The Sicilian Photographer Who Shot the Mafia

Summary

Summary of "The Sicilian Photographer Who Shot the Mafia"

Podcast: The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told
Season: 2
Episode: The Sicilian Photographer Who Shot the Mafia
Host: Mary Kay McBrayer
Release Date: April 1, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, host Mary Kay McBrayer delves into the extraordinary life of Letizia Battaglia, a fearless Sicilian photographer whose lens became a potent weapon against the Mafia in Palermo, Sicily. Battaglia's relentless documentation of Mafia violence not only exposed the brutal realities of organized crime but also played a crucial role in dismantling the Cosa Nostra's grip on Sicilian society.

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Early Life and Personal Struggles

Letizia Battaglia was born and raised in Palermo, Sicily, in the aftermath of World War II. Her early life was marred by the pervasive influence of the Mafia in her neighborhood, where "the Mafia did the dirty jobs" ([05:10]). Battaglia's defiance against the controlling nature of her father and a turbulent first marriage set the stage for her later courageous career.

• Quote:
  "Letizia grew up in Palermo. And at that time, which was just after the second World War, the neighborhood where she lived was also where the Mafia did the dirty jobs."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([06:12])

Battaglia's first experience with violence occurred when she was a pre-adolescent cycling through town and witnessed a man masturbating in public, leading her father to enforce strict restrictions on her freedom. Her first marriage at 16 was unhappy and controlling, culminating in a mental breakdown and eventual separation at age 36 ([10:45]).

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Rise as a Photojournalist

In 1971, after leaving her abusive marriage, Battaglia secured a job at Laura, a left-wing daily newspaper in Palermo. Initially unaware that her role would involve photographing Mafia murders, she quickly found herself at the epicenter of Sicily's violent underworld.

• Quote:
  "She would never forget the smell. It was a Mafia casualty in 1971."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([14:30])

Battaglia's dedication led her to capture numerous crime scenes, often at great personal risk. Her photographs were raw and unflinching, depicting not just the victims but also the emotional toll on the survivors and the community.

• Quote:
  "I couldn't tell them I was doing it with love. She might have been taking photos out of love, but it didn't take long until she weaponized those photographs to the greater good."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([18:05])

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Confronting the Mafia

Battaglia's work coincided with the tumultuous Second Mafia War (1981-1984), a period marked by intense violence both within the Mafia and against the state. Her photographs became crucial evidence in the Maxi Trial, a landmark legal proceeding aimed at prosecuting high-ranking Mafia members.

• Quote:
  "The Maxi Trial came about... It introduced Mafia conspiracy as a new crime to the Italian legal system."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([23:10])

Battaglia collaborated closely with anti-Mafia prosecutors like Giovanni Falcone, whose innovative strategies and unwavering resolve were instrumental in challenging the Mafia's dominance.

• Quote:
  "Listen to fighting words on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([25:00])

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Impact of Battaglia's Photography

Battaglia's photographs were more than mere documentation; they were a powerful form of resistance against the Mafia's narrative. Her images humanized the victims and highlighted the pervasive fear and corruption ingrained in Sicilian society.

• Quote:
  "She's fiercely heroic, headstrong and determined."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([17:45])

One of her most significant contributions was a photograph that captured Giulio Andriati, a powerful Italian politician, with Nino Salvo, a key Mafia figure. This image provided crucial evidence linking political corruption to Mafia activities, ultimately aiding in Salvo's conviction.

• Quote:
  "Back in 1979, she'd taken a photo at a hotel of Giulio Andriati with Nino Salvo, which confirmed police suspicions."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([35:50])

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Relationship with Giovanni Falcone

Giovanni Falcone, a pioneering anti-Mafia judge, and Battaglia shared a mutual respect and understanding of the grave dangers they faced. Falcone's assassination in 1992 marked a devastating blow to the anti-Mafia movement, but Battaglia's resolve only strengthened.

• Quote:
  "Letizia always worried for him. She said, 'They're going to kill you.' And he consoled Letizia, 'Don't worry, if they kill me, someone else will take my place.'"
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([30:20])

Battaglia refrained from photographing Falcone, feeling a personal connection and fearing for his safety, yet she continued to document the ongoing violence with unwavering commitment.

