Silas Jayne

popular name: Robert Peterson

date_of_death: October 16, 1955

age: 13

cause_of_death: Homicide

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: Robert Peterson was a young boy who was brutally raped and murdered with his friends Anton Schuessler Jr. and John Schuessler in 1955. The crime scene where the bodies where found was largely contaminated by investigators and photographers who destroyed important evidence. This murder case remained unsolved for 40 years until stable handyman Kenneth Hansen became a suspect (along with his boss Silas Jayne) thanks to evidence that was unearthed as a result of an investigation into another sensational cold case - the 1977 murder of candy-company heiress Helen Vorhees Brach.

popular name: James McLean

date_of_death: October 31, 1965

age: 35

cause_of_death: Gunshot wounds

claim_to_fame: Crime and their Victims

best_know_for: James "Buddy" McLean was a feared and respected Irish-American mobster from Somerville, Massachusetts, best known as the original leader of the Winter Hill Gang. Born in 1930, McLean rose through the ranks of Boston's underworld in the 1950s and early 1960s, earning a reputation as a tough street fighter and savvy criminal strategist. Under his leadership, the Winter Hill Gang became a dominant force in Boston’s organized crime scene, engaging in activities like bookmaking, loan sharking, and extortion. His criminal career reached a turning point when he became involved in a deadly turf war with the rival McLaughlin Brothers gang from Charlestown, igniting the Irish Gang War—a brutal series of killings that gripped Boston’s underworld. On October 30, 1965, McLean was gunned down outside a Somerville bar by a McLaughlin associate, Stevie Hughes, marking a pivotal moment in the gang war. His death further escalated the violence, but it also solidified his status as a legendary figure in Boston mob history. After his murder, Howie Winter took over the Winter Hill Gang, continuing the legacy McLean had started. His funeral attracted over 4,000 mourners and James McLean's final resting place can be found at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden, Massachusetts.

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.