Cold case detectives hope $1m reward will catch Salvatore Rotiroti’s killer
COLD case detectives are closing in on the killer of Italian extortion victim and concrete company boss Salvatore “Sam” Rotiroti and hope a $1 million reward will lead to the charging of the prime suspect in the 1988 murder.
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COLD case detectives are closing in on the killer of Italian extortion victim and concrete company boss Salvatore “Sam” Rotiroti.
They hope a $1 million reward being revealed in the Herald Sun today will entice those with knowledge of who murdered the father of five to come forward.
The prime suspect is of Calabrian descent and detectives believe several people who know he beat Mr Rotiroti to death in 1988 are still too terrified of him to help police.
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Mr Rotiroti had earlier paid a $100,000 ransom to have his kidnapped son Tony released and the extortionist was trying to get more cash out of him at the time of the murder.
Today is the 30th anniversary of Mr Rotiroti’s son Vince finding his father’s body lying in a pool of blood in the driveway of their family home in Purrumbete Avenue in the Geelong suburb of Manifold Heights.
“All I want is justice for my father, he was my best friend,” Vince Rotiroti told the Herald Sun yesterday.
Police believe members of three Calabrian families who knew the murder victim well — and who were related to him by blood or marriage — are the most likely people to have evidence that could see the key suspect charged.
They are members of the Rotiroti, Zangari and Iannuzzi clans in Melbourne, Geelong and Sydney.
Their very real fear the prime suspect will harm them if they inform on him over the murder of Mr Rotiroti has prompted detectives to today offer them protection if they reveal what they know.
Vincent Zangari was charged on September 29, 1988, with the murder of his uncle Salvatore Rotiroti, 46.
Aged 21 at the time and then living with his family in Geelong, he was released on bail in December that year.
The murder charge was dropped in October 1989, after a number of witnesses who had implicated Mr Zangari withdrew their statements. He has since moved to Sydney and changed his name.
In December 1989, Geelong coroner Ian Von Einem returned an open finding on the death of Salvatore Rotiroti.
“I am unable to say as to who contributed to his cause of death,” Mr Von Einem said in his written finding.
“In this case there has been a great deal of innuendo and suspicion surrounding the death of the deceased.
“It is of considerable importance to note that there is no direct evidence of any person who was at the scene at the time of the deceased’s death.
“Vincent John Zangari was charged with the murder of the deceased. However, this charge was withdrawn by the police.
“This person has given an untruthful account of his whereabouts on the night of the murder.
“However, there is no direct evidence to suggest that he was at 2 Purrembete Avenue when the deceased was murdered.
“Mr Zangari has exercised his right not to give evidence at this inquest and no inference can be attached to this.
“While I accept in general terms the evidence of the son of the deceased, Vincenzo (Vince) Rotiroti, I am not convinced that other members of the deceased’s immediate family have been as honest and frank as this person (Vince) has been.
“I might add that his (Vince’s) version of the events has been corroborated to some large extent by members of the Iannuzzi family.”
The head of the Victoria Police homicide squad’s cold case team, Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Trichias, yesterday said that if members of the Rotiroti, Zangari and Iannuzzi families had information that could assist in solving the murder then they would be eligible to claim the $1 million reward.
“Also, as a consideration for any of these family members, if they think they have issues about their safety — if they are concerned about what they want to do — we can assist with that,” he told the Herald Sun.”
“On top of that there is the $1 million reward, they can get some comfort from that and they will also be able to be protected.
“Even though we need to keep an open mind, and we always do, the reality in this case is the evidence is indicative that the answer will come from within the family.
“That’s why we are making this final appeal to the family.
“The other aspect to consider is we don’t know whether any of the family members have confided in anyone else.
“They may have told somebody else and that somebody else could come forward and be eligible for the reward and the protection.
“We believe there are people in Geelong, Melbourne and Sydney who have information that would help us catch the killer.”
Finding his father’s bloodied body lying in the driveway of the family home 30 years ago today still haunts Vince Rotiroti.
Shortly after midnight on September 6, 1988, as the then 21 year old drove towards the house in the Geelong suburb of Manifold Heights, he was surprised to see the gate was open.
“I thought that was strange because I knew Dad usually closed the gate behind him and I knew that Dad should have been home at this time,” Vince Rotiroti yesterday told the Herald Sun.
“I then drove into the driveway and I put on my high beam lights as I saw something lying on the driveway.
“As I got closer I noticed that it was Dad. I stopped the car, put it in park and got out and went to Dad.
