Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Grim Reaper” Gregory Scarpa Pt. 2

Episode Date: June 1, 2023

Some hitmen must walk the line between being a family man at home and a killer at work. But Greg Scarpa wasn't your ordinary hitman. He was paid by the FBI as a Criminal Informant and was instrumental... in helping them solve crimes. But some think his close relationship with his handler gave him a license to kill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:04 Due to the nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of gun violence, gore, and murder. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. Serial killers aren't good people. I mean, sure, we might not think of a mafia hitman as a serial killer, but by the FBI's own definition, Greg Scarpa fits the bill. One of Scarpa's protégés once said he stopped counting victims once he reached 50. As we heard last time, though, Scarpa wasn't just a killer.
Starting point is 00:00:42 To his family, he was a caring and protective father and partner. And to the FBI, he was a wealth of information, an informant. That's what we'll hear about today, Scarpa's work with the Bureau, and what makes someone good versus what makes them bad. Because we can all agree, killing upwards of 50 people is evil. But if those victims are evil too, Can a ruthless serial killer also be a hero? Hi listeners, it's Greg.
Starting point is 00:01:25 You're listening to Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa. Hey, everyone. This episode is part two of another installment of Hit Men, where we explore the twisted world of contract homicide, both the people who kill and the ones who hire them. This time, we're continuing our story on the many lives of Grim Reaper Greg Scarpa, a prolific hitman for the Colombo crime family.
Starting point is 00:01:50 Today, we'll get into Scarpa's double life as an FBI informant. This side of him might surprise you, especially since one of Scarpa's first assignments pitted him against the Ku Klux Klan. It's the Mafia versus the KKK coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter.
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Starting point is 00:04:39 Mississippi Burning. That was the FBI's codename for the case. It was Freedom Summer and the height of black Americans fight for civil rights in the southern U.S. Activists and black Southerners marched for their right to vote, but at every turn, they were met with resistance from the Ku Klux Klan. In June 1964, three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Cheney, and Andrew Goodman, traveled into Mississippi to investigate the clan's role in the torching of a Methodist church. Soon, a local sheriff sympathetic to the KKK, arrested them on trumped-up charges.
Starting point is 00:05:14 That night, they were released and they sped away from town in their blue station wagon. But after that, the three young men disappeared. Their activist organization reported them missing, and everyone in the movement feared the worst. Days later, the FBI found their burned-out car on the side of the highway. Schwerner, Cheney, and Goodman were gone. It didn't seem like this was going to be a rescue mission. All federal authorities could hope for was to find the young men's bodies and hold the killers accountable. The case became national news.
Starting point is 00:05:49 Families wanted answers. America wanted justice, but the Bureau wasn't getting anywhere. And FBI director Jay Edgar Hoover felt the heat. The pressure was mounting and he was running out of options. In a later interview, the state's attorney said, old Jay Edgar figured that if he was going to break the case, he was going to have to go to some extreme measures, which is what led him to Greg Scarpa.
Starting point is 00:06:12 For some context, Scarpa had officially met the FBI back in 1960. That was the year he got arrested for participating in an attempted hijacking of tractor trailer. But the Bureau ended up cutting a deal with the hitman. They'd drop the charges if Scarpa became an informant. Vanessa's going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. It's impressive Scarpa would agree to this, considering if the mob found out, he'd be dead. But according to a 1980 article published by the FBI, informants like Scarpa often have psychopathic tendencies, like vanity, a lack of empathy and egocentricity.
Starting point is 00:07:01 Those are all things that draw them to the job. For instance, Scarpa's ego may have made him think he could play all sides and get away with it, and his lack of guilt allowed him to squeal on his friends. Regardless, Scarpa's high rank in the Colombo family made him indispensable to the feds, and by 1962, agents upgraded Scarpa to the status of top-esthetes. criminal informant. Internally, he was known by his code name, NY3461-C-C-T-E, or 34 for short. He got a regular stipend from the FBI and was essentially on their payroll. But though he supplied them with steady information, his handler wrote,
Starting point is 00:07:40 The full potential of this informant is yet to be realized. They'd eventually see that Scarpa was no ordinary rat. He was a ruthless weapon. That brings us back to August 1964. When the FBI decided to go to extreme measures to find the bodies of the three missing civil rights workers, they asked Scarpa to go on a mission to Mississippi. The job wouldn't be easy. The 36-year-old hitman was tasked with breaking the shroud of silence permeating the KKK, which rivaled the mafia's omerta vow.
