The body of mafia boss who was believed to have ordered the killings of more than 150 people has been has been buried after a funeral in his Italian hometown.
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina, one of the most feared godfathers in the history of the Sicilian Mafia, was buried Wednesday in his hometown of Corleone, the real-life mafia hotbed made famous by the ‘Godfather’ films and book.
Riina had been serving 26 life sentences when he succumbed to cancer aged 87 on November 17. His remains arrived in Sicily earlier this week.
The family buried him in a private ceremony that underscored the complicated mourning process for families of mafiosi.
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina, one of the most feared godfathers in the history of the Sicilian Mafia, was buried Wednesday in his hometown of Corleone, Italy in a private ceremony. His coffin is pictured above
The family buried him in a private ceremony that underscored the complicated mourning process for families of mafiosi. Pictured above, Riina’s wife Ninetta Bagarella and his son Salvo at the cemetery in Corleone
Nicknamed ‘The Beast’ because of his cruelty, Riina was was laid to rest in the family tomb, which sits near the graves of other famed mobster chiefs. Pictured above, Riina’s children Salvo and Maria Concetta at the burial
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina (pictured center in Bologna’s bunker-courtroom, escorted by Carabinieri, Italian paramiliary police, in 1996) died on November 17 after suffering from Cancer
‘Toto Riina is to be considered a manifest sinner who didn’t show the necessary public and true repentance for his crimes,’ Archbishop Michele Pennisi of Monreale, which includes Corleone, told the local La Sicilia di Catania.
While a public funeral is forbidden, a priest can lead the family in private prayer as an act of ‘Christian piety,’ he said.
Nicknamed ‘The Beast’ because of his cruelty, Riina was was laid to rest in the family tomb, which sits near the graves of other famed mobster chiefs.
His coffin, with white flowers on top, was briefly blessed by a priest as mourners including his wife and three of his four children looked on, according to Italian media reports.
The cemetery was closed to the press amid a heavy police presence.
Riina’s son Giovanni, who is serving time in jail for four murders, was not given permission to attend.
The Church had refused to give the man dubbed ‘U Curtu’ (‘Shorty’) – who led a reign of terror for almost 20 years after taking control of the Cosa Nostra in the 1970s – a public funeral.
Archbishop Michele Pennisi of Monreale, which includes Corleone, said that Riina’s funeral had to be private because he was considered a ‘manifest sinner’. Pictured above, the van carrying Toto Riina’s coffin disembarks at Palermo harbour
The Church had refused to give the man dubbed ‘U Curtu’ (‘Shorty’) – who led a reign of terror for almost 20 years after taking control of the Cosa Nostra in the 1970s – a public funeral. Pictured above, the van carrying Toto Riina’s coffin disembarks at Palermo harbour
As the funeral was private, there was a heavy security presence at the cemetery. Pictured above, mourners arriving at the cemetery
Rinna’s coffin, with white flowers on top, was briefly blessed by a priest as mourners including his wife and three of his four children looked on, according to Italian media reports
The cemetery was closed to the press amid a heavy police presence. Pictured above, Riina’s wife Ninetta Bagarella and his son Salvo are escorted as they leave the cemetery after the funeral in Corleone
Mourners dressed primarily in black as they attended Riina’s private funeral on Wednesday
Just a few metres from Riina’s last resting place lies Bernardo Provenzano – known as ‘the Tractor’ for the way he mowed his victims down – and volatile and vain boss Luciano Leggio, who was a young Riina’s mentor. Pictured above, mourners at the funeral
He continued to order hits from behind bars and was caught on wiretap this year saying he regretted ‘nothing’.
La Repubblica daily noted his favourite nephew Giovanni Grizzaffi, who had been named by Riina as a possible successor, was not present at the burial.
As the burial took place, Facebook was forced to apologize after removing messages of condolences that flowed in after his death last week.
The Facebook profiles of Riina’s daughter and her husband were inundated with condolences – such as ‘Buon viaggio zio Totò’ or ‘Have a good journey Uncle Toto’ – as well as denunciations for his crimes.
A Facebook spokesperson said these posts of condolences on the feed of Riina’s son-in-law were removed in error.
Additionally, Riina’s daughter, Maria Concetta Riina, posted a photo of a woman kissing her finger with the words ‘shh…’ written on it.
She then blasted Facebook writing: ‘The background picture of my fb profile does not want to be a mobster message where the silence, but the request to respect this personal moment of pain!’
