Former Bonanno family crime boss Vinny Gorgeous AKA Vincent Basciano has been convicted or murder twice and is currently serving a life sentence, but at least he won't die by lethal injection: a jury sentenced him today to another life sentence. The Post reports that Seconds before the jury gave him a reprieve from lethal injection, he turned to his family, smiled broadly and winked once."
Yesterday he didn't seem so playful. While covering a hearing yesterday that was part of the "death penalty" phase of Basciano's trial, The Post engages in a little metaphor-mixing when describing the "High Noon feel" of an argument between the judge and Basciano over whether he would testify on his on behalf. Maybe they were thinking of Spaghetti Westerns?
After the judge, who was once unwitting pen-pals with Basciano and even loaned him a shirt, asked Basciano if he would testify, the convicted murderer "launched into an emotional speech about information he first wants prosecutors to divulge," namely the prosecution's intelligence regarding the hit list that Basciano keeps insisting was "used for incantations in his practice of Santeria." Presumably he also wanted to know where his voodoo doll with a cute little judge's robe was.
"Attorneys and spectators watched on uncomfortably as the Old West stand-off dragged on for 40 minutes," until Basciano, ignoring that the judge had barred him from testifying after the delay, said, "Based on the court's denial of the motions, I will not be taking the stand." Basciano would have been the first to die from the death penalty in New York since 1954.