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Legacy and Final Years

Letizia Battaglia's relentless pursuit of truth through her photography left an indelible mark on Sicilian society and the fight against the Mafia. Her later works shifted to portraying a different, more peaceful Sicilian life, reflecting her enduring hope for change.

• Quote:
  "She was with her younger artist lover, still photographing, she photographed what she had always wanted to photograph—Sicilian life."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([39:00])

Battaglia passed away in Cefalù, Sicily, in April 2022, leaving behind a powerful legacy of courage, resilience, and the enduring power of the human spirit against oppression.

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Conclusion

The episode underscores the pivotal role of journalism and photography in combating organized crime. Letizia Battaglia's story is a testament to how one individual's bravery and dedication can influence societal change and bring justice to the darkest corners of human behavior.

• Final Quote:
  "I do have an archive of blood. But that archive would be instrumental... at out earlier in time but later as well."
  — Letizia Battaglia ([38:10])

Mary Kay McBrayer expertly weaves Battaglia's personal journey with the broader historical context of the Mafia's influence in Sicily, offering listeners a profound understanding of the intersection between society, justice, and the human psyche.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Letizia's First Encounter with Violence:
   "Letizia grew up in Palermo. And at that time, which was just after the second World War, the neighborhood where she lived was also where the Mafia did the dirty jobs."
   — Mary Kay McBrayer ([06:12])

2. Battaglia's Determination:
   "I couldn't tell them I was doing it with love. She might have been taking photos out of love, but it didn't take long until she weaponized those photographs to the greater good."
   — Mary Kay McBrayer ([18:05])

3. Impact of the Maxi Trial:
   "The Maxi Trial came about... It introduced Mafia conspiracy as a new crime to the Italian legal system."
   — Mary Kay McBrayer ([23:10])

4. Battaglia on Corruption:
   "Back in 1979, she'd taken a photo at a hotel of Giulio Andriati with Nino Salvo, which confirmed police suspicions."
   — Mary Kay McBrayer ([35:50])

5. Letizia’s Relationship with Falcone:
   "Letizia always worried for him. She said, 'They're going to kill you.' And he consoled Letizia, 'Don't worry, if they kill me, someone else will take my place.'"
   — Mary Kay McBrayer ([30:20])

6. Legacy of Battaglia's Work:
   "I do have an archive of blood. But that archive would be instrumental... at out earlier in time but later as well."
   — Letizia Battaglia ([38:10])

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Conclusion and Call to Action

Mary Kay McBrayer closes the episode by highlighting Letizia Battaglia’s pivotal role in the fight against the Mafia and teasing the next true crime story about Cassie Chadwick, an imposter heiress in the Gilded Age. Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to iHeart True Crime Plus for ad-free access and early releases of episodes.

• Final Note from Host:
  "Letizia Battaglia died in Cefalu, Sicily in April of 2022. But in the documentary that released just a couple years before that, she was with her younger artist lover, still photographing..."
  — Mary Kay McBrayer ([39:45])

For more detailed insights and exclusive content, visit Diversion Audio and subscribe to their newsletter.

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Key Takeaways

• Courage in Adversity: Letizia Battaglia's unwavering commitment to documenting Mafia violence serves as a powerful example of courage in the face of extreme danger.

• Role of Media in Justice: Battaglia's photography was instrumental in providing evidence that supported significant legal actions against the Mafia, showcasing the crucial role of media in the pursuit of justice.

• Personal Sacrifice: Battaglia's personal struggles and sacrifices highlight the emotional and physical toll of standing against organized crime.

• Legacy of Change: Her contributions not only aided in the downfall of the Cosa Nostra but also inspired future generations to continue the fight against corruption and violence.

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This episode masterfully captures the intersection of society, justice, and the human psyche through the lens of Letizia Battaglia's life and work, offering listeners a profound and moving true crime narrative.

Transcript

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Hi listeners. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season two podcast and I'm excited to share these riveting stories with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories ever told, season one and season two 100% ad free and access all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories ever told season two one week early through the iHeart True Crime plus subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts plus you'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love like There and Gone, South Street, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes, Unrestorable, the Godmother, Betrayal and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[A.J. Jacobs]

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Oh, French dressing.

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

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You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to the Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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I'm ready to fight. Oh, this is fighting words. Okay, I'll put the hammer back. Hi, I'm George M. Johnson, a best selling author with the second most banned book in America. Now more than ever, we need to use our voices to fight back.

