Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. In 2005, after 17 years in prison, Kuklinski was diagnosed with an incurable form of Kawasaki disease, an inflammation of the blood vessels and was transferred to a secure wing at St.
Richard Kuklinski - Contract killer and mob hitman Richard Kuklinski being escorted by police from a court room, Dec. It took five people to restrain the huge man and put him in a vehicle On December 17, 1986, the task force set up a road block and arrested Kuklinski. Many of Kuklinski's claims were substantiated by author Philip Carlo in over 240 hours of interviews and via the dozens of cases Kuklinski helped New Jersey police clear after his incarceration.
Though some have expressed skepticism about the extent of Kuklinski's alleged murders, police are confident in their belief that he was a serial killer who killed at least several dozen people both at the behest of organized crime bosses and on his own initiative.
Richard Kuklinski with daughters Merrick and ChristinĪfter his murder convictions, Kuklinski took part in a number of interviews during which he claimed to have murdered from over 100 to 250 men between 19, though his recollection of events sometimes varied. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1988. The eighteen month long undercover investigation led to his arrest in 1986. Law enforcement began to suspect Kuklinski and started an investigation, gathering evidence about the various crimes he had committed. Although Kuklinski is claimed to have killed anyone who could testify against him, he got sloppy about disposing of his victims. While his range of criminal activities expanded, he began to make mistakes. By the early to mid-1980s, Kuklinski was involved in narcotics, pornography, arms dealing, money laundering, hijacking and contract killing.