August 27, 1964
Ernest “The Hawk” Rupolo had been a career criminal almost since the time he could walk. In a very early mug shot he looks only about twenty or so, and his mouth is twisted in a crooked smirk. Already, though, there is a patch over Rupolo’s right eye. He had lost it in an earlier altercation and the offending bullet never exited his head; it remained there, lodged in his skull for the rest of his life, a terrible souvenir from a lifetime of violence.
A killer for hire, way back in the 1930s Rupolo had been involved in the contract that Vito Genovese had put out on Ferdinand “The Shadow” Boccia. It’s not likely that Rupolo actually did kill Boccia, but he did know about the murder—all about it. Then, in 1944, he was picked up for the attempted murder of another mobster, Carl Sparacino. Facing a lengthy prison sentence, Rupolo decided to feed the authorities information about the Boccia killing; and his story would lead all the way to the top, to Vito Genovese of course.
No doubt about it, Rupolo was clearly a risk-taker. Possibly it was that bullet that was lodged in his brain. Maybe it had severed certain cerebral connections in his head that at one time would have given him access to common sense, or at least to the notion of self-preservation.
The accusation of Boccia’s murder brought Genovese all the way back from Italy so he could stand trial. But predictably, two of the key witnesses in the case passed away before they could testify, and Genovese was acquitted. Three years after this debacle, in 1949, Ernest Rupolo was back on the street and attempting—very vigorously—to make himself scarce.
One might imagine that Rupolo’s life expectancy at this point would be pretty short, what with him being a stool pigeon and all. But Vito Genovese did not deal with him right away. In fact, years and years went by, and still the mob boss made no move against Rupolo. Maybe it was because Genovese had not been convicted of the Boccia murder, or maybe it was because he wanted Rupolo to suffer, to wriggle like a worm on a hook. Ultimately, his death did not fit into Genovese’s plans, as of yet. So Rupolo was allowed to languish, waiting for the inevitable, as he made a meagre living from any small racket he could put together.
His number was finally up in August of 1964. Joe Valachi had just testified against the mob the year before, and this famous betrayal may have triggered something in Genovese, inspiring him to take revenge against all squealers, just on principle. They of course included Rupolo.
The body of Rupolo was found on August 27, 1964. The corpse was in a dreadful state. Bound at the hands, Rupolo had been stabbed and shot multiple times.With his feet encased in cement, his body was dumped into Jamaica Bay in New York.
His had been a hard-luck existence, but The Hawk really should have known that in the end there was no escaping his fate—even though it had been long ago, he’d still been marked for murder.