A ruthless Sicilian Mafia crime boss who has been to several gruesome murders, including the killing of a famous anti-Mafia prosecutor, has been released from prison after serving 25 years, CBS reports.
Brusca is being released after serving a 25-year sentence after becoming an informant for officials to help take down other members of the mob. On Monday, he was released from Rebibbia prison in Rome and is set to serve four years on probation.
Giovanni Brusca, known to many as the "People Slayer," played a pivotal role in the Cosa Nostra, serving under Salvatore "Toto" Riina." Brusca reportedly admitted to hundreds of murders including the bomb that killed prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992. The infamous murder took place after Falcone's efforts to take down the mob. Along with Falcone, his wife and three bodyguards also died in the explosion.
News of Brusca's release has been met with pushback. The wife of one of the bodyguards described Brusca's release as a slap in the face. "The state is against us – after 29 years we still don’t know the truth about the massacre and Giovanni Brusca, the man who destroyed my family, is free,” Tina Montinaro," told Republica.
Brusca is also notoriously known for the murder of the 12-year-old son of Giuseppe Di Matteo, a mafia member who cooperated with authorities. Brusca reportedly strangled the child and threw him into acid -- an act that authorities called "one of the most heinous crimes in the history of the Cosa Nostra."
