Giuseppe Marchese

Giuseppe "Pino" Marchese (born December 12, 1962 in Palermo ) is a former Mafia member of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra , who became an important witness ( Pentito ) of the public prosecutor's office with his testimony at the Maxi Trial in Palermo . He belonged to the "Squadra della Morte" (death squad), which on behalf of the Corleonesi committed a series of murders in Palermo and the surrounding area. His father Vincenzo and his uncle Filippo Marchese were high members of the Corso-dei-Mille family who defected from the Palermitan axis of Bontade-Inzerillo-Badalamenti and worked for the Corleonesi from 1981.

Career within the Mafia

Giuseppe Marchese was made familiar with the tough customs of the Mafia early on. At the age of 16 he intended to marry a girl whose parents were separated. According to the Sicilian Mafia code, this was considered unforgivable sacrilege. His brother Antonino “Nino” suggested killing this girl's father in order to restore the honor and therefore to be able to legally marry the girl. If Giuseppe didn't do this, he would. Thereupon Giuseppe broke off the relationship with the girl. Giuseppe Marchese experienced his initiation rite in 1980 at the age of 17. His godfathers were Salvatore Riina and Leoluca Bagarella , two bosses of the Corleonesi faction. Giuseppe Marcheses affiliation with the Mafia was kept secret so that he could carry out orders for Riina and his uncle Filippo undisturbed. He was charged with numerous murders in the course of the Second Mafia War, which were ordered by the Corleonesi. Including the killing of Stefano Bontade and Salvatore Inzerillo .

At the age of 19 he was involved in the "Christmas massacre" (Strage di Natale) on December 25, 1981, in Bagheria and together with Filippo Marchese and Giuseppe "Scarpuzzedda" Greco killed three warring mafiosi, including Giovanni Di Peri, the chief of the Villabate family. On January 15, 1982, Giuseppe Marchese was arrested and convicted for his involvement in the "Christmas massacre". Forensic scientist Dr. Paolo Giaccone, who found Giuseppe Marcheses fingerprints on one of the escape vehicles, was later murdered by Rosario Rotolo, one of the killers from Filippo Marcheses death squad.

Arrest and conviction

On May 11, 1989, Giuseppe Marchese and his brother Antonino Marchese killed their fellow inmate Vincenzo Puccio, the boss of the Mandamento of Ciaculli . Puccio had previously tried unsuccessfully to overthrow Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano . The order to execute Puccio came directly from Riina, who, however, murdered Vincenzo Puccio's brother on the same day. As a result, the two Marchese brothers were sentenced to life imprisonment .

In 1992, Giuseppe Marchese became Pentito and worked with the public prosecutor. His motive was that he ended up feeling betrayed by Riina. In total, he admitted his involvement in 20 murders and became the first state witness for the victorious Corleonesi faction in the Second Mafia War. Giuseppe's sister Vincenzina had been married to Leoluca Bagarella (Giuseppe's godfather) since 1991. On May 12, 1995, according to a testimony from Pentito Toni Calvaruso, she allegedly committed suicide because she suffered from a number of miscarriages and could not cope with the fact that her brother Giuseppe had switched sides.

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Explanations and individual evidence

1. ↑ its members included Antonino Madonia, Calogero Ganci, Filippo Marchese, Antonino Marchese, Giuseppe "Pino" Marchese , Gaetano Carollo, Giuseppe Lucchese, Giuseppe Giacomo Gambino and Mario Prestifilippo
2. ↑ Reputed Head of the Mafia Is Arrested in Palermo Chase. The New York Times. June 26, 1995
3. ↑ Italy. The more brutal the better. Focus Magazine No. 27, 1995

literature

• Pino Arlacchi: Mafia from within: The life of Don Antonino Calderone . S. Fischer Verlag

Web links

• Statement by Giuseppe Marchese (Cognato di Leoluca Bagarella) in 1993 before the Maxiprocesso