch." 245 00:14:38,712 --> 00:14:42,173 ♪♪ 246 00:14:42,257 --> 00:14:45,885 Smith: As the investigation proceeded, we decided to come up 247 00:14:45,969 --> 00:14:52,892 with a plan to lure Kuklinski in to kill somebody. 248 00:14:52,976 --> 00:14:55,562 We knew he needed money and he needed cyanide, 249 00:14:55,687 --> 00:14:59,858 so it was our idea to join him in a murder plot, 250 00:14:59,941 --> 00:15:03,570 and of course, it wasn't really a murder plot. 251 00:15:03,695 --> 00:15:06,239 Smith: Dominick proposed to Kuklinski 252 00:15:06,322 --> 00:15:09,617 that he had this rich kid that was wealthy 253 00:15:09,743 --> 00:15:11,578 and always had a lot of money on him 254 00:15:11,703 --> 00:15:15,749 that he was dealing drugs with and he wanted to get rid of. 255 00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:38,480 Dobyns: When Dom talks to Kuklinski about the fake murder, 256 00:15:38,605 --> 00:15:40,982 what he's doing is opening the door 257 00:15:41,107 --> 00:15:46,780 for Kuklinski to talk about his own assassinations and murders. 258 00:16:03,797 --> 00:16:08,635 Heide: Over time, as he began to trust Dom, 259 00:16:08,718 --> 00:16:13,306 he then made some very incriminating statements. 260 00:16:13,431 --> 00:16:14,557 Polifrone: He told me how he killed people 261 00:16:14,641 --> 00:16:16,476 with firearms and with knives 262 00:16:16,601 --> 00:16:18,019 and sometimes with chainsaws. 263 00:16:18,144 --> 00:16:20,647 He had to cut the limbs to get them into the barrel. 264 00:16:28,321 --> 00:16:30,532 Smith: One of the conversations -- 265 00:16:30,657 --> 00:16:32,742 Kuklinski went into detail 266 00:16:32,826 --> 00:16:35,870 on how you can throw law enforcement off 267 00:16:35,995 --> 00:16:39,833 by killing somebody, freezing the body, 268 00:16:39,958 --> 00:16:42,919 and them disposing of it a couple years later. 269 00:16:43,003 --> 00:16:44,963 ♪♪ 270 00:16:45,046 --> 00:16:47,966 Polifrone: He told me that he murdered an individual, 271 00:16:48,049 --> 00:16:50,301 that he throws the body for two years, 272 00:16:50,385 --> 00:16:51,636 and he made the cops looks like jerks. 273 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,972 I said, "What do you mean?" 274 00:17:24,210 --> 00:17:26,880 ♪♪ 275 00:17:26,963 --> 00:17:31,217 Kuklinski is now bragging on the murders he's done. 276 00:17:31,301 --> 00:17:32,886 He's letting his guard down. 277 00:17:33,011 --> 00:17:35,430 Polifrone: He said, "When you do something like this, 278 00:17:35,555 --> 00:17:37,891 use Glad bags." 279 00:17:37,974 --> 00:17:40,226 He said, "They last a couple of years." 280 00:17:40,310 --> 00:17:42,103 This is his sense of humor. 281 00:17:42,228 --> 00:17:44,147 ♪♪ 282 00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:48,610 He talked about slipping cyanide into someone's hamburgers. 283 00:17:56,368 --> 00:17:59,913 Not only is he not shying away from it, he's bragging on it. 284 00:18:13,093 --> 00:18:14,803 Polifrone: Richie's telling me -- he says, 285 00:18:14,928 --> 00:18:18,139 "We're laughing at him. Get one of the lamp cords, 286 00:18:18,264 --> 00:18:19,724 strangle him, 287 00:18:19,808 --> 00:18:21,685 and then we throw him under the bed. 288 00:18:21,768 --> 00:18:24,437 And then we leave him there, and off we go." 289 00:18:24,521 --> 00:18:28,942 ♪♪ 290 00:18:29,067 --> 00:18:31,528 Dobyns: Each time he offers a detail, 291 00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:35,448 it's back-checked against the real murder, 292 00:18:35,532 --> 00:18:37,492 and all of them dovetail. 293 00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:40,620 ♪♪ 294 00:18:40,745 --> 00:18:42,831 Kane: At a certain point in time, 295 00:18:42,956 --> 00:18:45,709 it was believed that Richard Kuklinski 296 00:18:45,792 --> 00:18:47,127 could tell Dominick 297 00:18:47,210 --> 00:18:48,628 just about anything he wanted 298 00:18:48,753 --> 00:18:52,632 because he had plans to kill him and take all the money. 299 00:18:56,302 --> 00:18:57,470 I always kept that in my mind. 300 00:18:57,595 --> 00:19:00,807 "He who hesitates, lost." 301 00:19:00,890 --> 00:19:03,059 I got it right at the top of my head. 302 00:19:03,143 --> 00:19:07,689 ♪♪ 303 00:19:09,983 --> 00:19:12,318 Man: Did you think of yourself as an assassin? 304 00:19:12,444 --> 00:19:14,070 Assassin. 305 00:19:14,154 --> 00:19:15,822 Sounds so exotic. 