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Listen to fighting words on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[George M. Johnson]

Diversion Audio.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

A Note this episode contains mature content and descriptions of violence that may be disturbing for some listeners. Please take care in listening Letizia was 36 years old when she got her first newspaper job. It was at Lora, a left wing daily newspaper in her home city of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, and she'd gotten lucky. It was August and everyone was out of town, so they needed a catch all person to do odd jobs like typing, writing and photographing. She was only on the job three days when she photographed her first murder. The crew drove out to the country to a picturesque olive grove where the corpse had lain for some time before it was reported. She would never forget the smell. It was a mafia casualty in 1971. It was generally Mafia killing Mafia, but it wouldn't take long to escalate into Mafia killing anyone who got in their way. This day was the start of a story that would dominate the news cycle for 19 years. Before long, Letizia said it would become not uncommon for her to visit four or five such scenes in a day. Welcome to the greatest true crime stories ever told, Mary I'm Mary Kay McBrayer. Today's episode we're calling the Sicilian Photographer who Shot the Mafia. It's the story of a woman in Palermo who needed a job to support herself and fell into a powerful photojournalist career. A career that helped legislators end the Casa Nostra as they knew. In the spring of 2023, we took our honeymoon to Sicily. We didn't choose that location only because the Godfather is one of my top three favorite films, but also because we love the second season of White Lotus and Sicilian food is a combination of Italian and Middle Eastern food. And we are big wine drinkers. We also love an adventure and it took two flights plus an overnight train ride from Rome to get to the island. And yes, you heard that right. We took a train to an island, they rolled us right up onto a ferry, scooted across the Strait of Messina, and it was just an hour or so before we arrived in Taormina. We took our time making our way across the north coast by train. I do not recommend rollerboard bags for centuries old cobblestones, but the city of Palermo was incredibly beautiful and delicious and everything was tiled. Naturally, because I am a nerd, we had to walk through every museum and dip into every bookstore on the off chance they might have an English language section. And in a bookstore in the new part of Palermo, I learned about Letizia Battaglia. All the texts were naturally in Italian. By the way, I do not Speak Italian. It's embarrassing how much I do not speak Italian. So thank you for your patience in pronouncing these names and places. Still, the lack of source material in English only encouraged me to look for Letizia harder. It was pretty serendipitous for this season. I wanted to cover the Mafia, but that syndicate is a notorious boys club. If you're not super familiar with the Cosa Nostra, let me explain in very brief, overgeneralized terms. In Italian, Casa Nostra means our thing. It was an open secret in Sicily that gangs basically ran everything in America. We romanticize the Mafia. I don't feel like it's fair to blame the Godfather exclusively. Although author Mario Puzo straight up said it was a book about family guys. My guess is that he meant family with a capital F. Mostly, I blame our celebration of the underdog. In and before the Second World War, Sicilians immigrated to America on a huge scale. They fled Mussolini and famine caused in part by Mussolini. And they wanted opportunities in general, like nearly all other immigrants of the time. Of course, the land of opportunity also discriminated against immigrants. And our mythology says that the Mafia manifested as a sort of underdog government to protect the residents, that the actual government wouldn't protect. Italian immigrants during that period also fled the Mafia, though, because they weren't protecting anyone. It was a straight up gang. And when you hear the term gang by itself, you might think of discriminated against racial minorities, indoctrinating children into their violent criminal lifestyle with the promise of a brief but rich life. Or else. And that is what the Mafia was. According to the no Mafia Museum in Palermo, there were three phases of the Mafia's development. One, social banditism or an act of rebellion arising from the living conditions of the subordinate classes. That's the underdog we're romanticizing. And two, involvement in the separatist movement and in the formation of a voluntary army for the independence of Sicily. And three, massacres of police officials and attacks against socialist meetings. The next phase, and the one we are dealing with by the time Letizia Battaglia was an adult, was just power for the sake of power and violence for the sake of violence. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know about Letizia Battaglia before I visited Palermo because she is a legend. Like I said, a lot of source material is in Italian, but my main sources for researching this episode are the documentary Shooting the Mafia and the article by Melissa Harris, the Sicilian photographer who fought the Mafia. And naturally, Letizia's photographs. She was fiercely heroic, headstrong and determined. