Sicilian Mafia boss Giovanni Brusca was released from prison after serving 25 years for murder and his ties to the mob. The 64-year-old, known as the "People Slayer," carried out hundreds of murders and assassinations while serving boss Salvatore "Toto" Riina.
Brusca admitted to more than 100 killings before becoming an informant. He's most notorious for detonating the bomb that killed prosecutor and anti-mafia crusader Giovanni Falcone, along with his wife and three bodyguards.
He was also responsible for what authorities call "one of the most heinous crimes in the history of the Cosa Nostra." In retaliation for a mafia member becoming an informant, Brusca kidnapped his 14-year-old son for two years before strangling and dissolving the boy in acid.
Political figures and families of the victims are outraged by Brusca's release.
"A person who committed these acts, who dissolved a child in acid, who killed Falcone, is, in my opinion, a wild beast and cannot get out of prison," said Matteo Salvini, head of the League party.
Since turning informant, Brusca has helped the authorities track down other mafia members. Despite his release from Rome's Rebibbia prison, he will still have to serve four years of probation and will be provided with a new identity in an undisclosed location under Italy's witness protection program.
Source: The New York Times
