Sammy The Bull Gravano's 19 Victims

Sammy “The Bull” Gravano was involved in nineteen murders, many where he pulled the trigger.  He already had eight victims before joining forces with John Gotti in 1985, when they killed Gambino Family boss Paul Castellano. The bodies continued to pile up

1970

Joseph Colucci - Sammy Gravano and Joseph Colucci were both lower level mafia associates in 1970 and part of the same crew. They worked under Thomas “Shorty” Spero, and bank robberies were one of their main income sources. Spero recruited Gravano, knowing that he he had an extremely tough up and comer on his hands. Gravano was willing to kill if asked, and Spero decided to take his young recruit up on the offer.

Shorty’s nephew Tommy Spero was having sex with Colucci’s wife. When Colucci found out, he threatened to kill the Spero’s and Gravano. Gravano later described the surreal feeling he had as the bullets left his gun and entered Colucci’s head. The killing showed his higher ups that young Sammy Gravano was a stone cold killer. Very few men could pull something like that off and have no feelings about it. To Sammy, it was a piece of business. 

Sammy’s ice cold confidence in pulling off the killing impressed his superiors in the Colombo Family, including family boss Carmine Persico. Sammy had also ripped a guy’s ear off at Persico’s request. Brutality was the way of the Colombo Family. Perhaps in a stroke of good luck, Gravano soon had issues with a couple of connected men in the family and would be handed over to the Gambino Family. 

1977

Alan Kaiser - It had been seven years since the Colucci killing. Alan Kaiser was a 16 year old kid when he was shot to death by Louie Milito, according to Gravano. The original theory was that Kaiser had done absolutely nothing wrong. He simply resembled a man named Aldo Candido, a man who robbed one of Sammy’s nightclub businesses the week before. Gravano was injured in the robbery and vowed revenge, leading to the case of mistaken identity.

However, Sammy himself has recently shed more light on this murky subject. He said while they were out hunting Candido, they ran into Kaiser, who pulled a gun. He paints it as a self defense type of hit. There has been more public pushback about this killing against Sammy than any of the rest. Many people simply don’t believe his story about Alan Kaiser.

The ironic aspect of this killing was the participation of Louie Milito. He was a long time friend of Gravano. They committed many crimes together and were both now members of the Gambino Crime Family. Later when Gravano became underboss, his best friend Louie Milito became disgruntled and complained too loudly. Gravano had him killed too.

1978

John Doe - Gravano later recalled the killing of a biker who had also been involved in the ransacking of one of Sammy’s nightclubs. Some people say this incident may have been the inspiration for the bar scene in A Bronx Tale. Sammy was showing that his businesses were not to be trifled with. The name of the man has never been revealed, but he was shot dead by Gravano himself. 

Nick Scibetta - This was one of the most horrific murders that Gravano was involved in. Nick Scibetta was Sammy’s brother in law, the brother of his wife Debra. “Nicky” had a very serious cocaine problem and was using Sammy’s name to borrow money from mobsters. His behavior began to annoy the mafia and embarrass Sammy. He gave Scibetta several warnings.

The problem reached a point of no return after Scibetta went to the cops to have a local enemy arrested. He had also insulted the daughter of a Gambino capo. It was reportedly decided by Paul Castellano that Scibetta would be clipped. Sammy was consulted and after some initial misgivings, decided to go along with the murder. 

Nick Scibetta would disappear, although authorities would confirm his death when they found his hand. Sammy’s part in this gruesome betrayal to his family was able to be kept a secret for many years. The dark secret would be revealed after Sammy cut his deal to testify against John Gotti almost a decade later. 

1980

Tommy Spero - Gravano and Spero had once been friends and part of the same crew. Spero was the nephew of Shorty Spero, Sammy’s original boss. The two men had done many joint ventures together in the early 1970’s. After Sammy left that crew and became a Gambino, the two men became adversaries and their rivalry lasted for years. Gravano decided to close the door on the rivalry and shot Spero to death in February 1980. 

John Favara - The Favara killing took place just a month after the Tommy Spero killing. By now, Sammy’s reputation as a killer was known well amongst his Gambino family peers. Favara was the man who had accidentally run over and killed John Gotti’s 10 year old son Frank. Favara then made another colossal mistake, he refused to leave the neighborhood. 

He was a neighbor to the Gottis and continued living his life like nothing happened. John Gotti and his wife Victoria were hell bent on revenge. Victoria had even attacked John Favara with a baseball bat. In the end, Sammy put together a team of  killers to abduct and kill Favara while Gotti was conveniently on vacation in Florida. Favara disappeared in March of 1980, never to be seen again. 

