Victims were part of Mafia power play

By Grant Lafleche / The Standard (St. Catharines)

An expert on organized crime said John Papalia and Carmen
Barillaro were killed as part of a takeover bid of Ontario's mafia
by outside criminal elements.

Antonio Nicaso said there is no great mystery why Kenneth Murdock
was ordered to kill the crime boss and his lieutenant last year. If
another mob wants to take over, it is only natural they would
eliminate the competition.

Why the Ontario mob figures were killed has been a frequently asked
question over the last year. A plethora of possible answers were
expounded in the media as joint forces effort Project Expiate got
under way last March.

Some, such as mob watcher James Dubro, have said Barillaro ordered
the death of his boss Papalia, possibly over debts. But when the mob
found out, Barillaro suffered in the spirit of what comes around
goes around.

Nicaso, an Italian author of 10 books on organized crime, said the
inclusion by Project Expiate of other deaths such as the 1985
killing of Salvatore Alaimo in Hamilton into the mob-murder equation
throws a wrench into these theories.

``It was not a job of a crazy person,'' explained Nicaso to
journalists in Hamilton after police announced the arrest of
Pasquale and Angelo Musitano in connection with the murders.

``This is really something important. Montreal and Toronto families are trying to take control over the Ontario mobs,'' he said.

Nicaso added the death of the Ontario mobsters comes down to power.

It is likely, he said, they were killed by mafia elements in
Montreal or Toronto in a bid to take over the southern Ontario
families and change the face of organized crime in the province.

``You can't just kill John Papalia,'' said Nicaso. ``He was the
boss here for 30 years. He can only be killed by orders that came
from the top.''

Nicaso said it may also be that the more powerful Canadian mobs
sought to eliminate Papalia and his lieutenants to remove the
American organizations they were affiliated to.

Papalia was connected to the Magaddino crime organization in
Buffalo. By eliminating Papalia, the Magaddinos lose their influence
on this side of the border.

``This was done as a way to take control,'' said Nicaso. ``You have
to look at the big picture.''

November 25, 1998