306 00:19:15,947 --> 00:19:18,324 [ Laughs ] 307 00:19:18,408 --> 00:19:21,745 I was just a murderer. 308 00:19:21,828 --> 00:19:26,249 Dominick Polifrone was undercover for months. 309 00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:30,670 Four months that I was able to extract the information. 310 00:19:30,754 --> 00:19:33,256 All of his conversations -- they're on tape. 311 00:19:33,340 --> 00:19:35,800 Schumacher: So, after Polifrone had established 312 00:19:35,884 --> 00:19:38,345 with his audio recordings that showed Kuklinski 313 00:19:38,428 --> 00:19:43,516 admitting to committing murders, he helps set up the fake hit, 314 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,685 and this would be the final proof 315 00:19:45,769 --> 00:19:50,231 that was needed to put Kuklinski behind bars. 316 00:19:50,357 --> 00:19:53,151 They were fully engaged in Dom's plan to murder 317 00:19:53,234 --> 00:19:58,198 the rich kid under the ruse of a cocaine deal. 318 00:19:58,281 --> 00:20:01,576 Polifrone: A rich kid comes with cash, and I give him cocaine. 319 00:20:01,701 --> 00:20:04,954 We were gonna get him into the van, 320 00:20:05,038 --> 00:20:08,375 and Rich was gonna give him the egg sandwiches. 321 00:20:08,458 --> 00:20:09,959 ♪♪ 322 00:20:10,043 --> 00:20:12,962 They were gonna put cyanide on the one sandwich 323 00:20:13,046 --> 00:20:15,715 that the kid was supposed to eat. 324 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:17,258 Polifrone: And he's gonna chop the body 325 00:20:17,384 --> 00:20:18,760 and put it into the barrel, 326 00:20:18,885 --> 00:20:20,345 and he would dump it somewhere, 327 00:20:20,428 --> 00:20:23,223 and we'd each make $40,000 a piece. 328 00:20:36,361 --> 00:20:38,780 Dom certainly didn't want to give Kuklinski cyanide 329 00:20:38,905 --> 00:20:41,449 as an ATF agent who's undercover. 330 00:20:41,574 --> 00:20:43,827 Polifrone: We had a simulated cyanide 331 00:20:43,910 --> 00:20:45,745 that smelled like cyanide, 332 00:20:45,870 --> 00:20:48,998 that looked like cyanide, that was made up from the lab. 333 00:20:49,082 --> 00:20:51,710 Dom, instead of cyanide, gave quinine. 334 00:20:51,793 --> 00:20:53,253 Now, the reason to do that -- 335 00:20:53,378 --> 00:20:56,423 quinine, if that's administered to somebody, 336 00:20:56,548 --> 00:20:57,841 you can then detect that, 337 00:20:57,924 --> 00:20:59,926 which would then show that it was given, 338 00:21:00,051 --> 00:21:02,971 and that they attempted to murder somebody. 339 00:21:03,096 --> 00:21:05,432 So, it was really quite brilliant. 340 00:21:05,557 --> 00:21:10,603 ♪♪ 341 00:21:19,946 --> 00:21:23,950 Kuklinski and Dominic met up on December 17th, 1986, 342 00:21:24,075 --> 00:21:26,161 at the Vince Lombardi Rest Area. 343 00:21:29,748 --> 00:21:33,626 Dom gives Kuklinski the egg sandwiches 344 00:21:33,710 --> 00:21:42,510 and what is allegedly a vial of cyanide. 345 00:21:42,635 --> 00:21:43,887 Polifrone: He brought tape with him 346 00:21:43,970 --> 00:21:46,473 and rubber gloves that he had, 347 00:21:46,598 --> 00:21:49,726 so he was ready for this. 348 00:21:49,809 --> 00:21:51,561 Kuklinski then says, 349 00:21:51,644 --> 00:21:54,147 "Listen, my wife wasn't feeling that good, 350 00:21:54,272 --> 00:21:58,109 but I'm gonna head home, but I'll be back." 351 00:22:00,278 --> 00:22:03,156 Kane: Now, what happened was Kuklinski didn't come back 352 00:22:03,239 --> 00:22:04,324 right away. 353 00:22:04,449 --> 00:22:07,160 Surveillance indicated he was at his house, 354 00:22:07,243 --> 00:22:09,829 and the decision was made then by the upper echelon, 355 00:22:09,954 --> 00:22:11,456 "Just take him down." 356 00:22:11,539 --> 00:22:13,750 And they did. 357 00:22:15,585 --> 00:22:17,587 Smith: He was extremely animated. 358 00:22:17,671 --> 00:22:19,881 Screaming, cursing. 359 00:22:20,006 --> 00:22:22,008 "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill your families." 360 00:22:22,092 --> 00:22:25,053 I mean, he was off the wall. 361 00:22:25,178 --> 00:22:27,472 [ Car door shuts ] This is unwarranted. 362 00:22:27,555 --> 00:22:29,808 Unnecessary. [ Car door shuts ] 363 00:22:29,891 --> 00:22:33,103 These guys watch too many movies. 364 00:22:33,186 --> 00:22:37,023 Never showed their badge, never read me my rights, nothing. 365 00:22:39,192 --> 00:22:40,318 They think they're gangbusters. 