Years later, Gotti would remember the favor Gravano did for him when he took over the family. Word on the street was that Favara’s murder was a particularly brutal one and he was made to suffer. All of the theories surrounding this killing are horrifying, chainsaws, baseball bats, 55 gallon drums. What is clear is that John Favara paid the ultimate price for not leaving town. 

John Simone - The murder of “Johnny Keys” Simone was ordered by Paul Castellano and the commission. Simone and Anthony Caponigro had been responsible for the unsanctioned murder of Philadelphia mafia boss Angelo “The Gentle Don” Bruno. Caponigro was then murdered by infamous mob hitman Joe “Mad Dog” Sullivan shortly after. Castellano decided to use Sammy Gravano to take care of the other piece of business.

Gravano actually cozied up to Simone, getting to know him over a period of time. Simone was being extra cautious, knowing exactly what happened to Caponigro. Eventually, Gravano and his partner Louie Milito would convince Simone to take a ride together. They drove him to a deeply wooded back road in Staten Island. Simone put up no resistance, only asking if he could take his shoes off, which Gravano allowed before Milito shot him in the back of the head. 

Several times on his youtube channel and in interviews, Sammy has addressed this murder and how much respect and love he had for Johnny Keys. He claims he didn’t want to do the killing and has felt remorse in the years since. He said Johnny Keyes was a gangsters’ gangster, and that he died like a man. 

“I fell in love with the guy” - Sammy The Bull speaking about Johnny Keyes

1982

Frank Fiala - Fiala was a high rolling drug trafficker who was in the process of purchasing one of Sammy’s nightclubs, the Plaza Suite. Gravano had no intentions on selling the club, but Fiala had offered one million dollars, five times the value of the Plaza Suite. Sammy accepted a one hundred thousand dollar down payment from Fiala. The problems started almost immediately.

Fiala right away moved in and began exerting his power in the club, before the deal had been completed. Frank Fiala was the type of man to do what he wants, and he abruptly took over the club before it was his. The staff informed Sammy of the hostile takeover. When Gravano confronted him, Fiala pulled out an Uzi. 

Louie Milito and another crew member Michael DeBatt then ambushed Fiala outside of the club the very same night. Louie Milito shot Fiala once in both eyeballs, this was a message to others about the danger of disrespecting Sammy Gravano. Sammy was on site for the Fiala hit. This was not a murder that he shows any regret over doing. He still gets very annoyed and animated when telling the story of Fiala.

1985

Paul Castellano & Thomas Bilotti - It had been a relatively lengthy three years since Sammy had been involved in a murder. This double murder would be unlike any other, and it would make world wide headlines. John Gotti had started a plot to take over the Gambinos, and a number of powerful capos were backing his move. To solidify his support, he knew he had to get the support of Sammy Gravano. Gravano joined team Gotti after the invitation.

Paul Castellano had proven to be a rather greedy boss. He upped the amount of tribute that was expected from family members. Paul was also seen as out of touch and aloof, he had no respect for the street level mobsters who were bringing in the money. Castellano was even having some serious legal troubles, having recently been indicted in two different federal cases. He was very unpopular with the rest of the family.

Parked across the street from Sparks Steak House in Manhattan, Gotti and Gravano watched as their team of chosen shooters gunned down Castellano and Bilotti as they arrived. It was December 15, 1985, and the Gambinos now had a new hierarchy, led by John Gotti and Sammy Gravano. 

1986

Nick Mormando - “Nicky Cowboy” Mormando was a one time member of Sammy’s crew who had developed an addiction to crack cocaine. Gravano did not approve of the drug use and demoted Nicky from the crew. Nicky then began to make noise about forming his own crew, which infuriated Gravano. Gravano ordered crew member Joseph Paruta to kill Mormando, and he did with two shots to the back of the head.

Again, Sammy’s version of the Nicky Cowboy story has been called into question. He claims that Nicky also got another crew member Michael DeBatt hooked on crack. Not surprisingly, DeBatt would also be killed by the Gravano hit team

Robert DiBernardo - He was a captain in the family who was instrumental in aligning Gotti and Gravano for the takeover. Unfortunately, Robert DiBernardo found himself in hot water soon afterwards. The reasoning for the murder is somewhat unclear. Gravano said that Gotti ordered it through Angelo Ruggeiro, while Gotti claimed on a wiretap that Gravano wanted to do the hit and he just approved it. 