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Letizia grew up in Palermo. And at that time, which was just after the second World War, the neighborhood where she lived was also where the Mafia did the dirty jobs. That's where the killers lived and men ran everything. The first time she left the house on her own as a pre adolescent, she rode her bike through town and she saw a man expose himself and start masturbating. She didn't know what that was. When she told her father, he responded by not letting her out of the house. He was very domineering, for her own safety, but also for his own power. And then he sent her to a strict Catholic boarding school. If you're a naturally defiant person, you can imagine how that went. Letizia got married to the first man who asked me, which I mean the hubris of knowing that multiple marriage proposals would come her way. I mean, I love that many of us only get the one. Still, when she was 16 years old, she met her husband in the street. One day when she went out to get milk, his family checked the sheets for blood. After their wedding night, when they found it, they announced to everyone that she'd been a virgin. I hate that. He was also a very controlling man. I hate that too. She wanted to continue her education and he thought it wasn't appropriate. She had three children with him and then she had a mental breakdown that resulted in a two year convalescence at a Swiss hospital. It seems like the convalescence gave her the strength to leave her husband in 1971 at age 36. That's when she got the newspaper job at Laura. She went to Milan soon after and began writing for a newspaper there as well. Rumors said she went to Milan to escape her soon to be ex husband. It seems like she had wanted out of that marriage for a long time. For at least the two years she was convalescing. And there were stories. One story said that her husband caught her in bed with a lever and then he tried to shoot the lover. Another story said that he'd tried to shoot her and that's when she finally left him and took their daughters to Milan. But she came back to Palermo not long after. In this documentary, three of her male co workers come on and talk about her. The captions under their names read Photographer, EX lover. Which I found fascinating. Not because of the infidelity, I can't abide that. But because she didn't Let a stifling marriage prevent her from living her life. Especially because most women at that time and place, which 1971 in Catholic Sicily, didn't see a way out of marriages like this one. I also thought it was interesting because they're still friends. The men clearly love and respect her, even if their affairs ended also. And this is just a personal thing that I noticed and that I don't see very often, all of Letizia's lovers that I came across in my research are younger than she is. I've heard it said before that younger men are not afraid of powerful women. And this is just support for that argument. My own husband is just three years younger than me. But look, I'm going to count myself among the powerful by any means I can get there. But back to Palermo. Since the 1950s, Laura had, quote, made a reputation for covering stories involving the Mafia in Palermo. It appears to have been a respected publication that also had budgetary constraints. In the documentary, Letizia says to look at what they're holding. In the photograph she holds, each of the photographers has a part of the camera. One with just the lens, one with the light source, etc. They had to share equipment. She would work there through 1992. To be frank, when she landed the job, she didn't know she'd be shooting Mafia murders. But that's the news that was happening then. And frankly, this woman had the determination to pull it off. The barricades would let TV crews past, men from the media, but they tried to bar Letizia. She didn't let them. Even when people nearby spat at her and cursed her and smashed her cameras. And not to make light of a serious situation, but that could be a reason for their equipment shortage. I'm actually reminded of the opening scenes of the very fictional film the Godfather. Remember when Sonny smashed the reporter's cameras at Connie's wedding and then stuck a wad of bills in his chest pocket? Now imagine that reporter was trying to take photos of a murdered religion. Letizia said the job was very dangerous. She would set up the exposure and timer and then cough to cover the sound of the lens. Click. Her co worker confirmed that the photographers were very exposed. Everyone there knew who they were. There was no hiding. They had no real protection. Sometimes when they returned from a job, they'd circle the block once or twice before parking, just to check if they were safe at first. The Mafia killed the Mafia. Even so, Letizia said, you can never be truly happy when you've experienced that horror. She also said photographing trauma is embarrassing. After all, at a murder crime scene, the body is not the only person at the site. The law enforcement and the media are there, but so are their loved ones or even passersby. They all feature often in her photography an older woman in an apron with her hands clapped together, seeing a body lying flat by the open door of a car on the other side of the garage, or a line of children standing shocked behind a smeared, wet puddle of blood. After the corpse has been cleared from the sidewalk, Letizia said, quote, you love these people, but you have to take photos. I couldn't tell them I was doing it with love. She might have been taking photos out of love, but it didn't take long until she weaponized those photographs to the greater good. Hi listeners, I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season 2 podcast and I'm excited to share these riveting stories with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime stories ever told season one and season two 100% ad free and access all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season 2 one week early through the I Heart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts Plus. You'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love like There and Gone, South Street Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder, Unrestorable, the Godmother, Betrayal and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple podcasts, search for iHeart True Crime plus and subscribe. Today.