366 00:22:40,402 --> 00:22:43,279 37 guys to pick up one little guy. 367 00:22:43,363 --> 00:22:45,031 That's ridiculous. 368 00:22:45,115 --> 00:22:46,991 Kuklinski was charged with five murders -- 369 00:22:47,075 --> 00:22:49,536 Paul Hoffman, Louis Masgay, 370 00:22:49,661 --> 00:22:54,541 Daniel Deppner, Gary Smith, and George Malliband. 371 00:22:54,666 --> 00:22:56,292 Smith: At the time of the arrest, 372 00:22:56,376 --> 00:22:59,379 the car was searched for any evidence, 373 00:22:59,462 --> 00:23:03,341 and in the trunk was found the egg sandwiches, 374 00:23:03,425 --> 00:23:05,385 and on the egg sandwiches, 375 00:23:05,468 --> 00:23:08,096 two of them had the fake cyanide on them. 376 00:23:08,221 --> 00:23:11,391 So, in fact, not only was the rich kid gonna die, 377 00:23:11,516 --> 00:23:14,519 but Dominick was gonna die. 378 00:23:14,602 --> 00:23:19,399 Rich, in your spirit, he who hesitates is lost. 379 00:23:19,482 --> 00:23:23,945 ♪♪ 380 00:23:25,655 --> 00:23:31,202 ♪♪ 381 00:23:31,286 --> 00:23:34,122 Welcome back to "Very Scary People". 382 00:23:34,247 --> 00:23:35,957 When investigators finally arrested 383 00:23:36,082 --> 00:23:38,293 Richard Kuklinski in 1986, 384 00:23:38,418 --> 00:23:40,545 it seemed like the end of the road, 385 00:23:40,628 --> 00:23:43,757 but the twists and turns of The Iceman's evil legacy 386 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,383 were far from over. 387 00:23:45,467 --> 00:23:47,969 A search of the home turned up shocking information 388 00:23:48,094 --> 00:23:51,097 about one of his killings, and a late-in-life confession 389 00:23:51,222 --> 00:23:54,142 uncovers what could yet be another. 390 00:23:54,267 --> 00:23:56,519 Law enforcement authorities have arrested one of 391 00:23:56,603 --> 00:24:00,440 the most notorious contract killers in state history. 392 00:24:00,523 --> 00:24:03,693 A self-employed Bergen County man is behind bars, 393 00:24:03,777 --> 00:24:05,362 charged with five murders, 394 00:24:05,445 --> 00:24:07,781 and prosecutors are investigating his involvement 395 00:24:07,906 --> 00:24:10,116 in dozens more. 396 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:13,370 On the day of his arrest, his home was searched. 397 00:24:13,453 --> 00:24:17,123 And they found a knife, and it had eight notches 398 00:24:17,248 --> 00:24:20,293 carved into the handle on one side, 399 00:24:20,377 --> 00:24:23,254 and I believe three on the other side, 400 00:24:23,338 --> 00:24:28,677 indicating that he killed 11 people with that knife. 401 00:24:28,802 --> 00:24:30,637 We also talked to an individual 402 00:24:30,762 --> 00:24:32,305 by the name of Richard Patterson. 403 00:24:32,389 --> 00:24:37,852 Patterson was engaged to one of Richard's daughters, Merrick. 404 00:24:40,021 --> 00:24:43,024 Richard Patterson opened up another whole door for us 405 00:24:43,149 --> 00:24:47,862 in regards to what Richard Kuklinski had done. 406 00:24:47,987 --> 00:24:50,073 One day, Patterson had been sleeping over, 407 00:24:50,156 --> 00:24:51,783 and Kuklinski got him up early in the morning and said, 408 00:24:51,866 --> 00:24:56,996 "Listen, I need you to help me move this package, this thing." 409 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:01,084 Carroll: And they get in the car and they go, 410 00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:03,503 and he says to Richard, you know, 411 00:25:03,628 --> 00:25:06,006 "Jump behind the wheel." 412 00:25:06,131 --> 00:25:08,216 He gets out of the car, and he goes around the back. 413 00:25:08,341 --> 00:25:13,179 He opens the trunk, and Richard looks in the mirror, 414 00:25:13,263 --> 00:25:16,141 and he sees him taking a body out of the trunk, 415 00:25:16,224 --> 00:25:19,269 walking into the woods, and he dumps the body, 416 00:25:19,352 --> 00:25:21,354 and he gets in and he tells Richard, 417 00:25:21,438 --> 00:25:25,400 "What you saw here, you'll never repeat to anyone." 418 00:25:25,525 --> 00:25:29,237 It was ultimately determined that the body was Danny Deppner, 419 00:25:29,362 --> 00:25:34,367 who was in Richard's circle of criminal friends. 420 00:25:34,492 --> 00:25:40,165 Kuklinski decided Deppner would possibly talk and give him up. 421 00:25:40,248 --> 00:25:45,962 He had brought Deppner baked beans and some other food, 422 00:25:46,046 --> 00:25:49,174 and Danny Deppner ate the baked beans, 423 00:25:49,257 --> 00:25:54,387 and they were loaded with cyanide. 