Vittorio Giacometti – Murder or Suicide?

Vittorio “Victor” Giacometti immigrated to the US as a young man. He was the son of Luigi Giacometti and Esterina Panfili of Gubbio, Perugia, Umbria, Italy. He was 22 years old when he left his native Italy to come to America in 1921. He left his parents and at least one brother, Roberto, in Gubbio and joined his sister and other Giacometti cousins already living in the Scranton area.

I wrote a bit more about Gubbio and its ties to Scranton in another post. You can read about it in my post called, Where is Giuseppe Piccotti.

Victor moved in with sister Annunziata, “Nancy”, and her husband Gerardo Sollevanti at their home at 623 Breck Street in South Scranton. His cousin Giuseppe Giacometti lived next door on Breck.

When he arrived, Victor became a miner, like many other Italian immigrants, including his cousin and brother-in-law. He worked briefly in the mines before venturing out to partner with Genaro Lilli to open a restaurant and cigar store in South Scranton – likely taking over the business that was listed for sale in 1926.

Dante Lunch and Cigar was located at the corner of Pittston and Genet St, just a quick five-minute walk from his home on Breck St. I don’t know if this is the original structure, but this is the location as it appears today.

The building also housed an A&P grocery store that remained open even after the lunch spot opened.

Victor signed his Declaration of Intention to become an American citizen in 1924. And on July 23, 1926, he signed his Naturalization papers, becoming a US citizen. Interestingly, one of his witnesses was Scranton Police Detective John Cartusciello. Cartusciello was instrumental in investigating and prosecuting many Italian-related crimes in the city.

The lunch room opened on April 2, 1927. Just three days later, police raided the business and found whiskey – an obvious violation during prohibition. Apparently, his connection to Cartusciello didn’t help him. Police arrested and fined Lilli for operating a “tippling house”, which, at the time the phrase simply meant a pub.

The two men were looking for help to run the lunch room in December 1927. My, how times have changed. Can you imagine if you posted an ad like this today?

In early 1928, Victor became a member of a newly formed organization made up mostly of Italian men from West Scranton. The Eon Social and Dramatic Club was an Italian-American social club whose charter was to “promote the advancement of a practical knowledge of drama and the social and mutual enjoyment of its members.” Victor seemed to be living the good life.

In 1963, the Scranton Tribune posted a couple of old photos of the Eon Club. It appears the club died out in the late 1930s.

Fateful Call

Months later, on September 4, 1928, Victor received a strange call that told him to come to Hilldale for a meeting. Hilldale is a small mining village down Main Avenue in Luzerne County. The village was home to several Italian immigrants.

He rented a Hupmobile from U-Auto Rent It in downtown Scranton at 8:45pm and was allegedly on his way to the meeting. He told the rental company that he would return the car by midnight the same night.

Before leaving the city, he stopped at his store for a brief period. Then, at about 9:30pm, the 33-year-old Victor stopped by the home of a girl he had been seeing, Josephine Pensak. She lived at 1810 Pittston Avenue, just a couple of houses away from his store. He asked the 25-year-old to join him on his ride, but she had a family member tell him that she would not go with him.

The Crime Scene

At 4:45am on September 5th, a passerby saw a car parked just off the pavement on the side of the road along the Minooka-Moosic Highway and notified police. When the police arrived just south of Rocky Glen Road in the area called “the basin,” they found a man dead with a single small caliber gunshot wound to the chest. The car’s emergency brake was on and the passenger door was open.

Investigators found a bank book in the dead man’s pocket so they believed they knew his identity. They also found over $95 in his possession, so they quickly ruled out robbery as a motive.

A quick search of the nearby woods revealed the weapon responsible for the man’s death. Just a few feet from the vehicle they found a .25 caliber handgun with one bullet missing.

While there isn’t a more detailed description of the manufacturer of the gun found at the scene, this type of weapon was generally sold to women due to its small size and safety features. Here’s an advertisement for a .25 caliber Colt.

