- John Mirabella
Giovanni "John" Mirabella (1905-1955) was a hitman for the
Detroit Partnership criminal organization. He was primarily known primarily for the 1930 murder of radio newscaster Jerry Buckley. A member of mobster theLicavoli Mob , Mirabella served as muscle for thePurple Gang during the later years ofProhibition .In 1930, Mirabella and two other gunmen ambushed crusading journalist Jerry Buckley. Buckley had been publicly attacking organized crime and corruption in city hall in his weekly radio broadcasts. One day, while Buckley was sitting in a hotel lobby, Mirabella and his accomplices came up to him and fired eleven shots. Buckley was killed instantly. With the widespread uproar from the Buckley murder, the Licavolis and Mirabella were forced to flee Detroit to
Toledo, Ohio .During the early 30s, Mirabella was responsible for killing a number of family enforcers and rival mobsters, including bootlegger
Jackie Kennedy . By 1934, law enforcement was trying to find Mirabella for the Buckley, Kennedy, and other murders. Mirabella escaped toYoungstown, Ohio , where he assumed the name "Paul Magine". In 1945, using his new name, Mirabella married a local woman and began operating a produce business. However, according the testimony of Youngstown mobster and former Mirabella chauffeurCharley Cavallaro , the business was a front. Each week, Mirabella would drive back to Toledo and meet with Licavoli.In 1955, at age 48, Giovanni Mirabella died of
cirrhosis of the liver .References
*Sifakis, Carl. "The Mafia Encyclopedia". New York: Da Capo Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-5694-3
External links
* [http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/louis/1.html The St. Louis Family] by Allen May
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
