Roy Albert DeMeo was a Brooklyn-born Gambino crew leader whose organization became notorious for car theft, drug trafficking, loansharking and an especially brutal run of killings. Born September 7, 1940, DeMeo’s crew developed a method of disposing victims that left many people disappearing without a trace; estimates in accounts of the crew’s activity range as high as 200 victims. His alliance with the Westies helped secure his formal induction into the Mafia.

By the early 1980s the violence around DeMeo drew intense federal scrutiny. Gambino boss Paul Castellano, worried that DeMeo might flip, reportedly ordered his death. On January 10, 1983, the 42-year-old DeMeo drove to a meeting at the home of crew member Patty Testa and was never seen alive again. His body was found frozen in the trunk of his Cadillac in a Sheepshead Bay boat club parking lot on January 20, 1983; multiple gunshot wounds and injuries to his hands indicated he tried to shield himself.

No one was ever convicted specifically for DeMeo’s murder. Paul Castellano was later indicted in a wider racketeering case alleging he ordered the hit but was killed before that trial concluded; DeMeo’s mentor Anthony Nino Gaggi and crew members Joseph Testa and Anthony Senter were long suspected of involvement. Does anyone have additional details about DeMeo’s last movements or the meeting at Patty Testa’s house?