Abstract
The Sicilian Mafia is a criminal organisation founded in Sicily which is an island south of the Italian mainland in the Mediterranean Sea. Until recently, this organization was responsible for many murders and bombings. However, recently, based on the investigations known as the “Mare Nostrum” operation, the Supreme Court convicted 67 people and sent them to prison. Some defendants were found guilty of as many as 39 murders. This article reviews the forensic analysis that was used when investigating responsibility for these Mafia murders. Our review is based on the court documents and the ballistic investigations which were carried out to evaluate the reliability of “repented” or “pentiti” statements. The murder victims were almost all men but one was a woman all of whom had gunshot lesions; in many cases, the fatal injuries were to the head and face. Ballistic analysis showed that in more than half of these murders, more than one weapon was used. In conclusion, the forensic analysis of the murders shows the Sicilian inter-families’ dynamics and their characteristic operating methods.
Introduction
The Sicilian Mafia, also known as the “Mafia” or “Cosa Nostra” (literally “Our thing”), is a criminal organisation. It was born in the 19th century and is made up of several groups which are subdivided in a pyramidal organisational structure based on a hierarchy. Each group, known as “family” or “famiglia”, claims sovereignty over a territory where it operates its rackets. Each member of the family is considered a “man of honour” who must observe a “code of conduct”. The Sicilian Mafia is older than the other Italian criminal organisations which still continue to operate nowadays, as “Camorra” in Campania, “Sacra Corona Unita” in Puglia and “Ndrangheta” in Calabria. 1
Between the end of 1980 and the beginning of 1990, the area of “Nebrodi”, a mountain range located in the Tyrrhenian coast of the city of Messina in Sicily, was the scene of numerous bloody Mafia murders. In those years, there was a fierce war between two important families known as the “Barcellonesi” and the “Tortoriciani” over the management of arms control, narcotic trafficking, extortion used to manipulate and control contractors and subcontractors for a new railway line. These were two old-fashioned organisations, governed by the rules of the traditional mafia which had a core of the “faithful” ready for everything for the honour and the prestige of the “families”. The “conflict” led to murders, injuries, kidnappings and bombings.
After many bloody years, some members of the organisations decided to collaborate with the judicial authorities and described what had gone on during the years of crimes, divulging the names of the masterminds and executors and describing in detail the local crime map. The statements of the “collaborators of justice” enabled the authorities to finalise the “Mare Nostrum” operation effectively on the night of 6 June 1994. It was one of the most impressive anti-Mafia operations in Italian judicial history with 250 people arrested and held responsible for 39 murders, 45 people being injured and literally hundreds of attacks, threats, extortion demands made and drug dealings.
The process took 17 years and ended with the Supreme Court ruling that established 67 convictions, including 11 life sentences.
This work reports the results of the forensic and ballistic analyses of the murder cases and summarises the operating modes of the Sicilian mafia families in the 1980s and 1990s.
Materials and methods
The forensic revaluation of some murders took place between 1987 and 1992 to evaluate the reliability of “repented” statements (those who confessed and repented). The analysis of each case was based on the study of all court documents including inspection reports, autopsy reports, photo files and witness statements. In particular, the statements relating to the methods of murder were analysed to compare them with data collected post mortem.
Anthropometric analysis was carried out on skeletonised bodies using photographs and autopsy findings to assess race, age, sex and height.
Moreover, in 27 cases ballistic investigations were carried out with analysis on ballistic findings discovered at the place where the body was lying or at autopsy. Where several bullets and shell casings were found, the comparator microscope was used to evaluate, respectively, the grooves and land impressions and the percussion and ejection signs to assess the type of weapon or weapons used.
Results
On the basis of the judicial documents, 39 cases were analysed. Only 36 cases were studied exhaustively because the remains of three victims were not found. Thirty-five victims were Italian and one was Moroccan with most aged between 31 and 40 (Figure 1). There was only one woman. The condition of the bodies varied in relation to the homicide dates and possibly to the mode of concealment of the body: there were 30 “fresh” bodies, two burned and skeletonised, two skeletonised and two putrefied. The bodies were discovered in cars, streets, shops, homes, agricultural lands and work places (Figures 2 and 3); indeed, two were found buried in agricultural land.
Victims distribution by age. Places where the bodies were found. Examples of how the bodies were found. © The authors.
All the victims had gunshot wounds; in many cases, the fatal injuries were to the head and face (Figure 4) while, in the remaining cases, there were multiple lesions distributed over the chest and abdomen. There was one mutilated victim in which the hands were severed at the wrists (Figure 5).
(a) Shotgun injury to the left orbito-zygomatic region with eyeball destruction. (b) Multiple handgun injuries with tattooing signs to the right cheek. © The authors. Hands cut at the wrists in which the cut surfaces have signs of vitality. © The authors.
The skeletonised bodies which were found buried in agricultural land were, using anthropometric data, identified as young Caucasian males. The skeletal remains showed a gunshot wound to the head, respectively, in the left parietal bone and in the right temporal-mandibular region. The paternity testing, performed by collecting DNA samples from the relatives of the alleged victims, confirmed the identification of the remains.
Two burned and skeletonised bodies were found inside a car burned in a woodland (Figure 6). The anthropometric findings obtained by the analysis of skulls and teeth showed that they belonged to two young Caucasian males. In these cases, the absence of more bones to analyse made it impossible to ascertain the cause of the death. The identification of the remains was confirmed by paternity testing.