Starting point is 00:08:15 It might also involve some unsavory activities, kidnapping, threats, and torture. In other words, Scarpa's bread and butter. It was perfect for the Bureau. Scarpa couldn't be traced back to the agency, and even if he was, who would believe it? The FBI hiring a mob hitman? Unthinkable. It might have been perfect for Scarpa, too.
Starting point is 00:08:36 It's rumored the FBI offered him a large sum of money to do the job. Whether they did or not, the hitman agreed. Scarpa told his girlfriend, Linda Shiro, about the assignment. A real federal agent might know the mission was dangerous and top secret. but Scarpa was no bureaucrat. To him, it was more like a free vacation. So he asked Shiro if she wanted to come. And then he bought her a bunch of new outfits,
Starting point is 00:09:02 as if the two were going on their honeymoon. When the couple landed in Mississippi, they checked into a hotel. Later that day, there was a knock at their door. An FBI agent peeked inside and handed Scarpa a gun. Scarpa then changed clothes and put money on the dresser. He told Shiro something along the lines of, If I don't come back, go back home. Shiro wasn't worried.
Starting point is 00:09:26 To her, Scarpa was unstoppable. It was the clan that should be afraid. The FBI had determined the mayor of a local town had ties to the KKK and knew where the bodies were buried. They just needed Scarpa to get the information out of him. According to investigative journalist Peter Lance, that night, Scarpa and a few other agents kidnapped this mayor and brought him to an undisclosed location. Then the agents left the room, leaving Scroo. Scarpa to his work. The hitman put a pistol to the mayor's skull,
Starting point is 00:10:03 demanding to know where the bodies were. The mayor hesitated. He knew if he gave up the info, the clan would bury him next. But he had to give up something. So he offered Scarpa a tidbit. When Scarpa went outside and told the agents what he'd learned, the FBI team cross-checked the intel. It didn't line up.
Starting point is 00:10:23 The mayor was lying. Scarpa didn't like that. He stormed back into the room, shoved his gun into the man's mouth, and reportedly said, Tell me the truth or I'll blow your brains out. Incredibly, this wasn't enough. The captive lied a second time. Scarpa seemed to run out of patience because the next time he went into that room, he pulled out a straight razor blade.
Starting point is 00:10:46 And unzipped the man's fly. We don't know for sure what happened next. The state's attorney later said that Scarpa just threatened him. But Scarpa himself later claimed that he started cutting the man. man's, well, either way, whatever happened in that room was enough. The man blurted out a lead, and this one was good. The FBI descended on a local farm, 14 feet below an earthen dam, buried under layers of red clay, agents exhumed the bodies of the three civil rights activists. They'd all been shot to death. An extensive four-month investigation followed, and eventually
Starting point is 00:11:28 the Bureau arrested more than a dozen suspects. In the end, these heinous murders helped pave the way to finally pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the Mississippi job, it seemed the FBI used Scarpa on at least two other civil rights-related cases, possibly three. Some investigators suspect Scarpa was tapped to hunt the assassin, who murdered civil rights activist Medgar Evers. Another time, Scarpa flew back to Mississippi and beat a clan captain within an inch of his life. A for The former state's attorney said that Scarpa scared the clansmen so badly, he was never the same. By 1965, one year after the Mississippi burning case, the FBI deemed Scarpa their most valuable top echelanlon informant. He'd been giving them mob intel, cracking their missing
Starting point is 00:12:16 persons cases, and saving their hides. But in the mafia world, when you do somewhat a favor, they owe you. And for the next few decades, Scarpa squeezed the Bureau for all they were worth. Coming up, the FBI helps Scarpa get away with murder. For hundreds of years, we have looked to scientists to explain how the world around us works. But what happens when science doesn't have the answer? Every week on the podcast Unexplained Mysteries, we take a deep dive into paranormal activities, natural phenomena, and suspicious deaths to try to grasp how and why, mysterious events occur.
