Reputed mobster Nicodemo pleads guilty in shooting death

Reputed mobster Anthony Nicodemo, dressed in a blue shirt and tie with his wrists handcuffed, did not utter more than three words during his 15-minute visit Friday morning to Courtroom 1101.

"Yes," he told Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart. "No," he said. "Guilty," he said three times.

Nicodemo pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, and weapons charges in the 2012 shooting death of Gino DiPietro.

Minehart sentenced Nicodemo, 43, to a minimum of 25 years in prison as part of the plea deal. He could serve up to 50 years for the crimes.

"Anthony took the plea because he was facing a mandatory life sentence," said his attorney, Brian McMonagle, "and he now can come home someday to his family."

Nicodemo went to trial in a case that ended in a mistrial last May, and that led to a police investigation into possible jury tampering. His alleged ties to organized crime were never mentioned during the trial.

A second trial was to begin Monday.

Members of both families packed Minehart's courtroom to capacity Friday. The judge, in sentencing Nicodemo, labeled his actions "bewildering."

DiPietro's sister, Linda Shattuck, told the court in a statement, "Today is by no stretch of the imagination a happy day for everyone here."

Soon after 3 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2012, DiPietro was shot multiple times near his pickup truck in the 2800 block of South Iseminger Street in South Philadelphia.

The shooter was described by a witness as a man wearing black clothing, including a mask and gloves. Another witness saw that man walking nearby on Camac Street, where he hopped into a 2007 Honda Pilot. The witness remembered the license plate number, HTK-1942, and relayed it to police, said Assistant District Attorney Brian Zarallo.

Investigators quickly connected the car to Nicodemo and his house on the 3200 block of South 17th Street - about five minutes from the murder scene.

They found a .357 Magnum revolver under the driver's seat of the Honda. Ballistics, Zarallo said, showed that gun was the murder weapon.

On Friday, Minehart offered Nicodemo the chance to speak before the sentencing. Nicodemo declined.

He turned and smiled at relatives after the sentencing. At 11:05, Nicodemo raised his shackled hands to wave goodbye.