Small Town Murder Podcast

Episode: "The Electrician Executioner – East Hampton, New York"

Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Wiseman

Episode Overview

In this episode, comedians James Pietragallo and Jimmie Wiseman dive into the shocking 2001 murder of millionaire financier Ted Ammon in the exclusive enclave of East Hampton, New York. The hosts set the scene with their signature mix of deeply researched true crime detail and uninhibited humor, examining the saga of immense wealth, marital bitterness, lavish lifestyles, a disastrous divorce, and a working-class electrician who would flip the story into a nightmare. They highlight how intense resentment, greed, and the gulf between the super-rich and those who serve them culminated in a sensational and grisly crime.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Setting: Life in East Hampton (05:32 – 19:00)

• East Hampton’s Character: Home to America's billionaires, celebrities, and old money, with mansion-lined beaches and astronomical prices.
  • “This is where Jerry Seinfeld lives. Seinfeld’s house is on the next block!” – James (05:54)
• Local Color: Described as both stunningly beautiful and exclusionary (“Stay out, riff-raff”), where everyday workers serve the vacationing rich.
• Cost of Living:
  • Median household income is $125,861, median home price $1.2 million+, rental and real estate prices highlighted for their absurdity.
  • “$84,900,000… That’s the GDP of Luxembourg, just your house!” – James (15:01)
• What to Do: Film festivals, beach concerts (with notably silly or obscure musical acts), and the relative absence of violent crime (“As it should be” – Jimmie, 19:03).

2. The Victim: Ted Ammon’s Life Trajectory (19:03 – 56:10)

Ted’s Background (19:36 – 32:01)

• Ambitious, athletic, and bright; grew up in Pittsburgh in a classic postwar, Leave It to Beaver family.
• Passed both the U.S. and UK bar exams without law school.
  • “People that go to law school have to take it two, three times. He just passed.” – James (32:01)
• Rose quickly through New York investment banking, helping broker billion-dollar deals (notably the RJR Nabisco buyout).
• Married first wife, Randy Day, for nine years—amicable split.

Meeting Generosa (Jo) Rand (35:28 – 53:42)

• Generosa: A driven, passionate woman with a traumatic background (abandonment, being left in foster care, severe family dysfunction).
• Stuck in real estate but self-identifies as an artist—her art never gained traction (“If nobody will hang your art and you’re rich, it’s really bad art.” – James, 48:47).
• Ted is captivated by her brash honesty and beauty; they marry in 1986, quickly accumulate multimillion-dollar assets.

Founders of a Dysfunctional Dynasty (53:42 – 79:37)

• Couple is outwardly glamorous but intensely dysfunctional.
• Generosa is emotionally volatile, manipulative, and quick to cut friends off:
  • “The minute she felt rejection, she was like a woman out of control… It was almost like there was a trigger.” – James (54:24)
• Ted walks on eggshells at home, placates with luxuries.
• Their path to parenthood: Recurrent failed IVF leads them to adopt Ukrainian twins, but Generosa struggles to bond (“It was stressful to watch. She wasn’t good with them.” – Friend’s quote, 64:57).
• Ted’s business savvy: Starts Big Flower Press, becomes a multi-millionaire investor, donates generously to charities, historic preservation, and his college.

3. The Antagonists: Divorce, Affairs, and the Electrician (79:05 – 113:15)

The Descent (79:05 – 100:08)

• Relations between Ted and Generosa deteriorate—she suspects him of having an affair (untrue), becomes obsessive and hostile, demanding an enormous divorce settlement ($2.5M/year, plus property, staff, etc.).
• Ted is resigned: “He’ll have enough money, and he doesn’t have to deal with the wife that he doesn’t like.” – James (80:10)

Enter Daniel “Danny” Pelosi (86:28 – 101:54)

• Working-class Long Island electrician with a rough, criminal background (“He’s a Long Island mook.” – James, 87:02).
• Hired to work on Generosa’s new townhouse, soon becomes her lover.
  • “He said, I ended up staying at the job instead of driving all the way back to Long Island… Nobody commutes from the city all the way to the middle of Long Island every day. Oh wait, hundreds of thousands of people do!” – James/Jimmie (98:13)
• Lavish lifestyle as Generosa’s “kept man,” blowing through Ted’s money while aiding Generosa in marital legal warfare.
• Divorce drama escalates: joint custody battles, accusations, and a toxic parental alienation campaign by Generosa (e.g., telling the children Ted was a mobster and later that he was killed by a gay lover).

4. The Murder (113:15 – 123:06)

The Crime Scene (115:42 – 123:39)

• October 20–22, 2001: Ted is found murderously beaten (possibly castrated—rumors swirl), nude, on the bed in his East Hampton mansion.
• Blunt force trauma (baseball bat or similar), stun gun burns, scene not ransacked, security system expertly disabled and the recording hard drive removed.
  • “All these cameras and the system had all been turned off. Everything is off.” – James (116:03)
• Burglary is ruled unlikely: “Crime of passion” suspected; rumors fly rampant.
• Suspicion quickly falls on those with:
  • Access
  • Motive (inheritance, bitter divorce)
  • Knowledge of the security system

5. The Investigation & Legal Fallout (123:39 – 186:11)

Immediate Suspects and Theories (124:29 – 150:48)

• Wild local theories: A gay tryst gone wrong, a random hustler, business enemies, Generosa, or Danny.
  • “You don’t get your dick cut off by just a random.” – Jimmie (127:12)
• Generosa acts strangely, lies to the kids about the cause of death, retains lawyers.
• Security system records implicate an inside job; Danny and Generosa both have alibis, but Danny knew the system intimately and was at the house that weekend.