Starting point is 00:13:01 Some things need no explanation. Others are a complete mystery. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Unexplained Mysteries. Listen free, only on Spotify. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey? Zepbound terseptide may be able to help. Zepbound is a prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet
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Starting point is 00:14:33 Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99 or visit Zepbounds.lily.com. And now back to the story. Throughout the 1960s, Greg Scarpa had become one of the Bureau's most valuable assets. But handling a criminal informant can be tricky, especially when the they're as cunning as Scarpa. One former DEA agent said, when it comes to CIs, you have to be extremely careful that they're not feeding you information that will lead you the wrong way,
Starting point is 00:15:12 or that they're not using you to eliminate their competitors. And about 15 years after the Mississippi jobs in 1980, Scarpa had one agent eating out of the palm of his hand. At this point, Scarpa had stopped working with the Bureau, at least momentarily. You see, his previous handler changed jobs, and he didn't trust the new guys. To collaborate with the FBI, Scarpa knew he needed someone he could level with, who was not too buttoned up and who wouldn't blow his cover, someone he could possibly use. Enter Lynn Devecchio, aka Mr. Dello. Like Scarpa, Devecchio had a flashy sense of style. He'd walk into the FBI office wearing silk pocket squares, monogrammed shirts, and a shiny gold bracelet. He was a boisterous man. He was a boisterous man.
Starting point is 00:16:01 and over the years began talking just like the foul-mouthed wise guys he investigated. And in 1980, the agent wanted some inside info on the Colombo family. He figured if he linked up with a former informant, they could offer some high-quality dirt. He picked the rat with a 902-page file. It was 34. Informant, Greg Scarpa, now in his early 50s. DeVecchio showed up at Scarpa's house, unannounced,
Starting point is 00:16:30 and instead of being turned away, or killed on the spot, the two hit it off. They worked out an understanding. Scarpa would provide DeVecchio intel on family matters, hits, and narcotic sales. DeVecchio could help Scarpa escape charges if they came his way. Some of the info was good, like an organization chart of the Colombo family, but only a few weeks into their partnership, Scarpa was already feeding DeVecchio half-truths.
Starting point is 00:16:55 Like one time he told him about a recent hit, but he left out a pretty crucial detail. He was the one who killed the man. According to Linda Shiro, Scarpa gave Devecchio gifts, a pan of lasagna here, a nice bottle of wine there. She also said that after a few years, the two became close, and Devecchio began to idolize his charming mafia contact. Information was supposed to flow in one direction toward law enforcement.
Starting point is 00:17:21 But with Devecchio, Scarpa found a way to reverse that, because working with him kicked off a decades-long killing spree. One morning in September 1984, Devecchio and Scarpa huddled in Scarpa's kitchen. DeVecchio said they had a problem. A woman in her early 30s named Mary Berry was dating a top lieutenant in the Colombo family. She'd been his mistress for years, but Devecchio revealed she would soon turn him in. So allegedly, Devecchio said, you have to take care of this. Now, we should say that we don't know why Devecchio would have done that,
Starting point is 00:17:56 or if the conversation happened at all. It's just what Linda Shiro said she heard, but we do know what happened the next day. Mary Berry walked down a Brooklyn sidewalk, dressed to the nines. She'd been lured to the Wimpy Boy Social Club, a Colombo Mafia hangout for an interview. She thought she had a good chance of the job, but what she didn't know was that she was the job. When Mary went in, she likely greeted the other mafiosi. One guy playfully put his arm around her like you would an old friend. Then he wrestled her to the floor.
Starting point is 00:18:34 Scarpa was waiting. Calmly, he stepped forward and shot her multiple times. He fired a bullet behind her ear to make sure she was finished. They wrapped her body up and dropped it under an elevated train just a few blocks from Scarpa's home. According to Linda Shiro, De Vecchio thought that was funny. He later said, Why didn't you just bring the body right in front of the house?
Starting point is 00:18:59 Shira also claimed this wasn't the last time Scarpa and DeVecchio teamed up to take out a target. Their next collaboration was in 1991. By that point, Scarpa had been battling HIV and then possibly AIDS for about five years. And he was no longer some imposing giant. He looked like an emaciated old man. His face seemed hollow, with dark circles under his eyes. His illness gave him second thoughts about his dangerous lifestyle, and he thought about quitting. But then, war came to Brooklyn.
Starting point is 00:19:28 The Colombo War, as it came to be known, raged along Avenue U. It was those loyal to the family's old boss, Carmine Persico, versus those backing the new boss, Victor Arena. Arena's crew tried assassinating Scarpa outside his Brooklyn home, and his daughter Linda was caught in the crossfire. Luckily, neither of them was hurt, but Scarpa was not going to let that stand. He was out for revenge. For the next couple months, Colombo Wise guys blew each other apart at intersections
Starting point is 00:20:01 on local neighborhood hangouts. The death toll rose to about 14, and Scarpa was leading the charge. Every night he and his cronies trolled the streets looking for prey. Sometimes they used disguises, like when they wore traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing, all black with strimal hats, to get the drop on a target. In the first few days of December alone, Scarpa personally took out three men, like some sort of assassination Advent calendar. One Friday afternoon, he and his crew saw a riot calendar.
