John Martorano: The Executioner

Steve Kroft Interviews Triggerman Of Boston's Notorious Winter Hill Gang

(CBS)  It was the code he lived by and killed for. The first time it was an ex con, Robert Palladino, he thought was going to implicate his brother Jimmy in a murder. Palladino was found under an expressway with a bullet in his head.

Martorano says he didn't see anything wrong with it. "I saved my brother’s life, somebody got hurt, that had to be," he says.

Asked if it felt like a duty, Martorano says, "An obligation."

"Was the next time easier?" Kroft asks.

"Well, it's sort of like a lawyer trying his first case. It's difficult but the next case is easier. Then it gets easier, I guess, as you go. 'Cause it's you know, doing this is harder than that," Martorano says.

Why?

"'Cause it's hard for me to do. I never did it before," he says.

By the 1970s, his circle of friends and family had expanded to include the Winter Hill Gang, led by the notorious Irish mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger and Stevie "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Martorano was their partner in a business that included gambling, loan sharking, extortion and murder. Martorano's specialty was conflict resolution.

"We had a lot of problems with people. And you know, you just killed them before they kill you. It's kill or get killed at times," Martorano explains.

"I mean, on one occasion, you walked into a crowded bar…and shot somebody. In broad daylight…with the policeman across the street," Kroft says.

"Correct," Martorano admits.

"That's pretty confident," Kroft remarks.

"Well, I felt confident," Martorano says. "You put a disguise on and you just get to feel invisible.

Martorano remembers what the disguise was. "I had a yellow hard hat, a white meat cutter's coat, full length and a beard and mustaches and sunglasses," he recalls.

Asked what he did afterwards, Martorano says, "I went home and changed, back to work."

They operated out of an old body shop, long since abandoned, but Whitey Bulger's chair is still there, and so is his old office.

"I think that's the trapdoor for the cellar. Used to leave that open all the time. Just to intimidate people. Try to get the truth out of them," Martorano remembers. "People would look down there and just wonder."

"Anybody go down there and never come up?" Kroft asks.

"I think so, yeah," Martorano says.

By 1978 Martorano had already killed 18 people, and facing an indictment for fixing horse races, he fled to Florida, where he was living a quiet life under the name "Richard Aucoin." He was only there a few years when Bulger and Flemmi called, asking him to carry out a murder that made headlines across the country, the assassination of a wealthy corporate executive in the parking lot of the exclusive Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa.

The victim was Roger Wheeler, the CEO of Telex Corporation and owner of World Jai Alai, a profitable sports betting business that Bulger was trying to muscle in on. Martorano says the logistical information to carry out the hit was provided by a former Boston FBI agent named Paul Rico.

"How did you manage to get into the Southern Hills Country Club to kill Mr. Wheeler?" Kroft asks.

"There was no gates. We drive in. Waited for him to finish playing golf. I had an update when he was gonna -- his tee time. So, I just waited for him to finish," Martorano remembers.

"You knew what he looked like?" Kroft asks.

"I had his description from Rico," Martorano says.

Martorano says he shot Wheeler once in the head.

so let me get this straight? if i us the gd word i''m condemned to hell, but if i go to chruch and ask for forgiveness i can end up on 60 minutes for murdering dozen of people? huh?

so let me get this straight? if i us the gd word i''m condemned to hell, but if i go to chruch and ask for forgiveness i can end up on 60 minutes for murdering dozen of people? huh?

[patriot12436]

Alicebrown
This you can fid in all faiths as no one is perfect. Still we do not condemm because of the acts of some the whole religion.

[patriot12436]

I turned away from the Christain faith, it didn''t give me what i was looking for. I still respect the christain religion. It is ran by man so is fallible and they make mistakes like everyone else. You do not condemm a religion because it makes mistakes, you learn from it and try toi move forward in a positive direction.

[dpmj5001]

I cannot believe this guy after killing 20 + people only got 14 years behind bars, while Bill Erpenbeck, a Northern Kentucky home builder convicted of bank fraud has a sentence of 25 years with no chance of a reduced sentence. Please view KyPost.com David..

[dooney8]

I''m pretty sure they already made a movie, and it won an Oscar for best picture. Way to stay on top of current events cajun3. And why would you oppose inceased penalties for rape? Hmmmmm.....

LEXMAN141 has the best post. If you''re story is true it made the comments section worht reading.

[bastiano-2009]

RE Your Martorano story. He insists that he is not a ''stool pigeon'' and is a ''standup guy''.

Bulls__t! He knows what a standup guy is. A standup guy by definition does not send his asscoiates to prison. Capice?

He is a RAT!!!

[lexman141]

I represented Mr. Martorano in Tulsa County District Court.

My representation was pro bono. After this seemingly avuncular entered his plea and received his sentence, he looked me in the eye and said "Skip, thanks for all your help, when I get out I''ll take care of you" (I think he meant payment). I replied "John forget we ever met." I never heard from him again.

