On the rainy morning of October 5, 1995, 35-year-old William Billy Veasey left his South Philadelphia home to get coffee and was gunned down at a stop sign a block away. Two men ran up to his GMC Jimmy and fired nine shots; six hit Veasey. He was found slumped over the wheel with a 9mm at his side and died at a hospital less than an hour later.

The killing coincided with the day Billy’s brother, John Veasey, a government witness and known mob hitman, was to testify against Philadelphia mob boss John Stanfa. Federal investigators initially thought the slaying was a message to silence that testimony. Later, however, authorities say evidence and testimony, including from Ralph Natale, tied the order to a rival faction led by Natale and Joey Merlino and framed the killing as revenge for the 1993 murder of Michael Ciancaglini.

Several men were charged in a broader racketeering case that included the Veasey murder, but the jury did not convict anyone specifically for Billy Veasey’s death. The homicide remains officially unsolved. Anyone with memories of that morning or information about the shooting is asked to come forward.