Riina’s son Giovanni, who is serving time in jail for four murders, was not given permission to attend. Pictured above, Riina’s daughter Maria Concetta leaves the cemetery after the funeral i
As the burial took place, Facebook was forced to apologize after removing messages of condolences that flowed in after his death last week. Pictured above, Riina’s wife Ninetta Bagarella (left) and his son Salvo attend the burial
Riina’s wife Ninetta Bagarella (left) and his son Salvo attend the funeral for Riina in Corleone, Italy
La Repubblica daily noted his favourite nephew Giovanni Grizzaffi, who had been named by Riina as a possible successor, was not present at the burial. Pictured above, Riina’s son Salvo (left) attends the funeral
Near Riina’s tomb are buried some of Corleone’s heroes, including Placido Rizzotto, a trade unionist brutally murdered for standing up to the Mafia, and Calogero Comaianni, who was slaughtered for his role in bringing Leggio to justice. Pictured above, mourners at the ceremony
Corleone become synonymous with the Mafia through Francis Ford Coppola’s popular ‘Godfather’ film trilogy, in which the central characters take their family name from the hilltop village near Palermo. Pictured above, mourners at Riina’s funeral
Her husband Antonino Tony Ciavarello posted an article on Facebook in Italian that roughly translates as ‘Facebook apologizes to the family of the boss for removing messages of condolence from social media platform.’
More condolence posts were written on the back of him posting the article including one friend writing: ‘Goodbye Uncle Toto, you’re going to the angels.’
Mafia experts have warned there may be a power struggle now within the organised crime group.
Multi-murderer playboy Messina Denaro, one of the world’s most-wanted men, is seen by many as Riina’s natural heir but has been on the run since 1993.
Just a few metres from Riina’s last resting place lies Bernardo Provenzano – known as ‘the Tractor’ for the way he mowed his victims down – and volatile and vain boss Luciano Leggio, who was a young Riina’s mentor.
But nearby are also buried some of Corleone’s heroes, including Placido Rizzotto, a trade unionist brutally murdered for standing up to the Mafia, and Calogero Comaianni, who was slaughtered for his role in bringing Leggio to justice.
Corleone become synonymous with the Mafia through Francis Ford Coppola’s popular ‘Godfather’ film trilogy, in which the central characters take their family name from the hilltop village near Palermo.
Riina’s daughter, Maria Concetta Riina (left), posted a photo of a woman kissing her finger with the words ‘shh…’ written on it. She blasted Facebook writing: ‘The background picture of my fb profile does not want to be a mobster message where the silence, but the request to respect this personal moment of pain!’
A mock public funeral poster with a list bearing the names of Mafia victims, including slain anti-Mafia magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, announces the death of Toto Riina in Ercolano, near Naples, southern Italy, on November 17
Mr Riina’s remains arrived in Sicily earlier this week following his death on November 17 in Parma (a general view of Corleone pictured here)
The most high-profile murders ‘The Beast’ ordered were those in 1992 of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who had worked fearlessly to bring more than 300 mobsters to trial in 1987.
One of his life sentences was for ordering the hit, known as the ‘Lazio Street Massacre’, in which five people were gunned down in Palermo shootout.
Riina also planned a hit on Rudolph Giuliani, when the former mayor of New York was a state prosecutor in the 1980s.
Giuliani, a second generation Italian immigrant, went on to become the city’s mayor and a national hero for his work combating organised crime.
Riina, who was also dubbed ‘U Curtu’ (‘Shorty’) due to his 5-foot-2-inch (1.58meter) height, for years denied all links to the Mafia, nicknamed ‘the octopus’ for its tentacled reach into all areas of society.
His reign of terror continued from behind bars and he also famously ordered the brutal murder of a 13-year old boy Giuseppe Di Matteo who was kidnapped, strangled and his body dissolved in acid in a bid to stop his father from spilling Mafia secrets.
Giuseppe Di Matteo who was kidnapped was strangled and his body dissolved in acid in a bid to stop his father from spilling Mafia secrets
Riina ordered the killings of fearless anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone (left) and Paolo Borsellino (right)
Riina (pictured here behind bars during a trial in Rome on April 29, 1993 – one of the most feared godfathers in the history of the Sicilian Mafia) broke the Mafia code of ‘omerta’ – a vow of silence – in 2009 and surprised those who thought he would take his secrets to the grave by admitting his link to the mob
The boy’s father Santino Di Matteo made a desperate trip to Sicily to try to negotiate his son’s release but on January 11, 1996, after 779 days, the boy, who by now had also become physically ill due to mistreatment, was finally strangled.
The body was subsequently dissolved in a barrel of acid to prevent the family holding a proper funeral at which they could mourn and to destroy evidence, a practice known as the ‘lupara bianca’.
In 2009 he broke the Mafia code of ‘omerta’ – a vow of silence – and surprised those who thought he would take his secrets to the grave by admitting his link to the mob.
He was caught on a wiretap earlier this year saying he ‘regrets nothing’ and ‘they’ll never break me, even if they give me 3,000 years’ in jail.
He is believed to have first murdered for the Mafia aged 19 and followed that a year later by killing a man during an argument – landing him behind bars for a six-year manslaughter stretch.
Once out, he became a foot soldier for volatile and vain boss Luciano Leggio, eventually taking over from him at the end of the 1970s when the cigar-puffing fugitive was caught and jailed.
