An Unexpected Connection conclusion
The weeks went by, we solved some murders, cleared up DBs, and aided in missing persons investigations. We had left looking for the drug dealer for Jefferson and Jackson to the Vice boys. Our looking through Tonnelli’s life showed a humble existence and some small evidence of corruption. His wife was just a loving and loyal wife and was above suspicion, his children were investigated, though there were some suspicious dealings, none that spoke to motive, and their alibis’ were unbreakable. Looked like another cold case in the works, but we had other cases to solve too. More legwork, more bottles of bourbon down the tube, and more packs of cigarettes burnt up, the every day life of the Detective.
At 6:30 PM on March 12th, we got a call from Roy Stewart to go down to the West Detroit Precinct, where the Vice Squad worked out of. We drove out there and met them in the interrogation rooms. Upon arrival, Stewart and Brown greeted us,
“Rusty, Jack, you remember the Tonelli killing? Well, we suspect that this drug dealer might have had something to do with it, name’s Leroy Floyd, turns out he sold those two musicians the hop. But we also know his boss probably has connections, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so sure of himself, at the mention of Tonelli he got a little scared though, so we thought we’d call you guys in.”
“Thanks, Roy, anything else?” I asked.
“Well, not really. Just that he operates in that area of the city where those two musicians ODed and where Tonelli got clipped. He won’t spill on his boss, I thought you boys might have a better go at it.”
“Thanks, Roy, Finn.”
We walked into the Interrogation room, the fellow was a negro about 23, likely not a ring leader, but was about the right height to be the Strangler, big husky fellow. He was sullen and greeted us rudely,
“What do you idiots want? Going to waste more of my day?”
Jack started off,
“Listen, Leroy, we’re from Homicide, Sergeant Mulligan and Detective Marshall. We’re investigating the murder of Rico Tonelli, we heard you might know a thing or two about it.”
He got real apprehensive, looking scared and shocked, he managed to get his tongue, looking at Jack and Me,
“Wha..what’d you mean about me, I…I…I got no..nothing to do with that?!”
“Stow it, Leroy, we got footprints which make you fit the height and weight perfectly.” I shouted at him.
“You’s wastin’ your time ya old fart.”
“Listen, kid, you got a hop charge comin’, it won’t help you getting hostile with us, you may as well be doing life now, you fit the height and weight of our strangler, and I’m gonna guess you got no alibi considering how nervous you are; You were perfectly calm till we mentioned Tonelli’s murder. So unless you got an airtight alibi, you’d better start singing, or we’re gonna sleep easy sending you up for life with no parole, and wishing you’d been hung.”
He got real polite, real fast, replying,
“Look, Suh, cut me a break, I got no alibi you right about that, but uh..okay, look it’s my Boss some Jewboy named Goldstein, he’s got a good racket goin’ and was tryin’ to get that Wop to fund more dope, he refused to and told him that while he wouldn’t rat, he’d get it out on the street for his pals to take care of.”
Jack asked him,
“Listen, Leroy, we believe you, but you’d better give us Goldstein’s first name, or at least an address or we don’t have anything to believe you on, what the Vice Boys do is up to them, but we’ll have a talk with them for you, see if they can give you a break, but you’ll be getting something for being in on the murder. Okay?”
“Sure Mista, I’ll do whateva you say, it’s at [research address] just a couple blocks from where we clipped Tonelli, don’t got a first name, he distracted him while I strangled Tonelli.”
“Okay Leroy, you probably will be out of the can at some point before you lose all your good years.” Finished Jack.
“Look, Leroy you are young and have some time to turn your life around from being a dope peddler, and an accessory to murder, my brother has an auto shop, when you get out go talk to him, okay?” I added.
“Sho Mista, sho thing, thanks a lot, I’ll try my best.” He replied.
We thanked Stewart and Brown and we decided to go to pick up Goldstein before he got word that his flunky got pinched. We got in our cars, and drove to the address, Stewart and Brown watched the back door while we knocked on the door. Goldstein opened the door, he was about average size, but very lightweight, a perfect match for our distracting accomplice. Upon identification, he got extremely nervous, when he heard our reason for the investigation, he made a run for the back door. I managed to tackle him and cuff him before he got 10 feet. further search of the house brought no new evidence, but with Floyd’s testimony about the murder and crime scene evidence would be enough to send’em up for murder.
We drove downtown while Stewart and Brown returned to their precinct to question Floyd on his narcotics charges. On the way we questioned Goldstein, he kept schtum until we told him that we were going to run him by R&I to check for further wants and warrants. Upon hearing that, he got scared, and fessed up, that he was wanted in California, for murder and drug dealing, and jumping bail. It all came into place, he was avoiding the gas chamber in LA and was trying to keep his hop dealing going. When his attempts to gain help politically from Tonelli failed, he killed him. Benny Goldstein was held on Extradition, and we heard he was convicted on all of his charges in California and was executed in the Lethal Gas Chamber in San Quentin, California, on May 9th, 1946. Leroy Floyd was sent up for 14 years at Marquette Penitentiary on Narcotics charges and accessory to murder.
Two birds caught and convicted, two more off the streets, but the Sons of Cane are never without another murder to commit. My job was done for the moment, Tonelli had some suspected corruption, but nothing obvious, so murder he deserved not. We made our paychecks, got our headlines, and moved on to the next case. ‘Till Judgment Day we’ll be walking through the cadavers and corpses that the Sons and Daughters of Cane will continue to make for us to clean up.
