Silas Jayne

popular name: John Philip Nichols

date_of_death: March 17, 2001

age: 71

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: John Philip Nichols, 76, was the controversial patriarch of the family and former CIA agent that brought the Cabazon Indians into the gambling era. After Nichols became financial advisor in 1978, the tribe launched business ventures including a poker club and bingo hall and the sale of tax-free cigarettes and discount liquor. Under his leadership, the Cabazons established health insurance plans and opportunities in education and employment. However despite all the promises, no actual money was transfered to the Cabazons. In actuality the tribe continued to go deeper in debt as the years went by and the casino was flush with visitors and gamblers. The morning he was supposed to meet with an attorney to transfer documents showing embezzlement, money laundering and illegal arms dealings, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians tribal Councilmember Fred Alvarez and his friends, Ralph Boger and Patricia Castro, were found dead on July 1, 1981. The case has remained unsolved for decades but it is strongly suspected that John Philip Nichols either hired the triggerman or was the actual gunman who committed the murders. In addition, Nichols pleaded no contest in 1985 to two felony counts of soliciting the murder of two people he believed were dealing drugs. The killings were never carried out and he spent almost two years in prison.

popular name: Rosario Porrello

date_of_death: February 25, 1932

age: 50

cause_of_death: Mob hit - gunshot wounds

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Rosario Porrello was an Italian-born American mobster who became involved in Cleveland's organized-crime underworld during the Prohibition era. Originally from Licata, Sicily, he immigrated to the United States in 1904 and eventually became part of the notorious Porrello family, one of Cleveland's prominent Mafia factions. Alongside his six brothers, Rosario was involved in the corn-sugar business, supplying bootleggers who used the sugar to manufacture illegal alcohol during Prohibition. The Porrellos became embroiled in a violent power struggle with the rival Lonardo family and later the Mayfield Road gang, led by Frank Milano. As the feud intensified, several of Rosario's brothers were murdered, weakening the family's influence in Cleveland. On February 25, 1932, Rosario and his brother Raymond were playing cards at a cigar and smoke shop on Woodland Avenue in Cleveland when gunmen stormed the establishment and shot them to death, also killing their bodyguard, Dominic Gueli. Their murders marked another devastating chapter in the bloody Cleveland Mafia conflict and effectively ended the Porrello family's dominance in the city's underworld.

popular name: Baby Face Nelson

date_of_death: 19341127

age: 25

cause_of_death: Homicide - gunshot wounds

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Lester Gillis, aka George Nelson, aka Baby Face Nelson was a notorious gunman and bank robber who was responsible for killing more FBI agents than any other person. He was called Baby Face Neslon due to his small size and youthful appearance, but few dared stay that name to his face. He was directly connected to and worked with gangsters John Paul Chase, Homer Van Meter and the John Dillinger Gang.