424 00:25:54,512 --> 00:25:57,766 He was wrapped in plastic garbage bags, 425 00:25:57,891 --> 00:25:59,893 and he was taken up to West Milford, 426 00:26:00,018 --> 00:26:02,729 where the body was dumped in the woods. 427 00:26:02,854 --> 00:26:09,486 His body was not found until approximately five months later, 428 00:26:09,569 --> 00:26:14,282 and an autopsy showed that he had an undigested amount 429 00:26:14,407 --> 00:26:16,409 of baked beans in his stomach. 430 00:26:16,534 --> 00:26:20,413 They found these baked beans that were so intact, 431 00:26:20,497 --> 00:26:23,208 they could tell they were even burned a little bit. 432 00:26:23,291 --> 00:26:27,253 That indicated that the person was eating when they had died. 433 00:26:27,337 --> 00:26:36,262 ♪♪ 434 00:26:36,346 --> 00:26:40,225 Heide: The path that led to Kuklinski 435 00:26:40,308 --> 00:26:46,189 becoming a killer likely began in his childhood. 436 00:26:46,272 --> 00:26:50,276 Richard had a very difficult upbringing. 437 00:26:50,402 --> 00:26:53,613 His father, according to Richard, 438 00:26:53,738 --> 00:26:55,448 was physically abusive -- 439 00:26:55,573 --> 00:26:59,369 beat him, beat other members of the family. 440 00:26:59,452 --> 00:27:01,871 When you have violence in the home, 441 00:27:01,955 --> 00:27:07,210 it can create the dynamics that can lead to violent behavior. 442 00:27:07,293 --> 00:27:08,586 Carlo: By the time he was 10 years old, 443 00:27:08,670 --> 00:27:11,297 he had a host of personality problems. 444 00:27:11,381 --> 00:27:14,134 He turned his rage on animals early on, 445 00:27:14,259 --> 00:27:18,930 started beating dogs to death, setting cats on fire. 446 00:27:19,014 --> 00:27:20,348 Carroll: Richard Kuklinski was raised 447 00:27:20,473 --> 00:27:24,269 in a hardscrabble section of Jersey City. 448 00:27:24,352 --> 00:27:26,312 He was of mixed ethnic decent. 449 00:27:26,438 --> 00:27:28,815 He was part-Polish, part-Irish, 450 00:27:28,940 --> 00:27:30,650 and because of that, he later said 451 00:27:30,775 --> 00:27:35,280 that he was often picked on and taken advantage of. 452 00:27:35,363 --> 00:27:37,824 Ultimately, he says leading to the murder 453 00:27:37,949 --> 00:27:42,954 of a neighborhood bully when he was a teenager. 454 00:27:43,038 --> 00:27:45,248 Kane: Richard was about 13 years of age, 455 00:27:45,331 --> 00:27:47,709 and he got sick and tired of being bullied. 456 00:27:47,834 --> 00:27:48,960 He picked out the big bully. 457 00:27:49,044 --> 00:27:50,754 His name was Charlie Lane. 458 00:27:50,837 --> 00:27:53,131 Polifrone: Finally, he's not taking shit no more 459 00:27:53,214 --> 00:27:56,551 from the guy, and did what he had to do. 460 00:27:56,676 --> 00:28:00,013 And he went into one of the closets in his apartment, 461 00:28:02,307 --> 00:28:05,977 and he took all the clothes off the rod. 462 00:28:06,061 --> 00:28:12,525 And he says he waited outside for the boy to come by. 463 00:28:16,529 --> 00:28:19,324 Kane: And then he beat him to death with that rod. 464 00:28:22,035 --> 00:28:25,372 Heide: After he killed Charlie Lane, 465 00:28:25,497 --> 00:28:29,209 Richard was worried that he would get caught. 466 00:28:29,292 --> 00:28:34,339 When he didn't, he learned that he might be able 467 00:28:34,422 --> 00:28:38,468 to get away with other acts of violence. 468 00:28:38,551 --> 00:28:40,220 After that, if he was humiliated, 469 00:28:40,345 --> 00:28:43,515 he would respond with savage violence. 470 00:28:45,558 --> 00:28:49,688 Heide: He learned clearly then that violence was the solution 471 00:28:49,771 --> 00:28:50,939 to his problem. 472 00:28:51,064 --> 00:28:54,025 I was no longer taking the beating. 473 00:28:54,109 --> 00:28:56,736 I was giving it. 474 00:28:56,820 --> 00:28:59,280 And that's when I learned that it was better 475 00:28:59,406 --> 00:29:01,741 to give than to receive. 476 00:29:01,825 --> 00:29:07,288 ♪♪ 477 00:29:08,998 --> 00:29:10,375 ♪♪ 478 00:29:10,458 --> 00:29:13,837 They ripped me apart like I'm some sort of fool. 479 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:15,296 Never resisted. 