Giovanni Brusca
Brusca didn’t commit his many murders in New York, Boston, or any other American city. Brusca operated in the land where La Cosa Nostra began, Italy. Brusca was born in Sicily in 1957 and he was born into the Mafia; his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all made men. He moved through the ranks quickly and became an adept, ruthless killer. It is estimated that Brusca killed over 100 people. He was nicknamed “The Pig” because of his unkempt appearance and his voracious appetite for food.
In 1992, Brusca took part in the assassination of Giovanni Falcone, a prosecutor known for convicting Mafia members. Brusca and his associates planted a half-ton bomb below a street in Palermo; when Falcone’s car passed over the bomb, it was detonated remotely by Brusca. Falcone, his wife, and three police officers were killed in the blast. The bomb was so strong that it registered on local earthquake monitors.
Brusca did not limit his murderous intent toward enemies…or even adults. In 1993, one of his partners in the Falcone assassination, Santo Di Matteo, agreed to cooperate with authorities. Brusca had Di Matteo’s 11-year-old son kidnapped. Brusca and his thugs held the innocent boy for over 2 years, consistently sending Di Matteo photographs of his son being tortured. The boy was finally murdered after 26 months of imprisonment.
After his boss Salvatore Riina was arrested in 1993, Giovanni Brusca became one of the most powerful Mafia members in Italy. Brusca embarked on a reign of terror across Italy that included shootings and bombings in different Italian cities. Finally, on May 20, 1996, Brusca was captured by police. He did what a lot of other criminals do when faced with prison time; he cooperated with authorities and began to talk. Brusca confessed to murders that he himself had committed and told the police about the crimes of other Mafia members. Despite the dozens of murders, he committed with his own hands, Brusca was given a 26-year prison term in exchange for his testimony.