The burned car in which the two burned and skeletonised bodies were discovered. © The authors.
The ballistic analysis was performed on 325 finds: 10 firearms, 71 handgun bullets, 68 shotgun bullets, 119 handgun shell casings, 29 shotgun shell casings, 13 handgun cartridges and 15 shotgun cartridges.
The results of the ballistic analysis of the type of weapons used are reported in Table 1. A shotgun with modelled stock and shortened sawn-off barrels known as “Lupara” was used in some cases (Figure 7).
“Lupara” found on the spot investigation. The gun has a modelled stock and shortened sawn-off barrels. Most important results of ballistic investigations.
The analysis of ballistic and autopsy findings showed that in 16 cases one weapon was used, in 17 cases two weapons (handgun/shotgun or two handguns or two shotguns), in one case three weapons (one handgun and two shotguns).
Discussion
A total of 36 murder cases were studied. On the basis of “repented” statements and judicial investigations, 32 victims were confirmed to be clan members and 4 were innocent victims accidentally hit during the gunfight among whom there was a woman and a 13-year-old boy. The clan victims were generally the lowest ranking in the clan's hierarchy and there were relatives of the boss of the two clans.
The analysis showed that men were the targets of the assaults and highlighted a feature of the Sicilian Mafia organisations in which the criminal activities are handled only by men. Generally, in the Sicilian Mafia, the woman is not included in the inter-organisational dimension, but performs an essential function in maintaining the family unity. Gender discrimination within the Sicilian Mafia organisation is central and emphasised by the “mother” role. Therefore, women are recognised in a context dominated by male authority. This interpretation of the woman’s role differs from other organisations as “Camorra” and “Apulian Mafia” where women can be high rank members today.2,3
The murders usually took place in public places (street, car or work place) demonstrating careful advance planning and that the attackers knew the precise movements of the victims ahead of time.
Twenty-eight corpses showed multiple firearm injuries and of these 20 had head lesions, highlighting homicidal intent and the assailants’ determination to execute the received orders out of respect for the hierarchy within the organisation. Loyalty to the boss is demonstrated by the scrupulous and timely implementation of his “tasks” and carrying out a murder proves an underling’s sincerity. Furthermore, the killing of people who may create an obstacle to the organisation is very much appreciated and allows an individual to climb higher up the criminal hierarchy.
In six cases, there was only one head injury demonstrating a typical mafia-style “execution”. In this group, there were a young man and two skeletonised bodies.
The young man had been murdered after amputation of both his hands at the wrists. Beating or mutilation a victim before killing him was commonplace in the Sicilian Mafia, generally to return a received offence, the so-called “legge del taglione” (“law of retaliation”). This was a typical mafia ritual such as “incaprettamento”, generally used to kill the traitors.4,5
The two skeletonised bodies belonged to two young men who had disappeared three years earlier. They were found buried in agricultural land. On the basis of the statements, they were kidnapped and killed by a gunshot to the head. The cause of death was confirmed by autopsy data. The “repented” reported that only one had been the intended victim, and that the other young man had been killed to prevent him from talking.
The study of the terminal ballistics, performed on 32 murders (“fresh” and putrefied bodies) by photographs and autopsy reports, showed cases in which the injuries could be traced to the use of two or more firearms. Some bodies showed wounds from both handguns and shotguns. About half of these cases had signs of close range discharge such as tissue destruction, smoke soiling and tattooing.
The ballistic investigations confirmed the use of both handguns and long-guns.
In more than half of these murders, more than one weapon was used highlighting a characteristic of Mafia assaults which are carried out by more than one killer. In two cases it was possible to assess the use of the “Lupara” because the sawn-off shotgun was found at the scene by investigators. It is more difficult to demonstrate the use of “Lupara” on the basis of bodily injuries because this weapon causes the same lesions as regular shotguns. The shorter barrels contribute to produce a wider spread of dispersion in close range when the weapon is fired, thus the only difference found between “Lupara” and shotgun is the distance in which the shot pattern is formed.
The autopsy data and photographs of the remains of the two burned and skeletonised bodies were studied. Anthropological findings obtained by the analysis of their skulls and teeth showed that they were from two young Caucasian men6–8 whose identities were established on the basis of the “repented” statements. They were two organisation members who had disappeared two years before their discovery; they had been killed by a gunshot to the chest and the bodies burned. It was not possible to confirm the cause of death scientifically as chest bones necessary for carrying the analysis were missing.
Finally, in three cases the corpses and the traces of murders were not found. They were classified as “Lupara Bianca” (“White Lupara”) murders, a term that indicates a Mafia murder involving concealment of the body. 9 Typical Mafia methods of body concealment are: burying the body in isolated or inaccessible places, for example, hiding the corpse inside pillars of buildings under construction, immersing the bodies in cement while still in liquid form or dissolving the body in acid.
In conclusion, as a result of the forensic analysis of these murders, it was possible to confirm the correctness of the “repented” statements, highlighting the Sicilian inter-family dynamics and their operating methods. In fact in the “Mare Nostrum” operation, the judicial authority investigations and forensic investigations were the underlying basis for the murder convictions. This analysis underlines the importance of the contribution made by Italian forensic experts which, combined with the judicial process, has eradicated mafia-style criminal organisations.
Footnotes
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.