As with many legends, the details of Joe Masseria’s murder have become blurry over the nine decades since his death, with varying accounts as to the circumstances of his death. The classic 1976 true crime tome “The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano” by Martin A. Gosch and Richard Hammer contains one of the most influential versions of Masseria’s downfall. Luciano was a gangster who teamed up with Masseria despite his personal dislike of the capo — the book is said to have been compiled from interviews with Luciano and to offer his true recollections.
In his version, he was with Masseria for lunch in a Coney Island restaurant (pictured) when he was shot. Luciano claims that “Joe the Boss” gorged on four separate dishes and had started on a second bottle of wine before he was ambushed by gunmen who rushed into the restaurant while Luciano was in the bathroom. He claims that he and Masseria had played a single hand of cards before the boss was shot. Other sources, such as John H. Davis’ “Mafia Dynasty,” describe Masseria as “gluttonous” and also insist he died after a large meal.
Read Related Also: What Different Religions Say About Marijuana And Its Use
Masseria’s mugshot shows him as a man who looks unusually stocky for the period in which he lived, which may have led to the myth of his having demolished an enormous meal before he was murdered. However, his autopsy revealed that he had no food in his stomach, which discounts many of the versions of his death that have become part of his legend.
