WARNING: EXPLICIT MATERIAL

Rudy Marfeo

Birth Name:
Rudolph Marfeo
Birth Date:
April 13, 1926
Birth Place:
Providence, Rhode Island
Death Date:
April 20, 1968
Place of Death:
Pannone's Market, Pocasset Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island
Age:
42
Cause of Death:
Gunshot wounds from mob hit
Cemetery Name:
St Ann Cemetery
Claim to Fame:
Crime and their Victims
Associates:
In 1968 local bookmaker Rudolph “Rudy” Marfeo had recently defied New England mob boss Raymond Patriarca by refusing to pay his "tribute money" and publicly disrespecting Ray Patriarca. This was not wise considering Patriarca had Rudy’s brother Willie whacked in a Federal Hill restaurant just two years earlier for doing the exact same thing. Patriarca wanted Marfeo, “straightened out,” as soon as possible and ordered the hit on Rudy. On April 20, 1968 Rudy and his bodyguard Anthony Melei were observed shopping at Pannone’s Market on 282 Pocasset Avenue in Providence. Rudolph Marfeo, the bookie, fell near the front door, a drawn .38 in his hand, his left side blown apart. Anthony Melei, the bodyguard, died next to the ice cream freezer, his face shot away by Double OO buckshot. The shopkeeper and his wife dived behind the deli counter as the killers retreated. What makes these murders so important in the history of the New England Cosa Nostra is that subsequent charges and guilty verdicts against Ray Patriarca and his associates signaled the downward spiral of the Patriarca crime family and to their New England operations.

The Rest of the Story

In March 1970, Patriarca and several of his associates went on trial for murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the chief witness being hitman John “Red” Kelley, who afterwards went into the federal witness protection program. Kelley gave testimony linking Patriarca and other family members to the murder of Rudolph “Rudy” Marfeo and Anthony Melei. Kelley had been contracted by Patriarca to kill Marfeo. Patriarca and his associates were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder; associate Maurice “Pro” Lerner also was convicted of murder. The mob boss was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was paroled in 1975. Lerner and the other defendants were subsequently exonerated when it was established that Kelley had perjured himself at the trial, as had FBI agent H. Paul Rico, who had corroborated Kelley’s testimony.

In addition to Patriarca and Lerner, those other defendants indicted in this case include mobsters Robert Fairbrother, John Rossi, Rudolpho Sciarra and Robert Almonte.

But when it’s all said and done, the general belief is that Maurice “Pro” Lerner and Rudy Sciarra were the triggermen in the deaths of Marfeo and Melei.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

St Ann Cemetery

73 Church Street

Cranston, Rhode Island, 02920

USA

North America

Map:

Map of St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island
Map of St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island

Grave Location:

Section 2, Lot 105, Grave 2

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery through the main entrance, drive straight ahead and turn right after the first section. Drive to the intersection of Sections 1, 2, 6 and 9 and park. From the corner of Section 2 walk 7 rows up and 5 plots to the left to the final resting place of mobster Rudy Marfeo. Note his brother mobster Willie Marfeo is directly across the road in Section 9 in the same row 5 spaces in.

Grave Location GPS

41.792990123793906, -71.46299465379292

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]

Read More About Rudy Marfeo:

Videos Featuring Rudy Marfeo:
Gangster Profile: The Marfeo Murders
The Gaslight -Part 2: The Marfeo/Melei Murder Trial
Jack's Justice - Part 1 - The First Round of Arrests
Raymond Patriarca & The Fall Of The Rhode Island Mob

See More:

Frank Lonardo

popular name: Frank Lonardo

date_of_death: October 19, 1929

age: 42

cause_of_death: Gunshot wounds from a mob hit

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: One of four brothers that made up the Lonardo crime family, Frank was gunned down during a card game in the back of a downtown Cleveland barbershop years after the murder of his brothers Big Joe and John Lonardo. While the crime was never solved, it was generally understood that his murder was part of a plot to eliminate all the Lonardo brothers connected with the bootlegging racket and that Frank Alessi was involved in the planning of the execution.

Danny Greene

popular name: Danny Greene

date_of_death: October 6, 1977

age: 43

cause_of_death: Car bombing from a mob hit

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Danny Green was head of the Irish mob and associate of the Cleveland mobster John Nardi's during the 1970s gang war for the city's criminal operations. He pushed into the Cleveland rackets and began competing with the Italian-American Mafia for control of the city. Upon his assassination by hit-man Ray Ferritto, Jimmy Fratianno and Ferritto were indicted for charges related to the bombing. Fearing for his safety, Ferritto agreed to become a government witness against the mob and within five years the Cleveland outfit was effectively dismantled.

John Nardi

popular name: John Nardi

date_of_death: May 17, 1977

age: 61

cause_of_death: Car bombing from a mob hit

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: A high level member of the Cleveland crime family who was involved in labor racketeering, drug trafficking and extortion in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon the death of mob boss John Scalish, the Five Families' decision to appoint James Licavoli as boss of the family and the latter's attempts to confiscate Nardi's rackets leads the Nardi crew to fully align themselves with Danny Greene. After two unsuccessful attempts on his life, Fat Tony Salerno hired hit man Ray Ferritto who killed Nardi with a bomb planted in his car.

Back to Top