“When I got to him I noticed that his head was all beaten around, there was blood everywhere.
“I touched him on the right shoulder and said ‘Dad, Dad’ and he didn’t answer. I knew he was dead.”
The still unsolved murder is being reinvestigated by Victoria Police homicide squad cold case team member Paul Rowe.
There is a prime suspect and Detective Sergeant Rowe believes some members of the extended Rotiroti family have evidence that would go a long way to solving the murder.
But, much to Sgt Rowe’s frustration, several family members who could be in possession of crucial information are reluctant to get involved and assist police with the ongoing Rotiroti murder investigation.
“Family members are terrified of the suspect, and still are, even though he now lives in a different state,” Sgt Rowe told the Herald Sun yesterday.
“So Vince comes home and finds has father deceased in the driveway.
“The other family members were in the house at the time and it appears had some idea that a commotion had occurred outside.
“But they sort of asserted they were too scared to go outside so the body is not found until about an hour and a half after the incident occurred, which is when Vince returned home.”
Vince Rotiroti was so disgusted by the lack of help given to police by his mother Giuseppina, older brother Joe, younger brother Tony and younger sisters Maria and Elizabeth that he cut off all ties with them the day his father’s body was found.
Joe Rotiroti was 23 at the time of his father’s murder; Tony was 16, Maria 14 and Elizabeth 12.
“They wanted me to be hush hush about the murder but I refused,” Vince Rotiroti told the Herald Sun yesterday.
“I told the detectives everything I knew, but I wasn’t at home when my father was murdered. Other family members were.
“I haven’t seen my Mum for 30 years, or my brothers or sisters. I just walked totally away.
“I didn’t want anything to do with the family for the simple reason they are all too scared to talk to police.
“You can’t just let a thing like murder go. I just want justice for my Dad. I just want someone to come forward and say who was responsible.”
Sgt Rowe said he hoped the $1 million reward — and an offer from police to protect them — would convince members of the Rotiroti, Zangari and Iannuzzi families in Melbourne, Geelong and Sydney to reveal what they know about the prime suspect and the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti.
Salvatore’s wife Giuseppina came out to Australia with her sisters Teresina and Serafina. Teresina married Bruno Iannuzzi and Serafina married Domenico Zangari.
The related Rotiroti, Zangari and Iannuzzi families lived in the adjoining Geelong suburbs of Manifold Heights and Hamlyn Heights at the time of the 1988 murder.
Members of all three Italian families were allegedly subjected to threats and intimidation by the man of Calabrian descent who is the prime suspect for having murdered Salvatore Rotiroti.
A Herald Sun investigation has also discovered the key suspect allegedly:
HAD control and influence over some Rotiroti, Zangari and Iannuzzi family members and used religion and intimidation as a means of influencing them to pay him money.
CONVINCED a number of members of the three families that he was able to predict the future; that he was able to talk to God and he was able to influence what was going on in the world.
USED the fact the older members of the three families were born in Italy and were particularly religious to convince them he was some sort of prophet.
PROPHESIED and forecasted events and then initiated those events to actually occur.
WARNED members of the three families that to keep him onside, happy and looking out for them they would have to pay him money — and some of them did.
Bruno Iannuzzi was shot in the back and wounded at his home in the early hours of May 13, 1987, the year before his brother-in-law Salvatore Rotiroti was murdered.
Evidence suggests both men were resisting the extortion attempts, although Salvatore Rotiroti did hand over $100,000 in ransom money to get his kidnapped son Tony back and another $7000 after the suspect convinced him Tony was possessed by the devil and he would only cure him if he got paid.
Salvatore Rotiroti had been to Bruno Iannuzzi’s house earlier on the night he was murdered, leaving about 10.20pm to drive the short distance home.
Before leaving he told the Iannuzzis he was planning to speak to the suspect’s father and wanted the Iannuzzis to know that in case something happened to him.
“Salvatore’s wife Giuseppina told police at the time that he returned home about 10.25pm and that she heard noises and that she was too scared to look or go outside,” Sgt Rowe said.
“The deceased was found about 12.25am by his son Vince. Vince ran inside to return with his mother.
“Before the arrival of police the deceased’s wife took the deceased’s wallet and removed $1500 from it as she believed the money would be stolen by police.
“The suspect had influence over the family and that really hampered the investigation fairly significantly.