Starting point is 00:20:30 and his crew saw a rival stringing up Christmas lights. This man had no criminal record. He was just the night manager of a nearby diner, but he was backing the other faction, so Scarpa shot him in the back. Authorities couldn't keep up with the violence. In one news interview, a very nonchalant DA said, I have no problem letting these folks blow each other away. I think it's good for us ultimately. He added that they just don't have a lot of time for target practice. Carr sometimes lost control, plowing into pedestrians. Corpses littered the streets. Two days after the night manager was shot off his ladder,
Starting point is 00:21:08 another crew entered a bagel shop on 3rd Avenue and opened fire at the counter. They thought the owner was standing there. Instead, it was an innocent 18-year-old. Scarpa probably wasn't thinking about the chaos. He had his eye on a prize kill. Nicholas Grancio, otherwise known as Nikki Black, nicknamed for the big, dark circles under his eyes,
Starting point is 00:21:33 Nikki Black was a larger-than-life lieutenant in the rival faction. And according to Scarpa's protege, Nikki Black had sent a message that he was going after Scarpa. So in January 1992, Scarpa and his protege grabbed their rifles and headed to Mother Cabrini Social Club, a rival hangout. They eased close in a blue sedan,
Starting point is 00:21:53 tricked out to look like an unmarked police car. It had everything, a siren, big walkie-talkies, and coffee cups in the window. They probably looked like a regular old pair of cops. Nikki Black was outside in his land cruiser, but they couldn't make a move because the place was crawling with actual authorities, FBI agents. But the DA might have acted flippant. The Bureau was desperate to prevent a shootout. Scarpa was pissed. He was so close, but Nikki was out of reach. According to his protege's account, Scarpa then phoned someone named Dell and said,
Starting point is 00:22:24 The whole world's here. Do something. Shortly after, the agents on Nikki Black's detail got what they described as a strange call, They were pulled back to FBI headquarters for a rare midday meeting, leaving Nikki exposed. Later that day, Scarpa returned to the club in their faux cop car and rolled up next to Nicky Black, still in his vehicle. At Scarpa's word, his protege rolled down his window, pointed his double-barrel riot control shotgun, and squeezed the trigger. Of course, we don't know for sure if DeVecchio pulled the cops from their detail. He later denied it. But months later, he and a fellow agent had an odd conversation. The official told Devecchio that Scarpa had slaughtered another one of Victor Arenas men.
Starting point is 00:23:12 Devecchio looked oddly excited. He slapped his hand on the desk and reportedly said, We're going to win this thing. The other agent was stunned. Did Defecchio think he was part of Scarpa's crew and forget he was in the FBI? In later testimony, this official said he was compromised. He had lost track of who he was. In the relationship between Scarpa and his FBI handlers, it's hard to say who had the upper hand
Starting point is 00:23:36 and who was controlling whom. But one thing's for sure. From 1980 to 1992, under DeVecchio's watch, Scarpa ordered the killing of 26 people all while avoiding prison time. And he could have been receiving intel from DeVecchio that might have allowed him to do it. It was an unholy alliance. As one judge said, the FBI made a deal. with the devil. And it was an offer they couldn't refuse. Coming up, Scarpa is shot in the head and keeps on going. This episode is brought to you by Prime.
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Starting point is 00:25:31 killing Nikki, like he'd bagged a trophy. Look, by this point, Linda knew fully well who her father was. But as he was recounting these gory details with pride, he seemed different. He was crazed and relentless. To Linda, it was terrifying. But she could also guess why he was more callous than before. When Scarpa was first diagnosed with HIV, he knew his time left would be short. He told his daughter he didn't want to die of the illness.
Starting point is 00:25:59 If he was going out, he wanted to go out shooting. But by late spring, the Colombo War was drawing to a close. The crime family seemed to be running out of people to murder, and the FBI was making tons of arrests. Eventually, they came for Scarpa. The indictment was spearheaded by the FBI agent who'd grown suspicious about DeVecchio's relationship with Scarpa. He got a Brooklyn prosecutor to file murder conspiracy charges behind DeVecchio's back. When Devecchio found out, he tried warning his favorite informant, but it was too late. In August 1992, Scarpa was arrested.
