Paul Castellano's murder site

This is the site where three gunmen assassinated Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano.

Sparks Steak House is located at 210 East 46th Street in Manhattan, New York.

On December 16, 1985, Castellano and his bodyguard, Thomas Bilotti, arrived at this restaurant for a meeting but never made it inside. As they exited their vehicle, three hitmen ambushed them and opened fire.

Background

Castellano's killers were part of a "hit squad" assembled by Gambino capo John Gotti.

Over the years, Gotti and other family members had grown tired of Castellano's leadership.

They viewed him as a greedy, out-of-touch boss who ruled them from his mansion on Staten Island.

Castellano forbade his men from getting involved in the lucrative drug trade, as he viewed it as a risk to the organization. He feared that the lengthy prison sentences associated with drug trafficking would encourage men to "flip." The trade also attracted intense scrutiny from federal authorities, which he sought to avoid.

The punishment for breaking this rule was death.

Despite this, Gotti's crew ignored his orders and continued to sell drugs.

During the mid-1980s, Castellano learned that Gotti's brother, Gene Gotti, and his childhood friend, Angelo Ruggiero, had been indicted on narcotics charges. When he heard that a wiretap was involved, he repeatedly demanded copies of the tapes.

On the recordings, the men spoke openly about their involvement in the heroin trade and made several disparaging remarks about Castellano.

Knowing the tapes would seal their fate, they refused to turn them over.

In response, Castellano threatened to demote Gotti from his position as capo and reassign members of his crew.

Tensions escalated in December 1985 when Castellano failed to attend the wake of Gotti's mentor and the family's underboss, Aniello Dellacroce.

His absence angered Gotti and many of Dellacroce's loyalists, who saw it as a sign of disrespect.

After Dellacroce's death, Castellano bypassed senior members of the family and promoted his personal bodyguard, Bilotti, to underboss.

When Gotti learned that Castellano had plans to dismantle his crew, he decided it was time to act.

Consequently, Gotti and other members of the Gambino family began planning to kill their boss and his bodyguard.

Following Castellano's controversial handling of the wake, senior Gambino members convinced him to meet with Dellacroce's son to ease growing tensions within the family. One of the capos urging him to smooth things over was his longtime protégé, Frank DeCicco.

DeCicco, however, had grown disillusioned with Castellano's isolated leadership style and focus on white-collar schemes. He was also concerned about who would be appointed acting boss if Castellano was convicted in his upcoming racketeering trials.

Believing it was time for change, DeCicco tipped off Gotti about the meeting.

Once Gotti learned that Castellano and Bilotti were scheduled to attend a meeting at Sparks Steak House, he set up a "hit squad" of six men.

Murder

Gotti and Gambino soldier Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano arrived near the restaurant at 5 p.m. The pair parked near the intersection of East 46th Street and 3rd Avenue and kept watch with a walkie-talkie.

The primary "hit squad" allegedly consisted of Salvatore Scala, Edward Lino, and John Carneglia.

Disguised in trench coats and fur hats, the men positioned themselves by the main entrance of the restaurant. Meanwhile, another group of hitmen waited down the street, acting as backup.

At approximately 5:25 p.m., Gravano used his walkie-talkie to alert the shooters that Castellano's Lincoln Continental was heading in their direction.

Bilotti and Castellano parked roughly 100 feet east of the intersection.

As they exited the vehicle, the three men at the front of the steakhouse ran toward them and opened fire.

Castellano was killed while exiting the passenger side. News footage later showed his body lying on the sidewalk beside a lamppost.

The gunmen shot Bilotti as he stepped out of the driver's side. He collapsed in the street, roughly two yards from the sidewalk.

During the shooting, Gotti and Gravano sat in their car and watched. Before leaving the area, they slowly drove past the scene to confirm the men were dead.