480 00:29:15,422 --> 00:29:17,007 Smith: The first time that Kuklinski was brought 481 00:29:17,090 --> 00:29:18,425 into the courtroom, 482 00:29:18,550 --> 00:29:22,679 he had an aura about him, a threatening aura. 483 00:29:22,762 --> 00:29:26,683 Polifrone: He had them damn orange-tinged glasses on, 484 00:29:26,766 --> 00:29:28,601 and I was saying, "Jesus, how can they let 485 00:29:28,727 --> 00:29:30,103 this guy have these glasses, you know? 486 00:29:30,186 --> 00:29:33,273 Get him a different pair." 487 00:29:33,398 --> 00:29:37,193 Kuklinski's trial started on January 25th, 1988. 488 00:29:37,277 --> 00:29:40,071 Smith: The prosecution began with the murders 489 00:29:40,155 --> 00:29:43,033 of Gary Smith and Danny Deppner. 490 00:29:43,116 --> 00:29:47,996 They were the two best cases we had out of all five. 491 00:29:48,121 --> 00:29:50,707 We had so much. 492 00:29:50,790 --> 00:29:54,586 We tried the Smith and Deppner cases over several weeks. 493 00:29:54,669 --> 00:29:56,129 There was a lot of physical evidence, 494 00:29:56,254 --> 00:29:58,298 a lot of testimony from medical examiners 495 00:29:58,423 --> 00:30:02,469 about how these people had died. 496 00:30:02,594 --> 00:30:07,307 One of the witnesses was Gary Smith's wife. 497 00:30:07,390 --> 00:30:12,228 She testified that her husband left the hotel 498 00:30:12,312 --> 00:30:16,066 where Richard was having them stay. 499 00:30:16,149 --> 00:30:18,485 ♪♪ 500 00:30:18,610 --> 00:30:21,821 Carroll: When Gary came home, she said, "Don't go back," 501 00:30:21,946 --> 00:30:23,031 you know, "Don't go back," 502 00:30:23,156 --> 00:30:24,657 and he said, "I have to. 503 00:30:24,741 --> 00:30:27,786 He'll kill the whole family if I don't." 504 00:30:27,869 --> 00:30:29,871 He goes back, and Richie kills him. 505 00:30:33,208 --> 00:30:35,168 Carroll: In court, Kuklinski himself 506 00:30:35,251 --> 00:30:38,004 continued with his continence of intimidation, 507 00:30:38,088 --> 00:30:41,549 would yell out every now and then at people on the stand. 508 00:30:41,675 --> 00:30:45,553 Smith: When witnesses testified against him, he would mouth, 509 00:30:45,679 --> 00:30:46,763 "You're dead", 510 00:30:46,846 --> 00:30:49,057 or he would go like this to scratch his head, 511 00:30:49,182 --> 00:30:50,350 and he'd go like this with it 512 00:30:50,433 --> 00:30:52,769 and make it like a gun pointing at them. 513 00:30:54,854 --> 00:30:56,314 Sanderson: I think that the key evidence 514 00:30:56,398 --> 00:30:58,566 was Dominick Polifrone's testimony. 515 00:30:58,692 --> 00:31:00,902 It laid out who Kuklinski was. 516 00:31:01,027 --> 00:31:02,362 It laid out what he did. 517 00:31:02,445 --> 00:31:04,656 It laid out the way he carried out his crimes. 518 00:31:04,739 --> 00:31:07,867 The chief attorney's asking me questions, 519 00:31:07,992 --> 00:31:10,370 and then they played a tape. 520 00:31:17,711 --> 00:31:20,463 You could hear a pin drop, and then I can see 521 00:31:20,547 --> 00:31:24,259 some of the faces were like, "This is hard to believe. 522 00:31:24,384 --> 00:31:26,845 Is this reality?" 523 00:31:26,928 --> 00:31:29,889 There's a talk about cyanide and how to kill with cyanide. 524 00:31:30,015 --> 00:31:33,435 Must've sent chills through some of the people on the jury. 525 00:31:45,572 --> 00:31:46,906 The tapes killed him. 526 00:31:46,990 --> 00:31:50,785 The tapes were devastating. 527 00:31:50,910 --> 00:31:52,454 Devastating. 528 00:31:52,579 --> 00:31:55,498 It gave the jurors a very clear picture 529 00:31:55,582 --> 00:31:57,751 of what kind of guy he was. 530 00:32:10,388 --> 00:32:13,516 Carroll: All up until the time that Dominick took the sand, 531 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:15,685 Kuklinski's wife and his daughters were in court. 532 00:32:15,769 --> 00:32:19,773 You could see his wife and his daughters were disbelieving. 533 00:32:19,856 --> 00:32:21,775 They just couldn't believe that he had done 534 00:32:21,900 --> 00:32:23,151 these type of things. 535 00:32:23,276 --> 00:32:28,323 Smith: But when they heard their husband and father's voice 536 00:32:28,448 --> 00:32:30,200 explaining how to kill people 537 00:32:30,283 --> 00:32:33,495 and how cold and calculated he was, 538 00:32:33,620 --> 00:32:35,663 I think that really hit home with them, 539 00:32:35,789 --> 00:32:38,583 and their whole demeanor changed. 