Benedetto Santapaola, a once-feared Mafia boss responsible for notorious murders in Italy, has died in prison. He was 87 years old when he passed away in Milan, where he had been incarcerated. Santapaola was widely believed to have orchestrated the assassination of a prominent anti-Mafia prosecutor in 1992, a crime that shocked the nation.
Known by the moniker “Nitto,” Santapaola evaded authorities for a period before his capture in 1993. His subsequent incarceration lasted over three decades, a sentence handed down for orchestrating a series of killings and other violent offenses. His reign of terror extended from the 1970s, where he ascended to prominent positions within Sicily’s Mafia, particularly in the city of Catania. His nickname, “il cacciatore” or “the hunter,” reflected his ruthless reputation.
Convictions and High-Profile Murders
Santapaola’s list of convictions includes the 1984 murder of journalist Pippo Fava. Furthermore, he was implicated in a devastating car bombing that claimed the life of Judge Giovanni Falcone. This attack, one of the most brutal assaults on Italy’s judiciary, sent shockwaves across the country.
The bombing near Palermo in May 1992, now infamously known as the Capaci massacre, killed Judge Falcone, his wife, and three police officers. This atrocity was followed weeks later by the murder of another anti-Mafia judge, Paolo Borsellino. He, too, was killed in a car bombing, which also resulted in the deaths of his bodyguards. Santapaola was apprehended in a Sicilian farmhouse the year following these events.
Life Sentence and Prison Conditions
In 2006, Santapaola received a life sentence for his involvement in both the Falcone and Borsellino assassinations. Earlier convictions also linked him to the 1982 killing of fellow mobster Alfio Ferlito, along with three police officers, during Ferlito’s transfer to prison.
While Santapaola was one of several Sicilian mobsters prosecuted for the murders of the two judges, the precise individual who issued the orders for the car bombings remained unclear, even after multiple trials. His imprisonment was carried out under stringent security measures, governed by the 41bis regime. This article of the Italian criminal code was enacted after the judges’ deaths, aiming to sever lines of communication between Mafia bosses and the outside world, and to prevent them from directing criminal activities from behind bars.
Final Days
Santapaola’s death occurred in the medical facility of San Paolo hospital in Milan. He had been transferred there from the city’s Opera prison due to a deteriorating health condition.