Starting point is 00:26:37 It wasn't a dramatic chase or a big sting operation. In fact, he actually turned himself in. He thought he was on the hook for a gun charge and assumed it would be another revolving door, in and out just like always. But when he entered the courtroom, the place was swarming with agents. Luckily for Scarpa, his lawyer argued the temperature in the penitentiary was bad for his illness. Scarpa was allowed to stay home on house arrest.
Starting point is 00:27:01 But shutting the Grim Reaper and a house was like locking up a wild animal, and he began getting restless. To make matters worse, Scarpa's health kept deteriorating. Now, AIDS wasn't just ravaging his body, it was also taking over his mind. Doctors told his family that Scarpa was suffering from AIDS-related dementia. AIDS is most known for how it affects the immune system. But according to Johns Hopkins medicine, it can spread to the brain, causing membranes to swell leading to all sorts of symptoms.
Starting point is 00:27:33 personality changes, short-term memory loss, or decision-making, and a gradual deterioration of motor skills. The University of Rochester Medical Center also said it could create rapid changes in mood. This unpredictability was exactly what Scarpa's family had to watch out for. In late 1992, four months after Scarpa's arrest, the family was decorating the Christmas tree together. At this point, Scarpa's temperament shifted at the drop of a hat. So the family had to be extra careful about what they said. That night, Linda, now in her early 20s, gave her dad grief for making her go to the store to pick up an extra pair of lights.
Starting point is 00:28:14 It was the kind of sass she'd given him all her life. Usually Scarpa didn't mind it. He probably encouraged it. But this time, Scarpa charged and swung his fist, connecting with her head. He never laid a hand on his daughter before. He'd protected her when she was young and avenged her when she was a teenager. Now, she was afraid of him. In Linda's memoir, the mafia hit man's daughter, she said,
Starting point is 00:28:37 It was scary to know that the doctors were right. He was dangerous even to us. What she didn't know was that soon, Scarpa would become a danger to himself. Four days after Christmas, Linda's brother Joey and his friend, both 21, bolted into the house. A rival dealer had pulled a gun on Joey a couple blocks away. Joey didn't want his dad to find out, considering how unpredictable he was. But he did. And when Scarpa heard someone had pointed a weapon at his son, he was furious.
Starting point is 00:29:12 He stormed through the house, banging stuff around. He yelled, do they think I'm sleeping? Listen, Scarpa knew if he left, he'd be violating his house arrest, and he'd go straight to a cell, likely for the rest of his short life. He may never see Linda or Joey again. That didn't stop him. Scarpa stormed out of the house and ordered Joey and his friend into the car. As far as Joey knew, his father was unarmed.
Starting point is 00:29:40 As we said before, under Scarpa's house arrest, the family wasn't allowed to have weapons around. Joey thought they were just going to straighten things out. But Scarpa had other plans. The ankle bracelet won off, but Scarpa didn't care. He drove Joey and his friend down the block and spotted the other crew outside their house. According to Joey, Scarpa got out of the car and exchanged words with him. the other dealer. He shook the guy's hand. Everything was all good. Then, once the other man walked away, Scarpa pulled out a gun and shot him in the back. The neighborhood erupted into
Starting point is 00:30:16 a battlefield. The rivals returned fire on Scarpa and his car. Several guys on both sides were hit. Back at the Scarpa's house, Linda could hear the shootout down the block. When she ran outside to see what was going on, Scarpa rolled the car onto the driveway. As Scarpa made his way toward the house, Red streamed down his white shirt. Joey was nowhere to be seen, and his friend was in the backseat of Scarpa's car, gurgling blood. Scarpa sauntered into the house and sat down, complaining he had a piece of glass stuck in his eye. But when Linda looked closer, she realized that wasn't what was happening. Someone had shot Scarpa right through the eye.
Starting point is 00:31:01 Linda wanted to call an ambulance, but Scarper refused. Instead, he asked for a glass of scotch. At that point, the phone rang. It was the cops. They wanted to check on Scarpa since his ankle monitor had gone off. According to Linda, Scarpa, a smooth talker as always, grabbed the phone. He said, everything was fine. Just something was wrong with the anklet.