A check of the license plate revealed that the vehicle was owned by U-Drive-It. They brought a representative to the scene to confirm the identity of the man who rented the car. It was Victor Giacometti.

When they compared the odometer and rental paperwork, it revealed that the car had only been driven about six miles. This was consistent with the route he would have taken from where he rented the car. Victor never made it to Hilldale.

Fingerprints were taken from the vehicle before it was moved to the State Police barracks in Wyoming for further inspection.

Now, investigators knew the victim, but who shot him? And why? And was he killed in the vehicle or placed there?

The initial theory on site was that with the passenger door open and the small gun that was used, Victor may have been traveling with a lady.

The Investigation

Police visited with Victor’s family and business associates. They were unaware of his demise, but his family told investigators that he received a call to go to Hilldale and wasn’t planning on being home that evening. This is strange considering he planned on returning the car by midnight. They likely told the police of his lady friends.

His business partner claimed that the business was successful, so they didn’t believe he was in financial trouble.

A Sheik

It was reported that Victor was “somewhat of a sheik.” He was described as being a handsome, well-dressed man who liked to spend money. He had several girlfriends with whom he would visit on occasion.

During a visit to the home of the young Pensak girl, she and her family swore their innocence and that they had no idea who would have a vendetta against him. They told police that she had a date with another boy that evening and that’s why she declined his invitation.

Investigators interviewed another acquaintance, Ella, who was equally shocked. Ella told the police that Victor stopped by her house that evening as well. It was determined that it was before visiting the Pensak house. Ella also declined his offer to join him.

More Leads

Once the word got out about the mysterious death, witnesses contacted authorities and placed the vehicle at the same spot as early as 11:30pm the night before.

Investigators also received a tip about a Buick with five men inside that was seen in the area, but they weren’t optimistic that they’d find the vehicle or the men.

After a couple of days of investigation, police believed that the mysterious phone call played a crucial role in his death – but they could not determine who made the call and why. It was reported that they were checking phone records to see if they could determine who made the call.

Autopsy

After the autopsy, Coroner D.J. Jenkins told reporters that Victor died of a single .25 caliber gunshot wound directly through the heart. It was noted that there was gunpowder on Victor’s clothing, so the shot came at close range.

Jenkins now believed that Victor either shot himself or was forced to commit suicide by someone who might have been in the car with him. He added that there was no way he could have thrown the murder weapon that far because death was instant.

Rumors Swirl

The circumstances of the death had the entire city speculating and on edge. All kinds of rumors were thrown about. Some believed it was suicide while others thought it may have been a jealous lover. Others believed it may have been another woman who was with him and refused his advances.

One of the more prominent theories was that they believed Victor was “taken for a ride,” code for a gang hit or the work of the Black Hand. Word was that he was “rum running” and things went sideways, but his family denied any involvement in that business. Police, too, were skeptical of this theory since they didn’t have any evidence that connected him with any gang activity.

New Information

Days later, a break comes in the case. A friend of Victor’s came forward and told investigators that he had loaned Victor the gun. That bit of information, coupled with what investigators said were “several other reasons” led officials to rule the death a suicide. However, they would not reveal the other reasons.

Yet again, rumors swirled about the reasons why he may have committed suicide. Some believed that he received a report of a serious health condition while others believed it was because he was jilted twice that evening. Others still refused to believe he killed himself.

Funeral and Burial

Vittorio “Victor” Giacometti’s funeral was held at the home of his sister, Nancy Sollevanti.

He was buried in the Italian American Cemetery in Minooka.

Victor’s death certificate was updated to rule the death a suicide.

So Many Questions

So, what do you think happened? Was it a suicide? Or was he murdered? If murdered, why? Rum Running? Financial issues? Health issues? Did he feel jilted? How did the gun get into the woods? If it was a suicide, why was the passenger door open? Why did he say he wouldn’t be home if he was returning the car by midnight? Who called him from Hilldale? And why?

Maybe a family member can weigh in on what they heard through stories handed down through the last hundred years.

RIP Vittorio.