Motive: The Money (144:10 – 148:35)

• Ted never changed his will: Generosa inherits $81 million, most property and assets.
• Bank freezes the estate pending investigation but eventually releases the wealth; Generosa squanders outrageous amounts, continues spending and battling with everyone, now with Danny as her partner.
  • “She left Pelosi (Danny) $2 million, the rest—$30 million+—to her adopted twins.” – (162:32)

Breaking Down Pelosi’s Guilt (151:54 – 185:38)

• DNA, fingerprints, and ballistics are muddied by shared property and lifestyle—no direct evidence, but:
  • Danny had bought multiple stun guns and referenced the security system.
  • Multiple witnesses testify Danny openly discussed killing Ted, plotting to profit by romancing the wife.
  • Cover-up behavior: immediate cleaning/detailed car, suspicious disposal of evidence (jacket, stun gun), suspicious alibi (friends, relatives, and neighbor testimony).
• Even close family (his own father and sister) testify against him—father relates Danny asked how to dispose of something incriminating the morning after the murder.
  • Danny’s father: "I'll bash in his brains while he's sleeping and cut his dick off..." (164:58)
• The children’s testimony: both remain adamant of his guilt and trauma.

Legal Outcome & Aftermath (185:38 – end)

• Danny Pelosi: Convicted of second-degree murder (March 2004), sentenced to 25 years to life.
  • “You, sir, may fuck off. Maximum of 25 to life.” – James (177:41)
• Post-trial antics: Attempts to blame others, threaten witnesses, and appeal on dubious grounds.
• Pelosis’ own ex-wife writes a memoir about being married to him.
• Generosa dies of cancer (July 2003), her fortune split between Danny and the children; Danny contests the will, spirals into criminal infractions, loses all.
• Adopted twins eventually inherit what’s left, become subjects of documentaries, and distance themselves from their parents’ toxic legacies.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Absurd Wealth:
  • “That’s like the gross domestic product of Luxembourg… Just your house.” – James (15:01)
• On Generosa’s social climbing/art ambitions:
  • “If you’re rich and can’t get your art into a gallery, it’s really, really bad art.” – James (48:47)
• On Generosa’s volatility:
  • “The minute that she felt rejection, she was like a woman out of control... Like a trigger.” – Friend of Gen (54:24)
• On class divide:
  • “[Danny] said it was the Princess and the Pauper. She’d been to every continent. I’ve been to Florida.” – James (97:34)
• On the investigation:
  • “A crime of passion… You don’t get your dick cut off by just a random…” – Jimmie (127:12)
• On the will’s timing:
  • “He was going to change it after the divorce was final—never got a chance. Generosa inherits $81 million.” – James (144:08)
• On Danny’s behavior:
  • “Danny’s the only one who knew the code to the security system. …You’re the only one, basically.” – James (136:10)

Important Timestamps

• Life in East Hampton: 05:32 – 19:00
• Ted Ammon’s Background: 19:36 – 32:01
• Meeting and Marrying Generosa: 35:28 – 53:42
• Art, Ambition & Dysfunction: 48:41 – 56:42
• Divorce Escalates: 79:05 – 99:07
• Enter Daniel Pelosi: 86:28 – 101:22
• The Murder Scene & Discovery: 115:42 – 123:06
• Investigation Threads: 123:39 – 152:13
• Trial & Conviction: 172:08 – 178:01
• Aftermath & Legacy: 180:44 – End

Tone & Language

Comedic, irreverent, and unapologetic, the hosts dissect class, marriage, crime, and incompetence with both empathy for the children and contempt for those who exploited wealth and power. Their language is direct, sometimes vulgar, and always punchy—dignified victims and children are treated with sympathy, and the perpetrators are ridiculed.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode explores the dark collision of wealth, jealousy, and violence in America’s most exclusive zip code. It deftly blends true crime investigation with social satire, offering both entertainment and deep insight. The tale of Ted Ammon’s murder, from his rise as a Wall Street genius to the chaos of his divorce and ultimate assassination by the man hired to work in his home, is an indictment of greed and ambition at every level—from the marble halls of the rich to the desperation of those barely scraping into their glow.

Perfect for fans of:

• True crime with an investigative edge
• Stories that dissect class conflict and social dynamics
• Absurd, dark humor about the foibles of the ultra-rich

"You, sir, may fuck off." – James (177:41)

—A fitting epitaph for the Electrician Executioner, and the grim punchline to this story of murder in paradise.

Sources Noted:

• Vanity Fair's “Murder in East Hampton” – Michael Shnayerson
• Almost Paradise: The Murder of Multi-Millionaire Ted Ammon in the Hamptons – Kieran Crowley