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

While Letizia was photographing the many crimes that happened in Palermo, the Mafia was being run from a little inland town called Corleone, which probably sounds pretty familiar. The early 1980s were the period known as the Second Mafia Wars. 1981-84 is also known as the Great Mafia War or the Matensa, which is Italian for slaughter. Thousands of people died during the early 1980s. There was still the violence within the Mafia itself, but there was also violence against the state campaigns of planned assassinations of politicians, activists and detectives, not to mention the murders of turncoats. The Mafia family from Corleone were the instigators. I wanted to visit Corleone on our honeymoon, since they have a huge museum dedicated to preserving this part of Sicilian history. But we didn't make it. I don't know if you know this about Sicily, but traffic laws. There are more like suggestions. We weren't used to that. Also, the roads through the mountains are winding and sometimes unpaved, and your girl could barely drive around Tahoe without a line of honking cars behind her. Plus, neither of us can really drive a manual transmission, and that didn't seem like a good time to learn. I got some solace from that failure when I learned that the Godfather wasn't filmed there. Then it was still too dangerous to tangle with the Mafia there. To be fair, they were shooting in the early 80s Cosa Nostra families in Palermo called the Koleonisi, the peasants. This was before the Koleonisi murdered the heads of families. On November 30, 1982, 12 Mafiosi were murdered in 12 separate incidents. Letizia's photographs of the murders show the kind of odd, if, you know, you know, messages, like wearing a blanket or the victim's shirt pulled up to show the tattoo of Jesus crying on his back. Honestly, I'm not sure what those particular details mean. But the bodies were positioned, deliberately staged. Almost. The only example I can think of to elaborate is when, again in the Godfather, when the enforcer Luca Brasi goes missing and the family gets delivered a Sicilian message of a dead fish, meaning he sleeps with the fishes. Or essentially, he's been encased in a cement overcoat and dumped in the East River. And by the way, those weirdly staged bodies were just the bodies that they recovered. There was always the white shotgun method, in which the body is completely destroyed, or at least never found. These guys were ruthless. The brutal Luciano Leggio became the new Mafia boss of Corleone by simply shooting the old one. But you know who wasn't dissuaded by any of this at all? Letizia. In the documentary, they describe the misery of Corleone as its cone of silence. No one reported disappearances for fear that they would be next. Which, if you recall our opening, could be a reason why the first body she ever photographed was left alone in that olive grove for so long. It was an open secret that Corleone was the Mafia headquarters. Its citizens were too afraid to speak out. Which, given who they're dealing with, seems completely justifiable. No one wants to fall on a grenade to no end, but as we know, to provide justice for a crime, judicial systems need evidence. In what seems like a call to action, or at least an inspiration to acknowledgement. Letizia and her crew took their work to Corleone for a sort of open viewing in the early 80s. But when they took Letizia's photos to display in a plaza in Corleone, everyone cleared the square. Letizia hated the corruption. People were so afraid of the Mafia that they wouldn't stand up to it or really even acknowledge it. So in 1985, she held a seat on the Palermo City Council for the Green Party. She hated that too, she said, because everything was decided elsewhere. She said in her documentary, I did nothing and was paid a fortune. And the Mafia was still in control. That is, until Judge Giovanni Falcone's success as a prosecutor brought him into an informal group called the Anti Mafia pool. Back in 1961, he'd graduated from the University of Palermo Law school, and he practiced just three years before he became a judge. He was assigned to investigate bankruptcy cases, which doesn't seem like it would have a whole lot to do with the Mafia, but it did. In February of 1986, Giovanni Falcone led the prosecution on one of the most famous trials in Sicilian history, the Maxi trial. Let me tell you how the Maxi Trial came about. On March 31, 1980, six years before the trial itself, a new law was drafted. It introduced Mafia conspiracy as a new crime to the Italian legal system. It also allowed courts to seize and and confiscate goods of people involved in Mafia conspiracy. That was huge. Before this article 416, the mafia had not been recognized by the Penal Code at all. That meant people did not consider Mafia association a criminal offense. And by people, I mean judges. That didn't just mean judges could acquit, because