In the real world, Cosa Nostra bosses rarely do the killing themselves. Unless necessary, the Don stays in the shadows and leaves the dirty work to those still aiming to prove themselves. Most assassination jobs are often carried out by street soldiers, a well-thought-out strategy meant to shield the Don from any trouble with law enforcement. Some mafia families are also known to have designated hitmen.
However, things were different in The Sopranos. Tony got his hands dirty 8 times on the show, but rarely for a petty reason. Still, these kills reminded us that even though the DiMeo crime family leader was a cool character, he was a violent criminal who should never be celebrated. Interestingly, he never got into serious trouble for these killings (at least on-screen). Tony was always a smart character and never slept in a jail cell throughout the series. Whether he was whacked in the series finale remained a mystery until very recently, when creator David Chase revealed that the cut to black was Tony’s lights being turned off.
8
Febby Petrulio
“College” (Season 1, Episode 5)
At the start of the series, Tony seems like the most harmless dad you’ll ever meet. He banters with his family and goes to therapy, hence he comes off as just another suburban family man. In the episode, “College,” he drives his daughter to Maine to look for a college, and when she asks him whether he is in the mafia, he gets honest. What a nice dad! That’s until he spots a “rat” at a gas station and transforms into a walking pesticide.
Snitches Get Stitches
The image of Tony garroting Febby remains stuck in the minds of many fans. It marked a major turning point for the show, making viewers realize this was no ordinary ‘90s family drama. This was the Cosa Nostra world. In it, things could get violent quickly. It sure felt insensitive for Tony to kill someone while out with his daughter, but the murder made sense since Febby had provided information about “this thing of ours” before sneaking into the Witness Protection Program. In the mafia, this is a cardinal sin.
7
Chucky Signore
“I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano” (Season 1, Episode 13)
Tony’s next victim on the show is Chucky, a soldier in Junior’s crew. During the feud between Tony and Junior, Chucky is tasked with looking for hitmen from out of town, but the two men prove incompetent and Tony survives. After learning about the plan, Tony surprises Chucky as he is on his runabout boat at the marina in Jersey City. Tony pretends to have caught a large fish, only to pull a gun out of its mouth and fire at Chucky multiple times.
The Fishes…
This is undoubtedly one of the most creative kills on the show, not only because of how Tony conceals his weapon but also because of how it alludes to The Godfather’s “sleeping with the fishes” remark. The phrase means someone has been killed, followed by his body getting dumped in the river, and it’s clever how Tony shows Chucky a fish first, signaling his fate.
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6
Matthew Bevilaqua
“From Where to Eternity” (Season 2, Episode 9)
The recently paroled Richie Aprile never hides his disdain for Christopher, describing him as having a “nose like a canopy.” Upon noticing this, up-and-coming gangster, Matthew Bevilaqua (Lillo Brancato Jr.), and his partner Sean Gismonte (Chris Tardio) decide to appease the experienced mobster by offering to whack Chris. They fail, though their attempt leaves Christopher bedridden, and when Tony learns about it, he takes action.
The Last ‘Supper’
Tony can be dramatic. Before he and Big Pussy shoot the badly beaten young man, Tony offers him a soda. He then tries to extract as much information as he can from him, promising him that everything will be okay. It’s a lie and when Matt notices this, he starts screaming out to his mother (the guy was clearly in the wrong course), echoing a scene from The Shawshank Redemption. No sympathy here for the young lad. Tony and Pussy blast countless bullets into him.
5
Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero
“Funhouse” (Season 2, Episode 13)
Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero had been an FBI informant from ‘as far back as he could remember.’ The show reveals that he began to ‘sing’ in 1995, but it would take a combination of a house search, a dream, and word from Detective Vin Makazian, for Tony to truly become convinced that his old friend was an FBI informant. Devastated, Tony, Paulie, and Silvio took Pussy out on a boat ride where they shot him.
A Bitter Betrayal
For fans, Big Pussy’s early death was heartbreaking, considering how good an actor Vincent Pastore is, but the character dug his grave. He got so carried away that he started believing he was an FBI agent. The scene where he communicates using FBI lingo while monitoring Christopher will forever leave us in stitches. He should have known better. Watching the disappointment in Tony, Paulie, and Silvio’s faces is more heartbreaking than seeing Big Pussy’s body falling on the floor. None of them ever thought he would betray the family.
4
Ralph Cifaretto
“Whoever Did This” (Season 4, Episode 9)
Of all the whacked people, Ralph is the one fans are unlikely to feel pity for. He might have been the family’s highest earner, but he often dished out insensitive remarks and had no tinge of remorse inside him. Ralph became irredeemable when he killed his girlfriend, Tracee, outside the Bada Bing, and when Tony suspected that he might have been involved in Pie Oh My’s death, he strangled him to death.
Ralphie’s Impunity Had to End
“I’m a made guy,” Ralph infamously says when Tony hits him for killing Tracee. For a long time, the delusional mobster convinces himself he can get away with anything because he is a golden goose who happens to have taken the Cosa Nostra oath. He thus insults and intimidates others at all. Thank Tony for reminding him that some lines cannot be crossed. Who would think that a horse would be the straw that would break the camel’s back?
3
Tony Blundetto
“All Due Respect” (Season 5, Episode 13)
Tony Soprano’s cousin, Tony Blundetto, puts him in a lot of trouble when he kills Phil Leotardo’s younger brother, Billy. Knowing Phil’s men will eventually find Tony B and subject him to the most painful death, he decides to whack the man himself. Tony grabs a shotgun, surprises Tony B at Uncle Pat’s abandoned farm in upstate New York, and shoots him.
A Compassionate Kill
Killing a family member is unforgivable, but we can understand Tony’s decision on this occasion. He isn’t the kind of person who’d hand over his cousin to the enemy. Most importantly, he is a reasonable mob boss. Tony’s goal is to avoid a war, and he figures Phil would be less angry if he learned that Tony B had died, even though he hadn’t killed him himself.
2
Willie Overall
“Remember When” (Season 6, Episode 15)
Tony “made his bones” by murdering the bookmaker, Willie Overall, on Labor Day 1982 and burying him inside the basement of a house. In “Remember When,” it’s revealed that FBI informant Larry Barese has told the authorities where the body was buried. Tony and Paulie are thus forced to lie low. Relief comes when they learn that Larry lied the FBI that Tony’s close buddy, Jackie Aprile, killed Willie.
Back in Time
Willi’s murder isn’t one of Tony’s proudest moments, presumably because he did it out of obligation, not out of will. A flashback in the episode reveals that Tony was very shaky and Paulie had to talk him into pulling the trigger. Tony doesn’t even seem to remember Willie when Paulie first brings up the name. This implies that his kill count is way higher than what David Chase and his team reveal.
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1
Christopher Moltisanti
“Kennedy and Heidi” (Season 6, Episode 18)
Once a promising mobster who Tony believed would lead the DiMeo crime family into the future, Christopher sinks deeper and deeper into drug addiction as the show progresses. In “Kennedy and Heidi,” he causes the car to swerve and roll as he is driving Tony from a meeting. Angry, Tony decides to pinch the young Capo’s nose for several minutes, causing him to die of asphyxiation.
Christopher Killed Christopher
Tony’s execution method is cruel, but fans ought to be angrier at Christopher for how things turned out. The actor was given several chances to get his act together, with his friends and colleagues staging an intervention midway through the series, but he never changed. Besides that, Christopher had a major opportunity outside the life of crime. He was starting to make strides as a writer and producer in Hollywood, but he never gave his talent the attention it deserved. And just like that, Christopher’s story came to an end.