Winter Hill Gang- The Murders on Behalf of the Boston Mafia Boss Jerry Angiulo

Jerry Angiulo was the under-boss of the Boston area for the Patriarca Crime Family. Jerry had served four years in the Navy in the Pacific during WWII seeing combat. Jerry had several brothers.  Only one, Danny, was known to be a tough guy.  Jerry was not known as a tough guy himself but a guy who commanded a group of capable murderers. Jerry’s skill was his ability to bring in big money through the organization and to run the money rackets.

The FBI did an electronic surveillance against Jerry Angiulo between January and May 1981 by planting a bug in his headquarters at 95 Prince Street in the North End. During the surveillance, the police heard Jerry saying about Winter Hill: “We could use them. If I called these guys right now, they’d kill any fuckin’ body we tell ’em to.”  Jerry’s big strong-arm hit man, Larry Baione, said of the Winter Hill people “If you fuck someone close to us, I’m going to give you a shake now. Do you know the [Winter] Hill [gang] is us?”

Most of the time when discussing Winter Hill, Jerry complained about them owing him money. He told about the time Winter was trying to move on his pinball machine business. He recalled how Whitey talked about him saying, “then Whitey up the hill says ‘We kill guys for this guy. A few fuckin machines. He wants to make a project. What kind of fuckin guy is this?”

What neither Angiulo nor Baione failed to recognize at the time was that the Winter Hill Gang no longer existed. Nor did they realize their days on the street were numbered. They would be arrested based on the wiretap operation in August 1982. Jerry Angiulo was held on bail through September 1983.

Unlike Angiulo, Baione was able to get out on bail. Baione then used the usual Mafia gangster trick in claiming his heart disease put him at death’s door so he was too sick to go to trial. He never should have been out on bail. He would not be brought to trial until 1987 because of the “doctored” doctor reports he was able to produce and the gullibility of the federal judges. His family and he said that the stress of a trial would provoke a heart attack in the courtroom. As a hardened assassin, Baione undoubtedly survived many more stressful events in his life.

Baione sat in a wheelchair during his trial. Outside the courtroom was a medical team ready to assist him if he had another heart attack. The medical team was never needed. Baione was convicted in early March 1987.  He said “They framed me. . .. I hope the jury dies tonight.” Baione would die nine years later in prison of natural causes in February 1996 at age 75.

Jerry Angiulo would be locked up from 1983 until September 2007. He served 24 years. Jerry sought release in 2004 by filing an affidavit alleging he was in poor health and that his sentence was “tantamount to an illegal death sentence.” He died in August 2009 at age 90.

David Farrell a Boston Globe Columnist wrote an article on October 5, 1972, telling how Kenneth Killeen was seeking to get out of the gambling business after his brother Donald had been murdered the prior May. In the article Farrell wrote: “Loan sharking is still widespread as the slaying of Paul Folino indicates. He was one of the principals in the Boston loan sharking trade, borrowing big money from the mob at one percent per week and recycling it at five percent. He disappeared a month ago and wasn’t seen again until his remains turned up in a shallow grave in Boxford a week ago.”

Paul Folino, 47, was found to have a rope tied around his neck, his hands tied, and his mouth taped. Folino ran the gaming in the Watertown-Waltham-Newton area for Jerry Angiulo. Through his sources, Angiulo discovered that he had been murdered by a gang that had been moving into his territory led by two brothers, “Indian Joe” Notarangeli and “Indian Al” Angeli, the latter having legally shortened his name.

Jerry had to do something about Folino’s murder. Police intercepted Jerry saying that he had guys capable of murdering people mentioning Baione and his brother Danny among others. But in the latter part of 1972, Jerry figured it best not use his own people.  Folino was known to be one of his guys. He figured using his guys would bring the heat too close to his home. He decided to do it with outside help. Jerry reached out for Winter Hill.

John Martorano had just become associated with Howie Winter in 1972. He did as shown previously have connections with the Boston Mafia. According to John Martorano, he and Howie Winter met with Jerry.

He told them of the situation involving Paul Folino. He explained that ex-convict Al Angeli with his group of hoodlums were moving in on his territory. They were strong arming his bookies to become part of their new organization. When Folino refused to buckle under to them, Angeli murdered him.

Jerry said Angeli was sending him a threatening message by the brutal way in which Folino was murdered. Angiulo wanted Martorano and Winter to wipe out the Angeli gang. Martorano and Winter agreed to help.  They figured they were better off on the good side of Jerry.  Plus, they knew they could earn some money.

Martorano and Winter would work together with Jerry and the North End into the future in a friendly but wary partnership. They had already agreed to not interfere with each other’s gambling operations. Each side kept the other at arms distance not wanting to get into a war after the days of bloodshed during the 1960s.