Mafia conspiracy wasn't a crime, although it did mean that. But it also meant that judges could be in the mafia legally. So 1980 was a game changer. Palermo's anti Mafia pool started combining investigating magistrates who shared information which spread out the burden of being the sole target. Because they were many, they diffused the responsibility of being the one prosecuting the Mafia. Falcone was a big part of that pool. Falcone was a key member, as was Paolo Borsalino, Giuseppe Di Lelillo and several other magistrates. The way I understand it, the anti Mafia pool was kind of the Italian equivalent of an American task force. And it was hugely successful. Over the course of several years, the magistrates heard testimonies from the pintiti, or informants Several of the witnesses were high ranking Mafiosi who turned when they realized their own lives were on the line. The maxi trial of 1986 was the first time the existence of the Khasa Nostra was judicially confirmed. A total of 474 mafiosi were indicted. Not all of them were fingered by the informants directly. And even if they were, the accusations had to be supported by evidence. Falcone's tactic in bringing hundreds of Mafia to court? Follow the money, find the Mafia. So simple, so effective. He followed the cash flow of drug trafficking and extortion and brought them all in. Letizia loved Falcone. Everyone who hated the Mafia loved Falcone. He was fearless and he was the one to finally get Luciano Legio. Well, actually, Falcone was the one to make the charges stick to Luciano Leggio. He'd been in prison for manslaughter in the late 1940s and then again after the first mafia war in 1964. For those crimes he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. His trials for those myriad crimes are widely regarded as farcical, since he'd been ordering murders since 1958 and there was blatant witness intimidation and witnessed tampering. Fourteen years later, he was finally captured in Milan in 1974. But he still ran the Mafia from his prison cell. Letizia had photographed Leggio and the Mafiosi before. She said of Leggio that he was so arrogant that when he was arrested, he walked in front of the policeman, leading him like a dog on a leash. And he hated being photographed, especially by a woman. She said she was so nervous photographing him, that quote, only one shot isn't blurred. She also said if he could, he would have killed me. And Leggio was famous for leaving no witnesses. Falcone is the one who led the prosecution against him. Like I said, hundreds of mafiosi were at that maxi trial. It took place in an underground bunker style structure right next to the prison. If you watch the documentary, the layout of the courtroom is kind of wild. They're all in like prison cells or cages around the court, watching and heckling during all the proceedings. Letizia did not go to that trial. She couldn't stand to look at them all, but also maybe she couldn't stand for them to look at her. She did always want to take a good photo of Judge Falcone though. But he wouldn't let her. The media came down hard on him and I really can't tell why. Maybe it's because that's what the media likes to do. Anyway, he wouldn't pose for photos because he thought it made him look arrogant. Instead, he told her to take the photo while he walked past. Letizia always worried for him. She said, they're going to kill you. And he consoled Letizia, don't worry, if they kill me, someone else will take my place. She was right. The Mafia bombed the motorway. It's notorious under the name Capuchie bombing. It was May 23, 1992. A later informant described the attack detailing who tunneled under the motorway, who packed the 13 drums with TNT, who put them into place on a skateboard, and who actually pressed the button. They did kill him. His assassination killed a total of five people, including Falcone's wife and three of his security detail. One of Letizia's most famous photographs is actually of one bodyguard's widow. The widow said at the funeral that she forgave the Mafiosi, but she hoped they would change their ways. Letizia was devastated. She couldn't go to the crime scene. She went instead to the hospital to meet Falcone and his wife. They both died there, and she couldn't photograph him then either. Hi listeners, I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season 2 podcast and I'm excited to share these riveting stories with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime stories ever told, season one and season two 100% ad free and access all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season 2 one week early through the I Heart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts Plus. You'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love, like There and Gone, South Street Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes, Unrestorable, the Godmother, Betrayal, and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe. Today.

