THUG OF THE DAY: ROY DeMEO

THUG OF THE DAY: ROY DeMEO

One of the most prolific killers in the history of the Gambino crime family had to have been Roy DeMeo (1942-1983).  The FBI suspected Roy and his crew of at least 70 murders, but according to other several associates Roy DeMeo was responsible for hundreds of murders in his life time.

If you were invited to go for drinks at the Gemini Lounge where the DeMeo crew hung out, it may have been for your last cocktail.

Victims of the crew would be lured through a side door into an apartment in the back of the lounge that was dubbed "the Horror Hotel."

By the time the unfortunate guest realized they were standing on a sheet of plastic, it was too late.  Roy would come up behind them dressed only in his underpants and shoot them in the back of the head with a silenced pistol.  Then he would quickly wrap a towel around the victim's head like a turban to soak up the blood.

Immediately one of Roy's crew would come forth and stab the victim in the heart to stop it from pumping blood.  Then the body would be carried into the bathroom to bleed out in the tub.

Sometimes while they were waiting for the body to bleed out, the crew would order out for a pizza because dismembering a human like a pig in a butcher shop obviously works up a hearty appetite.

The bodies were cut up into manageable pieces that were wrapped up and disposed of in random garbage dumpsters around Brooklyn.

This factory like method of ridding the world of the Mafia's enemies was most preferred by DeMeo's bosses until they realized that their boy Roy was going off his nut and killing for the pure pleasure.

When it became clear to his superiors that Roy was an unpredictable psychopath whose reputation and blood soaked activities were drawing a lot of attention, it was decided that he had to go.

While it is unclear which of his "friends" actually did the deed (Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski claimed to have killed DeMeo himself while associates have attributed the killing to Roy's boss Anthony Gaggi), DeMeo was found dead in the trunk of his own car with multiple bullet wounds in his head and one in his hand.

According to DeMeo's son, Albert, Roy knew that his number was up and had left his wallet and jewelry at home before he went missing.