The aftermath of the bomb which killed Judge Borsellino in 1992. Riina is believed to have first murdered aged 19
Salvatore Riina when he was arrested for the death of Judge Giovanni Falcone
Riina went on the run himself in 1969, but continued to lead the Corleonesi clan from hiding, increasing his influence by bumping off rivals such as Filippo Marchese, a hitman who garroted his victims in a ‘room of death’.
The mobster would elude police efforts to snare him for almost a quarter of a century – without ever leaving Sicily – and took charge of Cosa Nostra’s key businesses, from drug trafficking to kidnapping and racketeering.
His bloody victory in the Mafia War of the 1980s was to prove his undoing however, as mobsters from defeated rival families began turning state witness against him, and police tracked him to a house in Palermo.
The justice ministry had allowed his family a bedside visit at a hospital in Parma shortly before his death.
Earlier this year, Italy’s highest court ruled that due to Riina’s terminal illness, he had a right to ‘die with dignity’ under house arrest like any other terminally ill prisoner.
The decision drew fierce criticism from across the Italy’s political spectrum and wider society.
The decision was left with a parole board in the northern city of Bologna, near Parma, where Riina was being held, but failed to make a ruling before his death on Wednesday.
The mobster was married to Antonietta Bagarella, a teacher from a mafioso family. He was father to four children, one of whom is behind bars for four murders.
Is superboss Riina’s death the end of the Sicilian Mafia?
With Mafia king Toto Riina’s death, and heir Matteo Messina Denaro on the run, is it game over for Sicily’s once all-powerful Cosa Nostra?
‘Boss of bosses’ Riina, who was nicknamed ‘The Beast’ because of his cruelty, led a reign of terror including the brutal daylight assassinations of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
He died Friday aged 87, just months after being caught on wiretaps in jail boasting afresh about his bloody crimes.
‘Riina will go down in history as the man who destroyed Cosa Nostra,’ Mafia expert Attilio Bolzoni said.
‘With his strategy of bloody massacres in Sicily and across Italy… he turned an invisible Mafia visible, with hundreds, thousands of murders, carried out first with Kalashnikovs, then bombs.’
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina in court during a preliminary hearing in Palermo, Sicily, Italy in 1993
Italy’s high court caused outrage earlier this year when they ruled that Riina ‘deserved to die with dignity’ in his own home as he fought terminal cancer
‘For the first time in history, the state reacted mercilessly,’ Bolzoni said, with the arrest of hundreds of bosses and the introduction of harsh anti-mafia laws that saw imprisoned gangsters held in utter isolation.
Caught and jailed in 1993 after nearly a quarter of a decade as a fugitive, his revenge was swift: Cosa Nostra launched a series of bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence that killed 10 people.
But he was unable to stop the decimation of the crime group – once nicknamed ‘the octopus’ for its tentacled reach into all areas of society – which was gradually supplanted by the Camorra in Naples and ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria.
‘An absolute monarchy’
‘It’s infinitely less powerful than before. After the deaths of (boss Bernardo) Provenzano and Riina, the only one at liberty is being hunted by the police,’ the head of Italy’s national anti-mafia body, Maurizio De Lucia, told AFP.
Multi-murderer playboy Messina Denaro, one of the world’s most-wanted men, is seen by many as Riina’s natural heir but has been on the run since 1993.
‘Cosa Nostra is a very strictly structured organisation, similar to an absolute monarchy. While the king still lives, it’s not possible to think of picking a successor,’ De Lucia said.
‘The question now is whether the organisation is strong enough to identify and appoint an heir. Many of its bosses have been arrested, and enormous amounts of its patrimony has been seized’ over the years, he said.
‘We’ll have to see whether Riina’s death will lead to a new start – which I think unlikely – or whether it will be another step towards the crime group’s demise,’ he said.
‘The truth’
But prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who spent 20 years in the DDA organisation of anti-mafia prosecutors, warned the days of shootouts and car bombs may be gone, but Cosa Nostra has been growing fat instead on political deals.
‘We have greatly weakened the military apparatus of the Mafia, the massacres are over, murders are rare. But the Mafia has undergone a genetic modification,’ Cartosio told AFP.
‘The political sector has lent itself greatly to… (organised crime’s) infiltration of the social fabric’ and, as a consequence, ‘the Mafia presence in the political sphere is much greater than before,’ he said.
And the battle is not only against ‘the octopus’ but also the ‘Stidda’, a rival group formed by former Cosa Nostra members during the Second Mafia War of the early 1980s.
‘The Mafia is less military, less bloody than before, but it’s very efficient,’ he said.
Pietro Grasso, Italy’s senate speaker and a former anti-mafia magistrate, stressed Friday that the battle is not over.
‘Riina takes with him many mysteries that would have been essential in uncovering the facts about alliances, political links, internal and external Mafia accomplices,’ he said in a post on Facebook.
‘But none of us must stop searching for the truth’.