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[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Letizia photographed a lot of terrible murders ordered and executed by the mafia. But she couldn't bring herself to take photos of Falcone. Two months later, another murder happened that she couldn't bear to photograph. Remember how Falcone said, if they kill me, someone else will take my place? That someone had been Paolo Borsalino. Paolo had been a part of the anti Mafia pool, and he was also a prosecuting magistrate in the maxi trial. He and Giovanni Falcone had been childhood friends who both grew up experiencing the violence of the Mafia. Some of their classmates had been Mafiosi, and they were determined to stomp it out. The Mafia murdered Paolo Borsalino by a bomb just two months later, right in front of his mother's house on a Sunday. Letizia did go to the site of this crime. She remembered seeing bits of bodies. That was all that was left. All that was left of Paolo was his stomach. And she couldn't take a photo of just his stomach. She didn't take any photos of that massacre. She couldn't even take a photo of the car that got blown up into a tree. She said in her documentary quote, the photos I didn't take hurt me most. I miss them. I feel disrespectful somehow. It's an interesting inversion to me. Most of us regular people don't take photos of others without their permission, out of respect. Here she felt the opposite. Their deaths deserve to be documented. She said in her documentary, I hate these photos, referring to the Mafia murders. Suddenly I have an archive of blood. But that archive would be instrumental, not only at the time the photos were taken, but later. Just like Falcone predicted, the efforts of anti Mafia investigators gradually came to fruition. And it helped that by this time they had plenty of informants. I've said it before and I'll keep repeating it forever. On a long enough timeline, everyone snitches. Giulio Andriati was one of the most powerful Italian politicians, And through the 90s, he denied having contact with the Mafia, which would have been almost impossible even if it were true. One important denial was that he denied ever knowing the Salvo cousins, Ignacio and Nino. They were wealthy businessmen. As best I can tell, they were also powerful politicians who collected 10% of the tax they collected on behalf of the government. It's not clear how legal that was, but it's clearly exploitation, legal or not. But in 1993, when they were following the money, they found evidence that the Salvos were on the take from the Mafia, and they were suspicious that Giulio Andriati was involved as well. Giulio said he didn't know them at all. But police combed through Letizia Battaglia's photo archives and they found a snapshot that proved otherwise. Back in 1979, she'd taken a photo at a hotel of Giulio Andriati with Nino Salvo, which confirmed police suspicions that Nino was a sort of ambassador between the Cosa Nostra and Palermo's politicians. That photo illustrated Giulio Andriati's corruption and helped convict Nino of a murder, even though for reasons I don't understand, the conviction was overturned the following year. Letizia Battaglia died in Cefalu, Sicily in April of 2022. But in the documentary that released just a couple years before that, she was with her younger artist lover, still photographing, she photographed what she had always wanted to photograph Sicilian life. Though she had wielded her camera as a weapon for decades, fighting against political corruption and day to day brutalism, her latest photos featured a different Sicilian way of life. They were of children gazing at birds and self portraits smoking in bed SA Join me next week on the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. For our first episode on Cassie Chadwick. She was a woman who defrauded her way into Gilded Age high society as an imposter heiress. I'd like to shout out a few key sources that made it possible for me to tell this week's story, especially the documentary Shooting the Mafia and of course, the many supporting sources that are listed in our show notes and for which I'm very grateful to have read an English translation. For more information about this case and others we cover on the show, visit diversionaudio.com Sign up for Diversion's newsletter and be among the first to hear about special behind the scenes features with hosts and actors from Diversion's podcasts, more shows you'll love from Diversion and our partners, and other exclusive tidbits you can't get anywhere else. That's diversionaudio.com to sign up for the newsletter. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told is a production of Diversion Audio. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer and I hosted this episode. I also wrote this episode. Our show is produced and Directed by Emma DeMuth, edited by Antonio Enriquez Theme music by Tyler Cash Executive Producers Jacob Bronstein, Mark Francis and Scott Waxman hi listeners, I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season 2 podcast, and I'm excited to share these riveting stories with you. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime stories ever told season one and season two 100% ad free and access all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season two one week early through the I Heart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts plus. You'll get access to other chart topping true crime shows you love like There and Gone, South Street, Paper Ghosts, Piketon Massacre, Murder Homes, Unrestorable, the Godmother, Betrayal and more. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[A.J. Jacobs]

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Oh, French dressing.

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You can get your daily puzzle nuggets delivered straight to your ears. Listen to the Puzzler every day on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in.

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A hell bent effort to sabotage a war.

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J. Edgar Hoover was furious.

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He wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. Listen to Divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and stories from the frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some folks across a wide range of industries, hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin, legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.

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Being a rock star is very fun, but helping people is way more fun.

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And Damian Maldonado, CEO of American Financing.

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I figured out the formula.

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I just have to work hard.

[George M. Johnson]

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Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and Magic on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.