On Tuesday, October 31, 1961, shortly after noon and thirty-six hours after Buddy McLean fired shots near his car at night, Bernie McLaughlin walked down Chelsea Street, in City Square Charlestown. He walked past Lynda Lee. She said she knew him. He said to her, “hello beautiful.” Moments later, a “man about 6 feet tall,…
Author: mtc9393
Boston Gang Wars- THE FIRST IRISH GANG WAR: McLaughlin v. McLean Introduction
The supposed Irish gang war is commonly proposed to have started Labor Day weekend, 1961. That weekend, members of two Irish gangs – one, the Somerville Gang from the City of Somerville under the leadership of James “Buddy” McLean; the other the McLaughlin Gang from Charlestown under the leadership of the McLaughlin brothers- partied at…
Boston Gang Wars-Loan Sharks and Bookies: Fiore DeChristoforo
The last murder in this group is that of Fiore DeChristoforo. He lived in Somerville but owned a variety store in the North End. In the early morning of his murder around 5:15 a.m. after a long night, De Christoforo left the Coliseum Restaurant. He and some other patrons had been let out by Joseph…
Boston Gang Wars-Loan Sharks and Bookies: Anthony Sasso
ANTHONY SASSO, 36 October 14, 1960 When the body of an unidentified person (later identified as George Joynt) was found on July 8, 1962, under…
Boston Gang Wars-Loan Sharks and Bookies: Edward Rothstein
EDWARD ROTHSTEIN, 41 April 5, 1960 Edward Rothstein’s body was found “stuffed in a trunk” in Merrimac, MA a town on the border of New Hampshire and not too far away from where the body of Goldstein was found in East Kingston, NH. The similarity of the locations is probably more coincidental than otherwise. There…
Boston Gang Wars-Loan Sharks and Bookies: Gaetano J. DeNicola
GAETANO J. DeNICOLA, 49 December 23, 1959 A little over a month following DeMarco’s murder, on December 23, 1959, Gaetano J. DeNicola, last name also spelled DiNicola,…