Posted on 05/28/2004 1:14:19 PM PDT by wagglebee
DETROIT — Authorities in Detroit searched a home Friday looking for clues into the greatest murder mystery in U.S. history — what really happened to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa (search).
After one man confessed to killing Hoffa in 1975 at a Detroit home and following a Fox News investigation determined traces of blood in the house, Oakland County, Mich., investigators ripped up floorboards to do more analysis.
An undetermined amount of material was taken away.
Frank Sheeran (search) — nicknamed "the Irishman' — was one of the handful of the FBI's suspects into Hoffa's murder. Sheeran was a local Teamsters president from Delaware who was close to Hoffa while at the same time he was the right-hand man to a power of a different sort — legendary mob boss Russell Bufalino.
Sheeran, who died last year, told Fox News that he was Hoffa's killer but he refused to make the confession on camera.
"Frank Sheeran actually pulled the trigger," said Charles Brandt (search), one of Sheeran's lawyers. Brandt has written a new book called "I Heard You Paint Houses (search)," which lays out Sheeran's story and which is set to be released in June.
The Mystery Begins
Hoffa became the Teamsters (search) leader in 1957 and was sent to prison 10 years later for jury tampering and fraud. He was pardoned in 1971 after giving up the union presidency.
On July 30, 1975, Hoffa disappeared.
That day, he thought he was meeting two mobsters: Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano from Union City, N.J., and Tony Giacalone from Detroit. The three were supposed to talk about money and Hoffa taking back the national Teamsters' presidency, a move the Mafia didn't want. Hoffa also expected Sheeran, who he considered to be a loyal friend, to be at his side for the sit down and to serve as his backup.
"Jimmy Hoffa had every reason to believe that Frank Sheeran, probably the toughest guy that anybody ever knew, was there to protect him in case of a problem and so Jimmy Hoffa got in the back seat of the car," Brandt told Fox News.
According to Sheeran's story, Hoffa thought they were going to meet at 2 p.m. at the Macus Red Fox restaurant. By 2:15 p.m., Sheeran hadn't shown up so Hoffa walked across the parking lot and called his wife from a pay phone to ask if his friend had called. No one had.
Finally, at 2:40 p.m., Sheeran pulled up and Hoffa took his last ride.
"What we do know, he would have never gotten in any vehicle unless there was a trusted adviser there," said David Corcyca, the Oakland County, Mich., prosecutor who is handling the case.
Sheeran said they drove 8 miles with Hoffa's so-called foster son Chuckie O'Brien behind the wheel and mobster Sal "Sally Bugs" Briguglio next to Hoffa in the back seat. Their destination — the three-story house in Detroit.
Hoffa and Sheeran got out of the car while O'Brien and Briguglio backed the car up out of the driveway. The union leader and his friend walked up the front steps into the house.
According to Sheeran, once inside a small vestibule Hoffa realized something was wrong and he doubled back to get out the front door.
Hoffa never made it. Sheeran said he shot Hoffa two times behind the right ear, a mob hit ordered to keep Hoffa from power.
"He's the logical guy to use when you want to whack a guy like Jimmy Hoffa. He's a close friend. He's a guy who Jimmy Hoffa trusted," said Jerry Capeci, an organized crime expert. Capeci said Hoffa had to go "because he was doing things that were going to upset the apple cart and annoy the Mafia bosses."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Only if they discover no weapons of mass destruction buried with the body.
(steely)
At the very least they will find a way to make it Nixon's fault and link it that way.
It was the Carlyle Group with help from Skull and Bones.
I wonder if any equipment from Halliburton was used???
They wiill say Hoffa died from lead poisoning and start whining about the environment.
Put Mark Fuhrman on this case. He'll solve it once and for all.
Hmmm!
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