Courtroom 302

Frank Caruso, Jr. appeared in court on October 13, wearing a jail uniform that was too big for him. It was also sentencing day for Dino Titone. Additionally, there were more minor offenders to convict, such as George McNeal, a 51-year-old African American man charged with stealing $27 from of a cop while offering to sell him a rabbit. McNeal had been in jail for three weeks, awaiting sentencing. Judge Locallo offered him “probation, with fifty hours of community service” if he pled guilty for theft (289).

Meanwhile, Titone hoped that Locallo would take him off of death row—not because he was afraid of execution but because his parents were hurt by his death sentence. Though Titone counseled Caruso while in jail, he didn’t respect Caruso, whom he deemed “a spoiled brat living off of his father’s name and reputation” (291). He also found Caruso’s beating of Lenard Clark so reprehensible that he would have liked to give Caruso a beating himself.

Titone’s defense lawyer argued that Titone had become wiser with age. Moreover, his responsibility for the murders was no greater than that of Robert Gacho, who had ordered the hit, or Titone’s partner, Joseph Sorrentino—both of whom had gotten life sentences.