Santino "Sonny" Corleone (1916-1948) was the acting boss of the Corleone crime family from December 1945 to 1948. The son of Don Vito Corleone, he was known for his hot temper and rash decisions, and he was murdered during the Five Families War.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Santino Corleone was born in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, New York in 1916, the son of Sicilian immigrants Vito and Carmela Corleone. He was destined to take over the family business after his father's death, and he took in homeless boy Tom Hagen when he was ten years old, recruiting a boy who would become his future advisor. As a teenager, Sonny witnessed the murder of Massimo Fanucci, and he soon became involved in a life of crime himself. At the age of 16, following a botched liquor store robbery, he was brought into the Corleone crime family, and he insisted that he wanted to "sell olive oil" like his father.
Rising in the ranks[]
Sonny and his wife Sandra in 1945
During his father's stay in the hospital following an assassination attempt in 1934, Sonny Corleone formed his own crew and took to the streets, taking over much of New York for the Corleones and becoming known as one of the most brutal and vicious executioners of the criminal underworld. He became a capo in his father's family after these conquests, and he married Sandra Colombo in 1935, starting his own family. He became known for his extramarital affairs, but his wife tolerated this due to her fear of his large endowment.
Taking over[]
Corleone in 1945
In December 1945, narcotics trafficker Virgil Sollozzo offered Don Corleone a chance to enter the lucrative drug business. At the meeting, Don Corleone refused the offer, but Sonny displayed interest, leading Sollozzo to believe that, if Sonny became the Don, he would accept the deal. Sollozzo's Tattaglia backers failed to assassinate the Don, and Sonny Corleone responded by ordering an all-out war against the Tattaglias after they refused to hand over Sollozzo. In January 1946, Sonny's younger brother Michael killed Sollozzo and corrupt policeman Mark McCluskey to end Sollozzo's intrigues, but this started the "Five Families War" against the Tattaglias, the Barzini crime family, the Cuneo crime family, and the Stracci crime family. Sonny Corleone and Aldo Trapani killed Tattaglia underboss Bruno Tattaglia and also went to war with the Cuneos, taking over one of their rackets from Artie Manzanero. However, Sonny became too out-of-control, and Don Emilio Barzini plotted Corleone's death.
Death[]
The murder scene
One day, Sonny's brother-in-law Carlo Rizzi savagely beat his sister Connie Corleone, and Connie called Sonny to tell him about it. An infuriated Sonny left the Corleone Compound alone in a car, and he had to stop at the Jones Beach Causeway to pay the toll before driving into the city. However, the tollbooth attendant dropped Sonny's change and ducked down, allowing for gunmen in the tollbooths and in a car in front of him to open fire with submachine guns. Corleone was riddled with bullets, and one of the hitmen kicked his head to ensure that he was dead. Sonny's death led to Don Corleone negotiating a ceasefire to stop the conflict.
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