Thomas Anthony "Tommy" DeSimone (24 May 1950 – 14 January 1979), also known as Tommy DeVito, was an associate of the Lucchese crime family of the American Mafia. He was murdered by the Gambino crime family in 1979 in retribution for his killing of Gambino made man Billy Batts nine years earlier.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Jimmy Conway introducing Henry Hill to DeSimone
Tommy DeSimone was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on 24 May 1950, the grandson of Los Angeles crime boss Rosario DeSimone and the nephew of Frank DeSimone. One of his brothers would go on to join the Gambino crime family, only to be murdered by Thomas Agro in 1979. DeSimone was raised in New York City, and he worked as a shoeshine boy during his youth. In 1965, he was introduced to the crew of Lucchese crime family caporegime Paul Cicero, and he became involved in truck hijackings, dealing and fencing of stolen property, extortion, fraud, and murder. He was infamous for his violent temper, throwing darts at other players if he was losing in pinochle. His friend Henry Hill would describe him as "a pure psychopath" who was always strung out on cocaine. DeSimone killed at least 11 people, and he always carried around his gun in a brown paper bag; he would sometimes use random people as target practice for his new gun, and he was ready to kill someone if they slighted him.
Murder of Billy Batts[]
Bentvena's death
On 11 June 1970, DeSimone, Hill, and their friend Jimmy Conway hosted a "welcome home" party for Gambino crime family mobster Billy Batts after his return from prison. Batts angered DeSimone by telling some fellow mobsters that DeSimone used to work as a shoeshine boy; he wanted to impress the other mobsters, who were from other families. DeSimone was enraged, and he proceeded to beat Batts senseless, with Conway and Hill later joining in. They wrapped him in a table cloth, threw him in the trunk of a car, and drove him to the side of a road upstate. There, DeSimone stabbed him several times with one of his mother's knives, and Conway proceeded to shoot Batts several times. His body was buried at that roadside, and it was later exhumed and moved to prevent real estate developers from finding it.
Last murders[]
DeSimone would continue to engage in murders after the killing of Batts; among his victims were the waiter Michael Gianco (whom DeSimone had previously shot in the foot "accidentally"), informant Remo Cersani, and John Gotti's protégé Ronald "Foxy" Jerothe (who had threatened to kill DeSimone for beating up his sister). In December 1978, DeSimone took part in the Lufthansa heist, and he was involved in the murders of the heist crew members that occurred afterwards, personally killing Stacks Edwards and Morrie Kessler.
Death[]
The murderers inspecting DeSimone's body
On 14 January 1979, DeSimone was driven to a house by Lucchese mobsters Tuddy Cicero and Bruno Facciolo, who convinced him that he was going to be "made" there (to be inducted into the Mafia). DeSimone wore his finest clothing and bade his mother farewell before heading into the car. Upon arrival at the house, he realized that nobody was there, and he knew his fate. He muttered, "Oh, no," before Cicero fired one shot into the back of his head, instantly killing him.
DeSimone's murder was revenge for the murder of Billy Batts, a made man, as well as for several other reasons (including Jerothe's murder). He was shot in the face so that his mother could not have an open-casket funeral for him. Not long after DeSimone's death, his mistress Theresa Ferrara was murdered.