540 00:32:38,667 --> 00:32:42,128 Carroll: We played one of the most explosive tapes early on, 541 00:32:42,212 --> 00:32:43,797 and we took a break after that, 542 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:49,052 and I looked over at Barbara and the daughters, 543 00:32:49,135 --> 00:32:52,347 and they were all crying, and she said, "We didn't know. 544 00:32:52,472 --> 00:32:54,933 We didn't know." 545 00:32:55,016 --> 00:32:57,977 Through all of that time, all of these dozens and dozens 546 00:32:58,061 --> 00:33:00,271 and maybe as many as 200 murders, Barbara, 547 00:33:00,355 --> 00:33:02,691 you didn't know that anything was up? 548 00:33:02,816 --> 00:33:05,360 You lived with this man for 25 years, you knew nothing? 549 00:33:05,485 --> 00:33:06,820 Barbara: No. 550 00:33:06,945 --> 00:33:09,698 First of all, you never questioned Richard. 551 00:33:09,823 --> 00:33:12,492 You have said in the past that he would sometimes get up 552 00:33:12,617 --> 00:33:14,452 at two o'clock in the morning, leave the house -- 553 00:33:14,536 --> 00:33:16,162 Or in the middle of dinner and leave the house, 554 00:33:16,287 --> 00:33:19,457 and you'd never ask him why. 555 00:33:19,541 --> 00:33:21,042 Carlo: Barbara was battered beaten by him. 556 00:33:21,167 --> 00:33:23,503 She was not in a position to ever question him 557 00:33:23,628 --> 00:33:25,463 about where he was going and whether he was coming back, 558 00:33:25,547 --> 00:33:27,340 and he was extremely macho, 559 00:33:27,424 --> 00:33:32,053 so she was really put-upon actually, as were her children. 560 00:33:32,178 --> 00:33:34,514 Barbara, do you think he could have killed 200 people? 561 00:33:34,639 --> 00:33:36,850 I think he was capable of anything. 562 00:33:36,975 --> 00:33:40,687 To the jury, it was overwhelming evidence. 563 00:33:42,689 --> 00:33:44,941 And Richard Kuklinski was convicted 564 00:33:45,025 --> 00:33:49,654 of the murder of Gary T. Smith and Daniel Deppner. 565 00:33:49,738 --> 00:33:51,531 Sanderson: This was what the judge said. 566 00:33:51,614 --> 00:33:53,616 He said, "Words are inadequate to describe 567 00:33:53,700 --> 00:33:56,703 the depths of depravity reached this defendant. 568 00:33:56,786 --> 00:33:59,748 The lives of others have no meaning to this man. 569 00:33:59,873 --> 00:34:03,835 No remorse, no conscience, no regrets. 570 00:34:03,918 --> 00:34:08,673 Cold, calculated, pre-meditated murders." 571 00:34:08,757 --> 00:34:10,133 After being convicted of two murders, 572 00:34:10,216 --> 00:34:13,053 he confessed to two others in court today. 573 00:34:13,136 --> 00:34:14,763 Polifrone: Richard Kuklinski later pled guilty 574 00:34:14,888 --> 00:34:16,973 to the Malliband and Masgay murders. 575 00:34:17,057 --> 00:34:20,060 I shot George Malliband five times. 576 00:34:20,143 --> 00:34:25,315 The judge says to Kuklinski, "Can you tell me why?" 577 00:34:25,398 --> 00:34:28,902 And he says -- It was due to business. 578 00:34:28,985 --> 00:34:31,780 Sanderson: When they got him on the other murders, that was it. 579 00:34:31,905 --> 00:34:33,656 They had effectively thrown away the key. 580 00:34:33,740 --> 00:34:38,453 He received four consecutive life sentences. 581 00:34:38,578 --> 00:34:40,705 He was going away for a long, long time. 582 00:34:40,789 --> 00:34:42,916 He wasn't getting out. 583 00:34:43,041 --> 00:34:44,542 Reporter: And so, it seemed to bring to an end 584 00:34:44,626 --> 00:34:47,337 the long pursuit of the so-called Iceman. 585 00:34:47,420 --> 00:34:51,132 Smith: Richard had an unusual reaction to Dominick. 586 00:34:51,257 --> 00:34:55,720 He, I think in his own sick way, respected Dominick 587 00:34:55,804 --> 00:34:58,973 because Dominick was able to get over on him, 588 00:34:59,099 --> 00:35:02,686 just like he got over on so many other people. 589 00:35:02,769 --> 00:35:04,813 Reporter: Today in court, The Iceman greeted the agent 590 00:35:04,938 --> 00:35:06,940 with a smiling, "Hello, Dominick." 591 00:35:07,065 --> 00:35:08,775 Hello. 592 00:35:08,858 --> 00:35:13,279 Reporter: He seemed to be quite cheery about hello to you. 593 00:35:13,363 --> 00:35:14,489 Well, I reciprocated. 594 00:35:14,614 --> 00:35:16,116 The only thing is, I'm going home, 595 00:35:16,241 --> 00:35:19,953 and he's going to a different environment at the present time. 596 00:35:20,036 --> 00:35:24,207 ♪♪ 597 00:35:24,290 --> 00:35:29,295 After Kuklinski was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison, 598 00:35:29,379 --> 00:35:31,339 we got a Christmas card from him, 599 00:35:31,464 --> 00:35:33,800 which was a very sick, 600 00:35:33,925 --> 00:35:37,804 odd number of drawings with Jesus 601 00:35:37,929 --> 00:35:42,976 and the devil and skulls, and it was just bizarre. 