On a cold, winter’s night in early 1963, mob enforcer Rocco Anthony Balliro and a pair of associates stormed a darkened apartment on the outskirts of Boston and engaged in a fierce gun battle with several assailants (police officers, it turned out) waiting in ambush for the ex-convict and recent prison escapee. In the aftermath, a young woman and her toddler son lay dead.
The story of Rocco Balliro, a petty criminal and enforcer for New England crime boss Raymond L.S. Patriarca, played out in glaring headlines across the country following the shootout with the Boston police. Had he heeded the commands of the cops to drop his weapon, Rocco would not have spent the next fifty years behind bars, and his girlfriend and her son might still be alive today. Instead, he fired the gun, erupting death and mayhem in the apartment. In the aftermath of the shootings, all fingers pointed at Rocco. But he would maintain his innocence in the death of his girlfriend and her son for the rest of his life, though plagued with lingering questions.
Did he fire the deadly bullets or did they come from another source? Did he unknowingly kill the pair or was he simply guilty of an ill-advised home invasion? What was the police’s true involvement?
Balliro agreed to meet with the author over the span of a couple years. Along with countless tales of criminal escapades, Balliro handed over reams of documents, correspondence, and clippings related to his life and the alleged crime that put him behind bars, while Balliro arranged for meetings with many of his family members and associates. They also shared their perspective with the author over what actually took place in February 1963.
This is Rocco’s own story of his life. But most importantly, it is his version of the events from the night of February 2, 1963, in a Boston suburb, and his profession of innocence until his dying breath.
Join our email list
This is about my Great Uncle Rocco. The story isn’t completely accurate, according to my grandfather, Rocco went to his house and asked him for a gun and my papanona told him to get out of there. So he went to his girlfriend’s house with no gun. The police surrounded the house and just started shooting and lied saying he fired a gun. He didn’t and then he was blamed for the murders of both her and her son.
Jack,
Your comment is appreciated. I would have to disagree, however. Keep in mind that I grew up with a family tale, as well. My family insisted that your great uncle Rocco murdered my aunt and cousin. I didn’t know what to believe until I actually met the man in prison and let him tell his story. I could go over the details, step by step, and recap what took place at that home in Roxbury. But you’ve already read the book so I’ll reiterate what I’ve told my own family members, who disagree with my version. It’s NOT my version. This story was told by Rocco himself (I have written correspondence from him outlining much of what you read in the book). Obviously, I have police reports which corroborate exactly what Rocco shared. In addition, your great uncle Billy Balliro, during a number of meals we shared, agreed with everything I eventually entered into print. Of course, because these men are now deceased, you would have to accept my word. By whatever means the Boston Police used to kill my aunt and cousin, Rocco never should have been blamed. In that, we agree. Bottom line: I thought your uncle was a special man. We became close friends and I wrote this book to exonerate him and I’m confident I succeeded.
Dan, Rocco was my first cousin.. Just goes to show you how corrupt a police force can be. I hope the person (cops) who actual killed your aunt and cousin have to account for their deed….in front of the Almighty….
The Almighty…and Rocco. Thank you for your post.
There is nothing ordinary about this story of two people. Every chapter, from start to finish, was so interesting. It was easy to get consumed with their lives. This is a tragic love story, which I appreciate, having read R and J by WS four times. The author has done a superb job in describing all of the important details to the point that it is very easy to picture the happenings in your mind. I have the utmost respect for the author in bringing an accurate account of the events to us, otherwise we would never have known. Well done author!
My uncle was with the Balliros. Rocco loved toby. The cops set them up they wanted them dead or off the streets. Thats what i heard growing up. The truth. I have nothing but love and respect for them.
All lies! Rocco was a child murdering killer. Give us a break please! Accept the trial details. How convenient to blame the cops.
Mr. Smith,
I want to thank you for taking the time to read and review my book, Shots in the Dark but I respectfully disagree with your comments.
I’m assuming that you work in law enforcement based on your knowledge of ballistics and agree that the bullet you describe likely came from Rocco’s Colt, which was his favorite handgun. But according to the evidence I received and interviews I conducted with police officials and attorneys, the bullet found in my Aunt Toby’s brain was badly fragmented and accordingly, ballistics could not be accurately determined.
You seem to have knowledge of the case and if so, would also be aware that forty assorted slugs were pried from the plaster walls of the apartment. That count would include ALL of those fired from the Colt – they were each accounted for, dug out of the plaster.
Conjecture only, because I cannot prove or disprove it, but I’ve been told that one of these bullets was entered into evidence. I’m hesitant to say it but there was a large degree of corruption in the Boston Police Department of the sixties (many of their officers who read my book agree) and it would have been a simple matter to identify a Colt bullet taken from the wall and have the medical examiner enter it as evidence. It’s a well-known fact that MEs tend to side with police to make their case (ie: Annie Dookhan). And obviously, the Boston Police would do anything to avoid receiving blame for the deaths of my aunt and cousin. In addition, there was a great deal of pressure on the Department due to their ineptness with the ongoing Boston Strangler case.
Regarding Mary Adams, I certainly hope you don’t accept her testimony as anything except manipulated. She was held in police custody for several months after the shootings. She was told it was for her protection, from the Balliro family. Actually, the authorities held her in order to coach her with favorable testimony but obviously failed. There was also talk that she made a deal with the prosecution that her testimony, if it helped their case, would lead to a lesser sentence for her drug-addict husband, who was facing charges and likely jail time. Adams literally made a fool of herself during the trial and her alleged eyewitness account was summarily discounted.
If you were to further review the testimony, which you obviously have access to, you’ll note that the two police officers who were staked out in a nearby parked vehicle, corroborated that Rocco and his associates exited the apartment approximately thirty seconds after they entered. They never went deeper into the home than the front foyer. Rocco did not have time to seek out Toby and Mark, in a darkened apartment, with three cops randomly shooting at gun flashes in a pitch dark apartment, and shoot them in cold blood.
Typically, I would not spend so much time responding to a negative review. But you seem to have passion for the topic and I felt, because you spent hard-earned money on my book, that you deserved at least that.
As a side note, when I first decided to write this book, my initial approach was to tell the story of a cold-blooded murderer who killed two of my relatives. It was all based on stories I had heard growing up. But once I began diligent research and conducted extensive interviews, I learned that there was more to this case than people were aware. Except for my stubborn father, who thought Rocco went to the apartment seeking a teddy bear stuffed with cash, all of my readers agree with the case I lay out and that would include a number of attorneys, countless police officers, and several folks (unnamed for obvious reasons) who were close to the case and have specific knowledge.
If my explanation doesn’t suffice, I am at your further disposal to discuss and if you’re offended in any way, I’ll be glad to refund your money for the book purchase.
The ballistic testimony established that the fatal shots had been fired by one of the defendants. The spent bullet removed from Toby’s brain was a “.32 S. & W. long Lubaloy Western.” A .32 caliber Colt, one of the four guns carried by the defendants, was the only one capable of firing that bullet. None of the pistols carried by the police could have done so. The evidence, apart from the observations of Mary Adams, tended to indicate that the murder weapon was one of the two guns carried by Rocco.
Comm v Balliro