Matteo Messina Denaro, the notorious orchestrator behind some of the Sicilian Mafia’s most brutal murders, reportedly passed away on Monday while in a prison hospital ward.
Investigators had long regarded Messina Denaro, aged 61, as one of the mafia’s most influential leaders. For over three decades, he managed to evade law enforcement, largely residing in western Sicily, his stronghold, with the assistance of complicit locals. However, his requirement for colon cancer treatment ultimately resulted in his apprehension on January 16, 2023.
He passed away a little past 2:00 a.m., and doctors reported he had been in a coma since Friday, according to Italian reports.
In this picture taken from a video released by Italian Carabinieri, top Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro leaves an Italian Carabinieri barrack soon after his arrest at a private clinic in Palermo, Sicily, after 30 years on the run, on Jan. 16, 2023. (Carabinieri via AP, File)
“You shouldn’t deny prayers to anyone, but I can’t say I am sorry,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini wrote on Instagram.
As a fugitive, Messina Denaro was tried and found guilty in absentia of numerous murder charges. Among these convictions was his participation, alongside other Cosa Nostra leaders, in plotting the devastating 1992 bombings that claimed the lives of Italy’s foremost anti-mafia prosecutors, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
A composite picture showing a computer-generated image released by the Italian Police, right, and a picture of Mafia top boss Matteo Messina Denaro. (Italian Police, LaPresse via AP)
Messina Denaro was part of a group of high-ranking Cosa Nostra leaders found guilty of orchestrating a series of bombings in 1993. These attacks targeted two churches in Rome, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, and an art gallery in Milan. Tragically, these bombings resulted in the loss of ten lives in Florence and Milan combined.
He played a role in orchestrating the abduction of 12-year-old Giuseppe Di Matteo, with the intent of deterring the boy’s father from testifying against the mafia. Giuseppe was held captive for two years before he was murdered, Reuters reported.
Messina Denaro never married, but he did have a daughter, whom he met after being captured.
According to a government official, his remains are anticipated to be transported to Sicily in the forthcoming days for an exclusively private funeral.
