‘Son Of Sal’ Killer Who Murdered Bensonhurst Shopkeeper Gets 75 Years To Life
The serial killer dubbed “Son of Sal” by the media — who was known to lurk and dance in Bensonhurst — will spend the rest of his years behind bars.
Salvator Perrone, 67, a Staten Island salesman who was convicted for the 2012 murders of three shopkeepers, was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison today, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson.
The defendant used the same rifle in all three incidents to murder three innocent and hard-working family men. He was convicted last month based on forensic, physical, surveillance and other evidence. He was convicted on February 10, 2016 on three counts of second-degree murder after a jury trial.
“It’s hard to think of anyone who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison more than this cold-blooded and unrepentant serial killer,” said Thompson. “He murdered three innocent, honest and hard-working business owners and then spent years acting up in court to delay the fate he received today. I hope his life sentence will bring some comfort to the victims’ families who have suffered so much loss and grief.”
Two of Perrone’s victims owned stores in Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. As we’ve reported, the killer fatally shot 65-year-old Mohamed Gebel in Valentino Fashion, located on Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge on July 6, 2012. On August 2, 2012 Perrone shot Isaac Kadare, 59, once in the head and then slit his throat inside the victim’s 99 cent store on 86th Street in Bensonhurst. Then, on November 16, the serial killer fatally shot Rahmatollah Vahidipour, 78, inside the victim’s boutique in Flatbush Avenue.
After the third homicide, a photo and video of the defendant carrying a black duffle bag in the vicinity of the third crime scene was distributed to the media, and he was arrested on November 21, 2012.
An abundance of forensic evidence linked Perrone to the slayings. A search at his girlfriend’s home led to the recovery of the duffle bag, which contained a .22-caliber rifle that was registered to the defendant and was used in all three murders, according to ballistic analysis of shell casings that were left at the three crime scenes, the evidence showed. The bag also contained a knife with blood that matched Mr. Kadare. Blood stains that matched Mr. Vahidipour were found on the bag.
Furthermore, the defendant’s fingerprints and DNA were recovered from the murder weapon, according to testimony. Cell phone data and surveillance videos placed him in the vicinity of the second and third homicides, the evidence showed. All three victims were killed around their stores’ closing time and their bodies were covered with clothes or other items in an apparent attempt to conceal the murders.
Though Perrone allegedly suffers from “severe personality and delusional disorder,” he was declared fit for trial.