Starting point is 00:31:23 The dang thing kept going off. They bought it for the time being. But the ruse didn't last long. Eventually, 911 was called and an ambulance hurtled towards. their home. Scarpa sat down and dabbed his wound with a towel, debilitated by AIDS and bleeding profusely from the hole in his head, he sipped on his glass of scotch as if waiting for his limo ride. Scarpa somehow survived the night. So did Joey. He ended up sprinting from the shootout and hiding somewhere in the neighborhood. However, his friend wasn't as lucky. He died a couple of days later.
Starting point is 00:32:00 That night was the last time Greg Scarpa got his hands on a gun. With so many witnesses, it wasn't It wasn't hard to piece together what happened, and authorities finally threw him in prison. When the AIDS defense was brought up again in the hopes of another house arrest, the prosecutor asked if he could still move his trigger finger. If so, the prosecutor said, he was still a danger to human life. For the next year and a half, Scarpa's symptoms worsened from behind bars. He needed a wheelchair to get around, and his skin turned black and blue. Though his wife could visit, his daughter Linda didn't have the same visitation right.
Starting point is 00:32:38 Finally, in June 1994, Linda got the papers that would allow her to see him in prison, but it was too late. That same day, Scarpa, at age 66, passed away from AIDS complications. His death hit Linda like a ton of bricks. Even though the man caused chaos and death in her life, she still thought of him as her best friend. And she wanted to see him one last time. She went to the funeral parlor where Scarpa was being kept and approached his coffin. Slowly, she cracked open the lid.
Starting point is 00:33:13 She was afraid at first of what she might see. But then she didn't care. She leaned her head against his chest and cried. Her dad once vowed to protect her, but now no one was there to save her from her grief. Greg Scarpa left a trail of wreckage in his wake. The same year he died, an internal complaint was launched against Lille. Linda Vecchio, Scarpa's FBI handler. In the 2000s, DeVecchio was indicted for helping Scarpa kill at least three people,
Starting point is 00:33:46 and Linda Shiro backed up the claim. But when an old interview resurfaced that contradicted her testimony against DeVecchio, the charges were dropped. Still, the stigma haunted him for decades. When the Colombo family learned Scarpa had been a rat all along, it only confirmed what some had suspected. How he could skate by without a scratch, while carnage rained down around him.
Starting point is 00:34:10 When he died, it was probably a relief. One high-ranking member said he'd fear the hitman until the day he was buried, and maybe afterward too. Joey Scarpa never escaped from the life of a mafia hitman's son. After his father's death, he fell into a deep depression. And just a year later, he was lured into a trap by a member of a different crime family.
Starting point is 00:34:34 Joey was shot dead at just 23. Scarpa lived many double lives. Linda once knew him as a caring, protective dad, but rarely saw his brutality. His Columbo family witnessed his bloodlust, but they had no idea he worked as an informant. Finally, the FBI knew Scarpa could be paid for Intel, but didn't suspect he could be manipulating them. Most of us aren't killers, or FBI informants, for that matter. Our lives, thankfully, are a lot less exciting than a hit man's, but Scarpa, is a reminder that as much as we think we know our friends, our spouses, and our coworkers,
Starting point is 00:35:16 it's impossible to know everything about everyone, which means we can't adequately characterize a person as all good or bad. Evil people may be capable of good things every once in a while, and there might always be dark secrets even among your closest loved ones. But it's not personal. It's just the business of being human. again for tuning into serial killers. We're here every Monday and Thursday. For more information on Greg Scarpa's work for the FBI, we found Peter Lance's book, Deal with the Devil, the FBI's secret 30-year relationship with a mafia killer, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify
Starting point is 00:36:10 originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Stay safe out there. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Our head of programming is Julian Borrow. Our supervising sound designer is Russell Nash, with Nick Johnson as our head of production, and Spencer Howard as our post-production supervisor. Stacey Nemek is our supervising editor, and Derek Jennings is our writing lead.
Starting point is 00:36:36 This episode of serial killers was written by Ben Carrow, edited by Robert Tyler Walker and Kate Murdoch, fact-checked by Catherine Barner, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, produced by Bruce Kitovich and sound design by Juan Borda. Our hosts are Greg Polson and me, Vanessa Richardson. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again.
Starting point is 00:37:12 I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Do you want to hear something spooky? Some monster, it reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession.
Starting point is 00:37:42 Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snake-like lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by Me, Your Guy. Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours. Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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