Gravano set up a meeting with DiBernardo where his trusted gunman Joseph Paruta shot DiBernardo in the back of the head while Sammy observed. Gravano took over DiBernardo’s business, making it a profitable venture for himself. The killing would later become a point of contention between Gotti and Gravano. Gotti felt like he was duped into allowing the murder so Sammy could make more money for himself.

Michael DeBatt - “Mikey” DeBatt was another member of Sammy’s crew who like Nick Mormando, became addicted to crack cocaine. Mikey was sick with fear that he was going to be murdered by his own men, and he was right. His wife actually approached Sammy Gravano pleading for help for her husband. Instead of helping, Gravano decided to have DeBatt killed. He was gunned down inside of one of Sammy’s nightclubs. The cash register was emptied to make it look like a robbery.

1988

Louie Milito - Louie Milito was Sammy’s lifelong best friend and partner in crime. Louie had been there all throughout Sammy’s rise in the Gambino Crime Family. Gravano was now consigliere. A serious rift in the friendship occurred when Sammy named Lou Vallario captain of his old crew. Milito was devastated by the choice, feeling betrayed by his best friend. Milito had put in a lot of work through the years.

Milito had actually left Sammy’s crew after that. He had another thing going against him, he was considered a Castellano loyalist. After rejoining the crew under Vallario, Milito still remained defiant and openly complained. Gravano had been holding off Gotti, who wanted Milito dead. After hearing all the things Louie was saying, he could no longer let the disrespect go unchecked.

Milito was lured in under the pretense of a meeting. Present in the social club were Sammy, John’s brother Gene Gotti, Lou Vallario and John Carneglia. While sitting at a table in discussion, Carneglia quietly snuck up behind Milito and shot him in the head. Such treachery was nothing new for Sammy Gravano. He had killed partners before and even killed his wife Debra’s brother Nick Scibetta. Business as usual. 

Francessco Oliverri - Shortly after having his best friend killed, Gravano was on site for yet another murder. Francessco Oliverri had beaten a made Gambino family member to death. Gotti ordered his death and gave the job to Sammy, his trusted killer. Gravano and Robert Bisaccia tracked Oliverri down. Gravano waited in the car while Bisaccia got out and shot Oliverri to death on May 3, 1988.

Willie Boy Johnson - He was a longtime close friend of John Gotti, but Willie Boy Johnson had been exposed as an informant in court. According to Gravano, Johnson had not left town because John Gotti assured him that he would be safe. He was no longer part of the crew, but they wouldn’t kill him. Willie Boy had been one of the men who abducted and killed John Favara back in 1980. 

John Gotti and Sammy Gravano were not about to let a “rat” slide away unpunished. They coordinated to come up with a plan on how to kill Johnson without getting caught. They decided that they would be suspects regardless, and decided to kill Johnson right outside of his home. Willie Boy thought he was in the clear, but on August 29, 1988, he was shot to death as he walked out of his home on the way to work. 

1989

Thomas Spinelli - At 77 years old, Thomas Spinelli was a longtime Gambino associate who had never been made. Gotti and Gravano believed that the old man nicknamed “Tommy Sparrow” had become an informer. Spinelli had in fact testified in front of a federal grand jury and was scheduled to appear again. Sometime in 1989, Spinelli was summoned to a meeting and he would never be seen again. 

1990

Eddie Garofalo - Much like the Robert DiBernardo killing, Sammy Gravano walked away from this murder with more money. Garofalo was a big player in the construction business. He had done tons of business with Sammy over the years but in 1989, they found themselves in a bitter dispute. Gravano ordered Garofalo to be killed and he was shot dead on August 9, 1990.

Louie DiBono - This would be the very last murder on the long resume of Sammy The Bull Gravano. Sammy had issues with DiBono that went years back. He once accused DiBono of stealing from the family in front of Paul Castellano, a move that almost got Sammy himself killed. He had asked permission to kill DiBono, a made man, and he was denied by Castellano. 

Luckily for Sammy, Castellano respected him and knew he was probably telling the truth about DiBono. However, at the time Louis DiBono was a huge moneymaker for Paul. The years went by and Sammy never forgot the incident. DiBono was keeping a low profile in the late 1980s, but Sammy found his location and decided to settle an old score. 

In October, 1990, DiBono’s bullet riddled body was found in his car in the underground parking lot of the World Trade Center. Gravano’s last murder was surely his most satisfying one, He’d been wanting to kill Louis for years. Ironically, the DiBono murder would be the first one to haunt Sammy. John Gotti would famously get caught on tape discussing this killing, and why it happened.