[toshi43]

Incredible. This guy admits killing 20 people and walks free, and in the same country (not sure which state) they''re trying to get rape declared a capital offence. I''ll bet the movie deal''s already in the works.

[cager-lowry]

Martorano will burn in hell justifiably and soon.

[akakjb]

Wow - he got the same amount of Our Fathers & Hail Marys for whacking 20 people that I got in Catholic school for having to make up something to confess (hey, I''m 12 and having to go to confession once a week, how much am I going to have to confess in a week?).

But I do understand his just assimilating to his environment. You see it everywhere, from ''da hood'' to what''s thought of as upper class society. People really are a product of the environment they grow up in. That doesn''t make anything this guy did right but I agree with the deal the government cut with him. The potential for good to come out of the deal vs. society''s need for retribution has definitely borne out. If you''re particularly worried about this guy being on the streets of Boston, I wouldn''t worry. I''m sure there''s someone else out there with the same upbringing as his that will satisfy you before too long.

Oh, and leafsintrees, the mental health center called and they want you to go back on the meds. And please bring back their monkey - they''re afraid you''re being a bad influence on it.

[ostapbender-2009]

You missed a golden opportunity in not having John Martarano interview Roger Clemens. That would be real investigative journalism.

Maybe next time?

[goldvalley1]

This man, unfortunately, was raised a coward and lived the life of a coward. Our young adults should take no credence much less heroism in this man''s beliefs and actions.
Sometimes being physical is necessary unto defence. For example; The day I needed to save Dave VanGorder (drafted by the Reds to replace Johny Bench when he retired) from a bull mastiff of a mans assault on him. Dave was taking a beating until I stepped in and convinced the perpetrator his life was mine to take, and take with my bare hands if he didn''t repent and change his perspective. To the astonished belief of all who was present, the man walked away without as much as a scratch. (Easily verifiable via Dave VanGorder himself.) By the way, Dave never used (IPID)!! Yet he could throw out the fastest base runner, (without getting up off his knees) if he thought he could steel second on Dave.
Gerard J Washburn

[cfin5]

Mr. Martorano did what his kind do. He doesn''t disgust me half as much as any crooked cop. I kept reading on to find the demise of the "judas agent".

[brianbwb-2009]

t is just business. No need to get your panties in a wad. As Charlie Chaplin observed, "Kill one and it is murder, kill a million and it is a statistic". Posted by dustfullman

You forgot one, "Kill them all, you''re a God"...

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by Paul783

I understand your sadness at Martorano, but don''t you think it is even worse that the priest gave such a penance?

[paul783]

As a Catholic I was saddened and grossly insulted by the Martorano%u2019s heartless description of the powerful Catholic sacrament of reconciliation. He went on to mention %u201Cthat he had finally gone to confession after thirty years and confessed his (sordid) actions to a priest.%u201D So far, so good, but then he flippantly conveys that the priest said to him %u2013 %u201Csay ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Mary%u2019s and don%u2019t do it again!%u201D I%u2019m sorry, but what could have been a beautiful opportunity for a serious sinner to humbly share about the awesome Mercy of Almighty God - turned into a mockery of the very Church and Sacrament that helped to save his eternal soul.
Yes, God is merciful and will forgive ANY sin we confess with a contrite heart, but God is also perfectly just. Salvation is ultimately between God and the sinner, but our %u201Cregretful%u201D Martorano will most likely have to pay his dues in this life and the next. The concept of Purgatory is no longer in vogue in our secular humanist society, but that doesn%u2019t mean it doesn%u2019t exist as the Church teaches it! The Catholic Church teaches us that, yes, if our killer was contrite he will eventually be with God in heaven only through the actions of Jesus dying of the cross for us, but his soul may spend a very, very long time in purgatory until our coldhearted hero gets it right - and eventually figures out what the virtues of love, compassion and forgiveness are.

[dustfullman]

Invoking the First Responders has become synonymous with supporting the troops as a way of questioning the patriotism and judgment of someone who disagrees with the party line. For some reason when the first responders actually do what they are paid for they automatically become heroes. Go George.

[runningralph]

toffeenose,
I think the majority would agree with you that the crack dealers should be put back into their neighborhoods to wreak more havoc. The only ones who might disagree are the first responders who have to deal with the havoc. I''m sure their old neighborhoods would love to have them back.

[burchtree11]

i am sitting here watching 60 minutes as usual on a Sunday evening.
I am stunned you would spend a minute of your time on that convicted
gang killer. Hes a piece of garbage as shown by his lack of remorse on the interview.people like this DO NOT deserve ANY recognition by anyone. You usually do a pretty good job informing the public on IMPORTANT people and activites in this nation and the world. You missed the boat with this piece. I think you owe the viewing public an apology.