BOSTON, May 2 -- In a chilling tale of slaughter, a reputed mobster calmly told a jury in Boston how he shot and killed four unarmed underworld rivals in a crowded restaurant. Anthony Clemente showed no remorse as he described the Nov. 6, 1995 massacre at the 99 Restaurant & Pub in Charlestown, saying he would have killed the only survivor, but he ran out of bullets.
Asked to sum up his actions that day, Clemente said simply, 'Killed everybody ... shot 'em dead.' Clemente, 48, of suburban Medford, Mass., told the Suffolk County jury that he went to the restaurant to protect his son, Damian, 22, and friend Vincent Perez, 28, from members of the rival Luisi family, who were seated a few tables away. As he began to argue with the victims, Clemente said Roman Luisi, 25, suddenly stood up and began reaching toward his belt, and Clemente said, 'I know he ain't reachin' for no Bible.' With that Clemente said he opened fire with his 9mm gun, pumping 13 bullets into Roman; his father, Robert Sr., 56; Robert Sarro, 29, Robert Luisi's nephew, and Anthony Pelosi, 53, a family friend. When he saw Roman Luisi still alive on the floor, he said he shot him in the back of the head 'just to make sure.' As it turned out, none of the victims was armed. Despite the lunchtime crowd, no one else was injured. Prosecutors say the shootings capped a feud between two gangs fighting for control of Boston's North End. The defense claims Clemente acted in self-defense. ---
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