$1M COLD CASE REWARD
Salvatore Rotiroti was beaten to death in the driveway of his Manifold Heights home 30 years ago today
COLD case detectives are closing in on the killer of Italian extortion victim and Geelong concrete company boss Salvatore Rotiroti, beaten to death 30 years ago today.
They hope the offer of a $1 million reward will entice those who know who murdered the father of five to come forward.
FINDING his father’s bloodied body lying in the driveway of the family home 30 years ago today still haunts Vince Rotiroti.
Soon 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,” Mr Rotiroti said yesterday.
“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 his frustration, several family members who could be in possession of crucial information are reluctant to become involved and assist police with the murder investigation.
“Family members are terrified of the suspect, and still are, even though he now lives in a different state,” Sgt Rowe said 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.”
Mr 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 said yesterday.
“I told the detectives everything I knew, but I wasn’t at home when my father was murdered. Other family members were.”
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 special 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 forecast events and then initiated those events to actually happen. 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 at his home in the early hours of May 13, 1987, the year before his brother-in-law Salvatore Rotiroti was murdered.
Evidence suggests the 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 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.”
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.”
Anyone with information about the murder of Salvatore Rotiroti should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppers.com.au