Galati Guilty; One Down, Two to Go
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| Ron Galati faces life--and still has two more trials in his future. |
They were hung--hopelessly deadlocked. They said as much in a note to Judge Joseph Rodriguez.
Keep trying, he responded.
And, presto! Less than one hour later, the jurors reached a verdict and just... like... that, Ronald Galati was found guilty on all counts in his murder-for-hire trial.
The man himself "sat stone-faced at the defense table," noted Philly.com, while the forewoman read the verdicts aloud in the courtroom.
Galati, 64, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, murder for hire, and associated weapons charges.
He has two additional cases pending against him in Philadelphia for yet another murder-for-hire case in which Galati allegedly plotted to have a rival auto shop owner and his son taken out, and an insurance fraud case.
"Galati, who wore a black toupee and took intermittent puffs from an inhaler throughout the trial, waved to his family as he was handcuffed and led away by U.S. marshals," Philly.com reported.
The owner of American Collision & Automotive Center in South Philadelphia, Galati, dubbed by the press as a "mob wannabe," was found guilty of hiring three hit men to shoot his daughter's boyfriend, Andrew Tuono, last November in Atlantic City.
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| Tiffany Galati testified against her father; the defense tried to cast her in a suspicious light, which the jury didn't buy. |
The hit was carried out, but Tuono survived and the hit men flipped: Ronald Walker, 49, the admitted shooter, Alvin Matthews, 47, and Jerome Johnson, 45, the wheelman all pleaded guilty and testified, saying they were hired by Galati, who sent them gunning for Tuono after carefully instructing them not to harm any young woman who happened to be with Tuono when they shot him down.
Galati's daughter, Tiffany, also testified, as did the intended target, a wounded Tuono.
"The jury deliberated for about five hours over two days before bringing in the guilty verdicts. No date has been set for sentencing, but the 64-year-old auto body shop owner faces 20 years or more," according to Big Trial's George Anastasia.
"With a prior conviction for insurance fraud and with two other cases pending in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, Galati could very well spend the rest of his life in prison."
"Ronald Galati hired two men to kill his daughter's boyfriend outside his home. This reprehensible conduct has no place in civilized society," U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a statement. "We are grateful to the jury for bringing Galati to justice."
With its verdict, the jury rejected the defense argument that Tiffany Galati was actually behind the attack. The larger scenario the defense attorney attempted to depict placed Tuono, an alleged pill pusher, in a drug feud with one of the hit men, who also was a drug dealer.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Jason Richardson said Galati was furious with Tuono for prompting Tiffany to move to Atlantic City with his grandson. Also fueling Galati's murderous rage--[I will] "kill him myself, I will strangle him, I will poke his eyes out"--was the fact that Tuono had sent a text message to Galati's son, Ron Jr., calling him a "pussy." [Ed.'s Note: First time I ever saw the p-word used in a USAA's quote and first time I ever saw the word printed in a daily newspaper--or should I say daily news blog.]
Big Trial further noted:
While Galati liked to play the role of The Godfather and frequently quoted lines from famous gangster movies, the plot he was convicted of setting in motion was strictly a grade-B operation.
Ronald Walker, the admitted shooter, was arrested within minutes of the assault. Alvin Matthews, his accomplice, was picked up a few minutes later. Both quickly told authorities Galati had hired them to kill Tuono. Walker said he was promised $20,000.
A third conspirator, Galati's long-time friend Jerome Johnson, began cooperating in July after he was indicted along with Galati on the murder-for-hire, conspiracy and weapons offenses.
Johnson, Walker and Matthews all testified for the prosecution.
Galati wanted Tuono dead, they said. The motive? Tiffany Galati had moved in with Tuono, a one-time friend of Galati's.
Galati was described by Richardson as an overly possessive father who sometimes called his grown daughter a dozen times a day. He was said to detest Tuono who he believed had taken his daughter away from the family.