A Warlocks gang member was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying of a gang prospect whose body was found in a crypt. (Photos from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office)
A member of the Warlocks motorcycle gang has been convicted of first-degree murder for shooting a gang prospect in a cemetery, tying a rope around his neck, dragging the corpse with a car and dropping the body in a crypt, officials said.
After several hours of deliberation, the jury returned their verdict against Michael DiMauro, 51, in the death of 33-year-old David Rossillo, Jr., last seen alive in December 2017. DiMauro was convicted of all charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, abuse of a corpse and related firearm charges, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a news release.
Investigators believe DiMauro met Rossillo at the historic Mount Moriah Cemetery in southwest Philadelphia. He got into the cemetery with the help of a co-conspirator who served on the cemetery’s nonprofit board, prosecutors said.
Two cooperating witnesses implicated DiMauro in the murder, officials said.
On April 3, 2020, investigators found the crypt and discovered the remains of Rossillo and the body of 36-year-old Keith Palumbo. DNA taken from the remains led to the official identification of Rossillo and Palumbo in August 2020, officials said.
DiMauro was arrested the following month.
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Michael DeLuca, another Warlocks gang member, was arrested in 2021 and pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in Palumbo’s killing in January. Three other co-conspirators pleaded guilty to helping dispose of the bodies.
Officials said the motives for both killings are unknown, but it was rumored that Rossillo and Palumbo had broken “club rules,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
DiMauro, who represented himself, will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole later this month.
“We are committed to bringing justice in cold cases like this,” said Krasner. “I believe that these convictions should send a message to any persons who think they can murder others and hide the evidence of their heinous crimes: We will solve these cases, and we will bring you to justice.”
In a report on gangs in 2021, a circuit court judge in Florida said Warlocks have such a nasty reputation that even many of their fellow motorcycle clubs won’t associate with them.
“The gang has a history of extreme violence,” the report said. “They have been known to commit crimes such as assaulting rival gang leaders and indiscriminately killing police officers, helping them earn their spot as one of the most dangerous motorcycle clubs.”
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