Chicago Outfit Murder 1971?

[cavita]

Anyone have any further info on this possible Outfit hit?

Henry Rufo, age 40, was living in Lombard, Illinois when he was found in Freeport, Illinois in the trunk of a Ford Mustang (which was stolen) nude, beaten and stabbed in the heart twice in December 1971. Rufo was allegedly connected to Rocco Pranno among others and people in Melrose Park.

[Snakes]

He was a witness against Sam Battaglia and Joe Amabile in their extortion case in the late sixties. He refused to be relocated, instead staying in the Chicago area under a different last name. It didn't work.

[cavita]

He was a witness against Sam Battaglia and Joe Amabile in their extortion case in the late sixties. He refused to be relocated, instead staying in the Chicago area under a different last name. It didn't work.

Makes sense now... I assume Rufo was his changed last name?

[Snakes]

Yes, he changed it from Lakey, or something like that.

[Villain]

Yes, he changed it from Lakey, or something like that.

Thats right, Rufo was in fact Henry LaKey, a simple front man with clean record. The guy was a fool since all of the key witnesses against Battaglia were given new identities and relocated to other parts of the country, and he was the only one who refused to be relocated and only changed his name to Henry Rufo and moved to Lombard, Illinois. The interesting thing was that there was almost no known publicity of LaKey’s killing in the Chicago news media at the time. The murder was never solved, and the suspect of orchastrating the hit was Nicoletti.

[cavita]

Yes, he changed it from Lakey, or something like that.

Thats right, Rufo was in fact Henry LaKey, a simple front man with clean record. The guy was a fool since all of the key witnesses against Battaglia were given new identities and relocated to other parts of the country, and he was the only one who refused to be relocated and only changed his name to Henry Rufo and moved to Lombard, Illinois. The interesting thing was that there was almost no known publicity of LaKey’s killing in the Chicago news media at the time. The murder was never solved, and the suspect of orchastrating the hit was Nicoletti.

Nicoletti makes sense as a possible killer- he was apparently a fixture at Rockford area gambling games and even Outfit member Anthony "Long Pants" Perotti had some dealings in Freeport, which is interesting.