Philadelphia's Poison Ring

Philadelphia investigators ordered a urine specimen from Alfonsis doctors, which later revealed large quantities of arsenic. According to Stedman's Medical Dictionary, arsenic could cause heat and irritation in throat and stomach; vomiting, purging with rice-water stools; cramps in calf muscles, restlessness, even convulsions, prostration, fainting, somnolence, dizziness, delirium, extreme prostration, coma.� While some cases, if caught in a timely manner, can be treated, the majority of victims succumb to the poison and die.

It was now up to the assistant district attorney.� According to Michael Newton, author of Hunting Humans, McDevitt wasted little time in arresting Petrillo on charges of attempted murder, but when Alfonsi died a few weeks later, the charge was changed to homicide.� When McDevitt questioned Petrillo, he was skeptical that he would walk away with anything he could use.� After all, this was the same man that the Secret Service had worked for so many years to arrest.� However, to McDevitts amazement, Petrillo would not shut up.� He provided the D.A. with a mind-boggling list of victims and conspirators, claiming that his cousin, Paul Petrillo, along with Morris Bolber, were the masterminds behind the entire operation.�

McDevitt was really surprised as Petrillo named one victim after another: Luigi LaVecchio, late husband of Sophie LaVecchio; Charles Ingrao, late common-law husband of Maria Favato; Mollie Starace, a friend of Paul Petrillo; Antonio Romualdo, late husband of Josephine Romualdo; John Woloshyn, late husband of Marie Woloshyn; Dominic Carina, Prospero Lisi, and Peter Stea, all late husbands of Rose Carina; Joseph Arena, late husband of Anna Arena; Romaine Mandiuk, late husband of Agnes Mandiuk; Pietro Pirolli, late husband of Grace Pirolli; Salvatore Carilli, late husband of Rose Carilli; Jennifer Pino, late wife of Thomas Pino; Antonio Giacobbe, late husband of Millie Giacobbe; Guiseppi DiMartino, late husband of Susie DiMartino; Ralph Caruso, late tenant of Christine Cerrone; Philip Ingrao, late stepson of Maria Favato; Lena Winkleman, late mother-in-law of Joseph Swartz; Jennie Cassetti, late wife of Dominick Cassetti; and lastly, Ferdinando Alfonsi, late husband of Stella Alfonsi.� Petrillo said that all but three of the victims had been killed with arsenic.

Investigators now had the daunting task of proving Petrillos allegations. � The only way they could get solid proof would be to exhume every victim.� McDevitt already had Ferdinando Alfonsis urine test results and decided to proceed with that case.� He knew that he could always file charges regarding the other cases later and wanted to get started on the prosecution for Alfonsis murder.� On February 2, 1939, the grand jury indicted Herman and Paul Petrillo, Stella Alfonsi, and Maria Favato.� Marias husband was the first to be exhumed and her late husbands autopsy revealed large quantities of arsenic in his system.� The New York Times reported on February 17, 1939, that the grand jury reached its verdict in only seven and a half minutes.� The defendants would be going to trial.