602 00:35:43,101 --> 00:35:46,271 And that was Kuklinski, sending us a message -- 603 00:35:46,354 --> 00:35:47,981 "Merry Christmas." 604 00:35:48,106 --> 00:35:54,029 ♪♪ 605 00:35:56,406 --> 00:36:08,001 ♪♪ 606 00:36:08,084 --> 00:36:11,838 Schumacher: After Kuklinski was convicted and received life 607 00:36:11,963 --> 00:36:15,091 without parole sentences for all of those murders, 608 00:36:15,175 --> 00:36:17,844 there was no chance he was ever getting out of prison, 609 00:36:17,969 --> 00:36:23,975 and he agreed to sit down for a series of interviews with HBO. 610 00:36:24,059 --> 00:36:28,229 Woman: You tended to shoot people up close and personal. 611 00:36:28,355 --> 00:36:29,939 Definitely. 612 00:36:30,023 --> 00:36:33,026 I wanted to tell them just before they left. 613 00:36:35,195 --> 00:36:37,113 I wanted to say goodbye. 614 00:36:41,493 --> 00:36:42,744 Did you like to look them in the eye? 615 00:36:42,869 --> 00:36:45,038 I wanted them looking straight at me. 616 00:36:45,163 --> 00:36:46,706 He spoke about his life. 617 00:36:46,831 --> 00:36:49,793 He talked about the murders that he committed. 618 00:36:49,876 --> 00:36:53,922 He talked about his mindset when he committed these murders. 619 00:36:54,047 --> 00:36:56,675 What did you want them to think as they died? 620 00:36:56,758 --> 00:37:02,305 Just see my pretty face. 621 00:37:02,389 --> 00:37:04,182 I'll take it to them. 622 00:37:04,265 --> 00:37:07,852 The last thing they ever saw was me, 623 00:37:07,936 --> 00:37:12,315 and if they carry that glimpse to eternity, infinity, 624 00:37:12,399 --> 00:37:17,237 or whatever it is, they're gonna be thinking of me all that time. 625 00:37:17,362 --> 00:37:19,572 The career hitman's confessions are a stunner. 626 00:37:19,698 --> 00:37:21,074 The Iceman saying one of his many victims 627 00:37:21,199 --> 00:37:23,076 was a New York City police detective. 628 00:37:23,159 --> 00:37:25,537 Schumacher: One of the killings that Kuklinski claimed 629 00:37:25,620 --> 00:37:30,250 to have committed was that of a New York City detective 630 00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:32,585 named Peter Calabro in 1980. 631 00:37:32,669 --> 00:37:35,255 Kane: There was a snowstorm on that day. 632 00:37:35,380 --> 00:37:38,633 Calabro was coming down a road in Saddle River, New Jersey, 633 00:37:38,758 --> 00:37:41,511 and Kuklinski knew the route he was gonna take, 634 00:37:41,594 --> 00:37:43,805 and he blocked the road off with a van 635 00:37:43,930 --> 00:37:46,766 so Calabro would have to slow down 636 00:37:46,850 --> 00:37:49,269 and go slowly around the van. 637 00:37:49,352 --> 00:37:55,108 And I go to the back of the van, and I go out the back door. 638 00:37:56,484 --> 00:37:58,403 I take the shotgun with me. 639 00:37:58,486 --> 00:38:03,116 And as he's going by the van, 640 00:38:03,199 --> 00:38:04,826 I fired. 641 00:38:04,951 --> 00:38:07,037 [ Glass shatters ] 642 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:08,955 Kane: Kuklinski stepped out with a shotgun 643 00:38:09,039 --> 00:38:11,332 and shotgunned him to death. 644 00:38:11,458 --> 00:38:13,835 The so-called Iceman has nothing to lose. 645 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,087 Today, more than 20 years after the crime, 646 00:38:16,171 --> 00:38:18,506 he pled guilty to the cold-blooded murder 647 00:38:18,631 --> 00:38:19,966 of a New York City police officer. 648 00:38:20,050 --> 00:38:22,260 Man: Did you cause his death? Yes. 649 00:38:22,344 --> 00:38:23,845 And how did you do that? 650 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,225 Prosecutors are asking for another 30-year prison sentence 651 00:38:29,309 --> 00:38:30,477 in the Calabro case. 652 00:38:30,602 --> 00:38:33,146 The Iceman is 67 years old now. 653 00:38:33,229 --> 00:38:35,815 He actually laughed out loud when the judge said 654 00:38:35,899 --> 00:38:38,193 there would be no need to set bail. 655 00:38:38,318 --> 00:38:42,781 ♪♪ 656 00:38:42,864 --> 00:38:45,658 When the police came to interview him 657 00:38:45,784 --> 00:38:47,994 about his statement that he was involved 658 00:38:48,119 --> 00:38:50,080 in the killing of Peter Calabro, 659 00:38:50,163 --> 00:38:56,086 Richard said he was hired by "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, 660 00:38:56,169 --> 00:38:59,464 who was associated with the Gambino family. 