Richard Leidy, 60, of South Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with the murder of Guerino "Gino" Marconi in 1999. (Credit: @JeffNadu on X)
Philadelphia police have charged Richard Leidy, 60, in connection with the 1999 mob-style execution of Guerino “Gino” Marconi, a reputed associate of then-rising mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino.
Marconi, 42, was fatally shot outside his home on the 2500 block of South 20th Street, while his girlfriend suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived.
After decades without resolution, investigators announced this week that Leidy, who lived just a block from the crime scene, has been arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses, according to multiple reports, including the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The killing unfolded during one of the most violent periods in Philadelphia mob history.
By the late 1990s, Merlino had taken control of the local Cosa Nostra family after a bloody power struggle with rivals loyal to jailed boss John Stanfa.
Under Merlino’s leadership, the organization was locked in turf battles and often feuded with former allies.
Marconi, considered a low-level but loyal Merlino associate, became a target after a botched robbery at Leidy’s house months earlier — a crime investigators believe sparked a revenge plot. Police at the time suspected the shooting was meant as both retribution and a warning in the turbulent mob landscape.
Witnesses told investigators in 1999 that a gunman had been lying in wait in a van outside Marconi’s home. After opening fire, the assailant torched the vehicle in an effort to cover his tracks.
While no charges stuck at the time, Leidy’s proximity to the crime scene and his alleged motive remained in police files for years.
Advances in forensic analysis, coupled with renewed cooperation between Philadelphia homicide detectives and federal authorities, ultimately led to Leidy’s arrest nearly three decades later.
Mob experts note that the Marconi murder fit a familiar pattern of the era: violence carried out in broad daylight, often to send a message of strength or retaliation.
From the mid-1990s through the early 2000s, Philadelphia saw a string of mob-related shootings, including the 1993 ambush of Merlino himself outside a South Philly social club, which he narrowly survived.
While the mob’s influence has diminished in recent decades, the Leidy arrest underscores the city’s violent mob legacy.
