Tony Ray Amati

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Tony Ray Amati
TonyRayAmati.png
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
Alias
  • Anthony Ray Jones
  • Phillip D. Gitlitz
  • Debon Restivito
  • Shane Wade
Description
BornAntony Ray Amati
(1976-06-28) June 28, 1976 (age 45)
Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Status
ConvictionsFirst degree murder
Attempted murder
AddedFebruary 27, 1998
CaughtMarch 1, 1998
Number452
Captured

Anthony "Tony" Ray Amati[1] (born June 28, 1976) is an American serial killer who killed three people in Las Vegas, Nevada between May and August 1996. The FBI was brought in to find Amati's whereabouts, adding him to the FBI's ten most wanted list in 1998.[2] Following his arrest, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, and is currently serving his sentence in Nevada.

Murders[]

Before the initial spree, Amati along with two accomplices, 27-year-old Troy Sampson and 23-year-old Edward James, robbed a gun store of $30,000 in southern Las Vegas, as well as stealing 75 firearms. Their crime spree began on May 27, 1996, when Amati, Sampson and James fired over 20 rounds of bullets into 27-year-old Michael Matta in a parking lot in southern Las Vegas, ultimately killing him. Matta was homeless, and was reportedly rummaging though bags of trash when killed.[3] In July, two blocks away from where Matta was gunned down, the trio shot 48-year-old John Garcia to death in his garage near Tropicana Avenue.[4] Four weeks later, in August 1996, the trio fired 13 bullets into 22-year-old Keith Dyer just outside of a friends home, killing him.[3]

Investigation[]

At the scene, Amati cut his hand, leaving blood that police eventually collected and used to implicate him.[5] In October 1996, Amati, Sampson and James sold stolen guns to a dealer. Unknown to them, the buyer was an undercover policeman, and both Sampson and James were apprehended, while Amati remained at large. Their trailer was subsequently seized and searched by investigators, who uncovered the stolen weapons, which were eventually matched the guns used to kill all three victims.[3] Since Amati couldn't be located, his two accomplices remained in police custody until he was found.

On February 27, 1998, Amati was officially added as number 452 on the FBI's ten most wanted list, and they subsequently took control over the case.[6] It was found that in the two years Amati was a fugitive, he went under multiple pseudonyms including Anthony Ray Jones, Phillip D. Gitlitz, Debon Restivito and Shane William Wade.[7] The FBI found that he was arrested multiple times in Utah, but each time he was able to convince police he was a different person.[1] During the time Amati was at large, he was featured in an episode of the popular television program America's Most Wanted, in which investigators involved in the extensive manhunt for Amati said that he was most likely armed and dangerous.[3][8] They suspected Amati might be in Southern Illinois, because of family that was known to have lived there.[7] Initially, after over fifty tips from that area, that theory ran dry.[6]

Days after the episode was broadcast, detectives received a tip from Georgia, and FBI agents were dispatched there to find him. On March 1, agents stormed Amati's hotel room in Atlanta and arrested him without incident.[9]

Amati's father, Charlie Amati, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a peace officer for giving an officer a fraudulent license with a photo of Tony. He was sentenced to 12 months of conditional discharge and fined $200.[10]

Trial and imprisonment[]

In 1996, Sampson pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to 20 to 50 months in prison.

Amati, Sampson and James were all charged with the murders, but because of evidence being withheld by the judge, Sampson and James' charges were dropped by the district attorney, but Amati's remained.[3] In 1999, he stood trial, denying his guilt, claiming the murders were primarily committed by Sampson and James, and that he himself never pulled the trigger.[4]

Sampson was released from prison in August 1999. On November 14, 2000, he robbed and burned down a Las Vegas convenience store. Sampson faced a federal arson charge since the store was involved in interstate commerce. In 2002, he pleaded guilty to arson and sentenced to 150 months in prison. Sampson was released from prison on December 11, 2012.[11]

During the trial, Amati claimed he only participated in the string of killings out of fear of Sampson, and only went on the run since he thought no one would believe him even if he turned himself. Amati was acquitted of killing Matta and Garcia, but found guilty of killing Dyer. He was spared a death sentence and instead sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.[12] Amati's lawyers had argued that his age warranted leniency, and said it would be unfair for him to be executed when his codefendants were walking free.[13] Amati is serving his sentence at the High Desert State Prison, and will be eligible for parole in 2038, when he is 62.[5]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Suspect used fake driver's ID". Associated Press. 19 January 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Las Vegas slaying suspect makes FBI's 'Most Wanted' list". Las Vegas Sun. 22 February 1998. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Evidence ruling kills two murder charges". Elko Daily Free Press. 15 May 1998. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Defendant in triple murder denies on stand he's a killer". Las Vegas Sun. 3 December 1999. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Thrill killer gets 40 years in prison". Las Vegas Sun. 9 December 1999. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Tips on Amati abound after 'America's most wanted' airs". The Southern Illinoisan. 25 February 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Ex-Herrin man wanted by FBI for murder may be in Southern Illinois". The Daily Egyptian. 2 March 1998. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Illinois man makes FBI most wanted list". Belleville News-Democrat. 23 February 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Fugitive caught in Georgia". The Southern Illinoisan. 1 March 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Tony Amati". Southern Illinoisan. 1998-02-24. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  11. ^ Office (USAO), U. S. Attorney's. "U.S. Attorney's Office - U.S. Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  12. ^ "Jury lenient on thrill killer". Associated Press. 10 December 1999. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  13. ^ Radke, Jace; Gang, Bill (1999-12-09). "Thrill killer gets 40 years in prison - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
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