661 00:38:59,547 --> 00:39:02,008 Schumacher: Now, it's not clear whether Sammy the Bull 662 00:39:02,133 --> 00:39:03,802 was involved, he has denied it. 663 00:39:03,885 --> 00:39:05,345 There are other theories about 664 00:39:05,428 --> 00:39:07,013 what exactly happened there 665 00:39:07,138 --> 00:39:11,226 and who was responsible, but it led to Gravano being indicted. 666 00:39:11,351 --> 00:39:16,731 Kane: And Kuklinski was ready to testify against him. 667 00:39:16,856 --> 00:39:20,902 But then Kuklinski dies all of a sudden. 668 00:39:21,027 --> 00:39:22,529 Amazing. 669 00:39:22,612 --> 00:39:26,157 ♪♪ 670 00:39:26,241 --> 00:39:32,664 Richard Kuklinski died March 5th in 2006 of a heart attack. 671 00:39:32,747 --> 00:39:34,541 ♪♪ 672 00:39:34,666 --> 00:39:37,877 Allegations are maybe he was poisoned. 673 00:39:37,961 --> 00:39:41,423 Well, payback's a bitch if he was. 674 00:39:41,548 --> 00:39:43,425 So, without his testimony, 675 00:39:43,550 --> 00:39:47,262 the state does not have a good case against him, 676 00:39:47,387 --> 00:39:52,809 and the charges against Sammy were dropped. 677 00:39:54,853 --> 00:39:57,564 Smith: I don't believe that Richard Kuklinski was involved 678 00:39:57,689 --> 00:39:59,607 in the killing of Peter Calabro. 679 00:39:59,733 --> 00:40:00,900 Bullshit. 680 00:40:00,984 --> 00:40:02,193 There might have been other agendas 681 00:40:02,277 --> 00:40:04,112 that Kuklinski was serving at the time, 682 00:40:04,237 --> 00:40:06,990 because the person he said he committed the crime with 683 00:40:07,073 --> 00:40:09,617 was then a major witness in a federal case, 684 00:40:09,743 --> 00:40:12,287 and if Kuklinski had been believed, 685 00:40:12,412 --> 00:40:15,415 then that would have affected his credibility. 686 00:40:15,540 --> 00:40:17,250 Smith: We know that for sure, 687 00:40:17,375 --> 00:40:19,210 he killed five people. 688 00:40:19,294 --> 00:40:22,922 We also assume that he was involved 689 00:40:23,006 --> 00:40:25,383 in numerous other homicides. 690 00:40:25,467 --> 00:40:27,093 Polifrone: Was it possible it could have happened? 691 00:40:27,218 --> 00:40:29,429 Absolutely. 692 00:40:29,512 --> 00:40:32,724 He's capable of doing things like that. 693 00:40:32,807 --> 00:40:37,103 ♪♪ 694 00:40:37,187 --> 00:40:40,648 Kane: What a vicious, bloodthirsty, 695 00:40:40,774 --> 00:40:44,944 non-caring, apathetic person he was. 696 00:40:45,070 --> 00:40:47,113 Cold-blooded killer. 697 00:40:47,238 --> 00:40:51,951 Richard Kuklinski was an evil person. 698 00:40:52,035 --> 00:40:54,287 Evil to the core. 699 00:40:56,289 --> 00:40:57,957 He did what he wanted... [ Gunshots ] 700 00:40:58,041 --> 00:41:01,461 ...when he wanted to whomever he wanted. 701 00:41:01,586 --> 00:41:04,923 Period. End of story. 702 00:41:05,006 --> 00:41:08,968 He met his maker, and I hope it's the devil. 703 00:41:11,304 --> 00:41:13,348 Man: Is that all you've got left, is hate? 704 00:41:13,473 --> 00:41:15,809 It's all I've got left. 705 00:41:15,934 --> 00:41:18,895 Everything that I ever cared for is gone. 706 00:41:18,978 --> 00:41:20,480 Everything I ever liked is gone. 707 00:41:20,563 --> 00:41:24,234 Everything that meant anything to me is gone. 708 00:41:26,319 --> 00:41:28,697 So, hate. 709 00:41:28,822 --> 00:41:31,991 That's all you started with, too. 710 00:41:32,117 --> 00:41:33,827 Then I've come full circle. 711 00:41:33,952 --> 00:41:35,829 It's time for me to die. 712 00:41:35,954 --> 00:41:37,455 ♪♪ 713 00:41:37,539 --> 00:41:40,125 Richard Kuklinski made many dubious claims 714 00:41:40,208 --> 00:41:42,377 to famous mob-related killings, 715 00:41:42,502 --> 00:41:45,213 including the death of Jimmy Hoffa. 716 00:41:45,338 --> 00:41:48,675 But without definitive proof, we may never know. 717 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,510 Kuklinski's wife, Barbara, 718 00:41:50,593 --> 00:41:53,763 said that neither his imprisonment nor his death 719 00:41:53,847 --> 00:41:55,974 relieve the ongoing terror she felt 720 00:41:56,057 --> 00:41:58,184 as a result of being married to him, 721 00:41:58,268 --> 00:42:01,563 saying he still haunted her in her dreams. 722 00:42:01,688 --> 00:42:03,023 I'm Donnie Wahlberg. 723 00:42:03,106 --> 00:42:04,524 Thanks for watching. 724 00:42:04,649 --> 00:42:07,402 Good night.