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Murder, Inc.: The Mafia's Hit Squad

Most people think the Mafia did its own dirty work. Not always. In the 1930s and '40s, when the mob wanted someone dead, they often outsourced it — to murder. Reporters in the 1940s coined the name "Murder, Incorporated" (shortened to Murder, Inc.) after the Brooklyn District Attorney's office started exposing a massive network of contract killings tied to the Mafia. It wasn't an official title used by the mob — the gangsters themselves never called it that.

The term caught on because it sounded like a business, which fit the chilling way the group operated: murder as a service, systematized and efficient.

· They were the mob's killers for hire.

Murder, Inc. was a group of hitmen, mainly from Brooklyn, tasked with carrying out executions for the National Crime Syndicate. They handled it if you broke the rules, stole, snitched, or stepped out of line.

· They were multi-ethnic — and deadly.

This wasn't just Italians. The crew included Jewish killers like Abe "Kid Twist" Reles and Bugsy Siegel, alongside Italian hitmen like Albert Anastasia, known as "The Lord High Executioner."

· They may have killed up to 1,000 people.

Records are spotty, but historians believe Murder, Inc. carried out 400 to 1,000 murders during their run. Many victims were never identified, and their killers were never caught.

· They had rules — twisted ones.

Mafia bosses usually approve hits. Victims weren't to be tortured. The job was to be clean and professional. Most were done with an ice pick, gun, or rope.

· They were taken down by one of their own.

Abe Reles, facing jail, flipped. He spilled secrets from a guarded hotel room that brought down key players. He mysteriously "fell" from a window before he could testify against Anastasia. One comment about his death, "He sang like a canary, but he couldn't fly."

· Murder, Inc. didn't just kill people — they perfected it.

They were the Mafia's invisible hand, erasing problems before anyone asked a question. They turned contract killing into an organized, efficient system, almost like a business. Here's what made their operations so methodical and effective:
They professionalized murder: hits were planned, clean, and emotionless.
They had a chain of command: orders came from the top and were executed without hesitation.
They were disciplined: no witnesses, careful methods, and constant changes in tactics.
They brought predictability to the underworld: if you were marked, you were as good as gone.

In short, Murder, Inc. didn't just kill — they made it organized, dependable, and ruthless.

Books to add to your collection:

1. Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate by Burton Turkus and Sid Feder
This is the definitive account, written by the assistant DA who prosecuted the case. Turkus was the man who helped bring Murder, Inc. down — and he names names. First-hand, gritty, and packed with detail.

2. But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters by Robert A. Rockaway
Covers figures like Abe “Kid Twist” Reles and Bugsy Siegel. It puts Murder, Inc. in context with the broader story of Jewish-American gangsters.

3. The Valachi Papers by Peter Maas
While not strictly about Murder, Inc., this book gives a close look into Mafia structure and code — including how murder contracts worked. Joseph Valachi was the first mobster to publicly testify about the Mob, and his account adds valuable background.

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