“Members of the family were in the house at the time of the murder and yet don’t go outside and don’t want to tell police what happened — and still to this day don’t want to have any involvement, or give any assistance to us, it is a unique situation.
“We are of the belief that certain people close to the deceased have a good idea as to the circumstances that led to his death.”
Detectives questioned the prime suspect soon after the murder and discovered clothes he had been wearing on the day Salvatore Rotiroti was beaten to death had been destroyed.
His explanation was that he was walking along the streets of Geelong at the time of the murder and was attacked by a dog and fell in a puddle.
The suspect claimed he didn’t want to tell his mother his clothes had been damaged so he disposed of them rather than get into trouble with her.
Sgt Rowe said he hoped with the passage of time — and the offer of protection — that one or more members of the Rotiroti, Zangari or Iannuzzi families would provide enough evidence to see the prime suspect charged with the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti.
“Members of these families are eligible for the $1 million reward, as is any other person,” he said.
“Rewards are there to encourage people who have got information to come forward and if it leads to an arrest and a conviction they would be entitled to the reward.
“In this case we think if there is anyone who really knows what happened it will be someone closely associated with the deceased.”
Vince Rotiroti yesterday said he believed his uncle Bruno Iannuzzi had been shot because he had decided not to pay the extortionist — and that he believed that was also the motive for his father’s murder.
“I didn’t see who shot him, but I believe my Uncle Bruno knows who the person was and is too scared to talk,” he said.
“I believe they are all still scared now. The only one standing up for my father is me.
“Had my Uncle Bruno made that statement when he got shot, straight away, and told them who it was then my father could have been still alive to this day.
“All I want is justice for my father to end this pain and suffering my family and I have been going through for 30 years now.”
Vince Rotiroti said he knew his father was aware he was in danger because he had started carrying a shotgun in the boot of his car.
“At the time he had fear, that’s why he was driving around with the gun at the time,” he said.
“He would only use it in self-defence if he got threatened. We now know he had good reason to feel threatened.”
The threats and intimidation didn’t stop with the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti.
A 1970 model Holden Kingswood car belonging to Salvatore’s son Joe, who was aged 23 at the time, was blown up in the driveway of the Rotiroti family home five weeks after the murder.
Giuseppe “Joe” Rotiroti also contacted the Geelong Advertiser seven weeks after his father’s murder to report that he had found what he took to be a death threat inscribed on paving at the rear of the Rotiroti family home.
It was written faintly and childlike in green crayon and said “Your next Jaspepi”.
He told the newspaper that since his father’s murder the family had also been plagued by a series of anonymous phone calls and letters written in Italian.
Joe Rotiroti said the contents of the letters were too disturbing to be repeated.
“The family is in a state of fear,” he said in 1988.
Homicide squad detectives filmed about 500 mourners as they arrived and left Salvatore Rotiroti’s funeral at Holy Spirit church in Manifold Heights, Geelong, in the hope it might assist the search for the killer.
The then homicide squad detective Wayne Laver said after the funeral that police still had limited information in relation to the murder and confirmed some members of the Rotiroti family had been subjected to death threats.
Homicide squad boss Tim Day yesterday confirmed to the Herald Sun that there was a specific “person of interest” detectives were still investigating and that there appeared to be several different motives for the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti.
“We strongly believe that the person responsible for Salvatore’s death was motivated by financial gain, however this may not be the only reason,” Detective Inspector Day said.
“It appears that someone may have also been trying to take control of his family in some way.
“We believe that Salvatore’s family has direct knowledge of what happened to him and why.
“Police also believe that several members of Salvatore’s family have crucial information regarding the circumstances of his death and those responsible.
“We are appealing directly to those people to come forward and help us solve this murder.
“However, while there are no other known suspects at this time, detectives are not ruling anything out in this investigation.
“This includes the possibility that a number of people were involved in planning and carrying out Salvatore’s murder.
“We’re hoping that by announcing a $1 million dollar reward, some people may be motivated to finally come forward and tell us the truth about why this murder happened and who was involved.
“Thirty years is a long time to think about why you might be covering up for someone and if that is still worth it.
“I would strongly encourage anyone with information to come forward and speak to police now because as the reward shows, this investigation is far from over.”
The reward of up to $1 million will be paid at the discretion of Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton for information leading to the apprehension and subsequent conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder.
In appropriate cases, the Director of Public Prosecutions may consider the granting of indemnification from prosecution to any person who provides information as to the identity of the principal offender or offenders.
Anyone with information about the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at crimestoppersvic.com.au
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