Evening star., 1940-03-10
Insurance Murder
Syndicate Smashed
With 19 Convictions
Only Two Remain to
Be Tried; Defendonts
Include Many Women
~ the Associated Pre-

s"%soOS NtVHy VOtHSu
~ the Associated Press.
PHILADELPHIA, March ga
murder syndicate whose deals In
death parallel the worlds most
notorious crimes Is nearing grim
dissolution in the court rooms Of
Philadelphia old tower-topped City
Hall.
Three years after its ruthless
operations came to light in the city's
teeming Latin quarter, all but two
of "A prisoners either have been
tried or have pleaded guilty. In
vestigators say the last plot has
been smashed.
Two of the alleged "brains"-a
one-tinae spaghetti salesman and q
dApper little tailor-have been sem
fenced to death. Juries recommend
ed similar punishment for two wom-
en- convicted of poisoning their
husbands.
Before long prosecutors hope to
complete the final trials and the
sentencing. In all, six persons were
convicted, three acquitted and 13
pleaded guilty. Half of the defend
ants are women-most of them
widows.
Syndicate FIourished.
But behind it is an astounding
tale of mass murders motivated by
cupidity, of superstition, "hexes,"
love concoctions and the black arts"
The sinister operations, as related
by detectives and defendants in
court rooms time and time again,
have inscribed this picture in the
annals of American criminal history:
A small group of men and women
founded the syndicate to get rich
quick through cheating insurance
companies. 1t flourished, later
established two branches and, final
ly, reached into neighboring States
for victims.
Insurance policies were pyramid
ed: fraud was resorted to in obtain
ing policies. Most of the victims
were obscure persons and many
were husbands of disgruntled wives.
The plotters not only killed on their
own initiative, but also hired out
their services.
The favorite means of death was
poison, slipped into the unsuspect-
ing prey's food. Hemlock, the dead
ly drink Socrates of classic Greece
was forced to take, was found in the
body of one victim. Often the poi
son was peddled as "witch's brew"
or Glove potion
Auto Accidents Faxed.
Where poison failed or was
deemed inadvisable. the killers re-
sorted to more violent means
sandbaggings, drownings and faxed
automobile accidents.
The denouement came simply for
so complex and bizarre a series of
crimes. A man who needed S25 to
begin the manufacture of a clean
ing fluid was sent to Paul Petrillo,
South Philadelphia tailor, who in
turn sent him to Petrillo's cousin,
Herman.
Both Petrillos are under sentence
Of death. :
Herman Petrillo, spaghetti sales
man, known to have been linked
with counterfeiting. talked to his
visitor of the possibility of killing a
man for money. The visitor later
went to the police and the secret
service.
Weeks passed. When the man
resumed discussion of the projected
murder, Herman told him it already
was being accomplished with poi
son-crudely refined from rat poison.
Finally, the victim died, and the
investigation of the murder-for-
insurance ring was on.
Woman Pleads Guilty.
Several months passed, however,
before the case broke wide Open"
That occurred when a 2OO-pound
boarding house keeper, Mrs. Charles
Favato, dramatically halted her
trial and pleaded guilty to poisoning
three men, including her common
law husband
She is among those awaiting SEN
tence.
The actual number of persons who
fell prey to the syndicate never may
be known. Investigators have made
estimates ranging "up to 10O." Nu-
nerous graves were opened during
the investigation, and detectives
still wonder how many others may
conceal more victims.