Suspect accused of killing mob boss is a Qanon fanatic who 'believes the CIA has infiltrated the mafia and carried out the killing because victim was part of a plan to undermine President Trump'
By Matthew Wright
Daily Mail
December 7, 2019
The man accused of killing a Gambino mob boss believes his victim was a member of the 'deep state' and that the CIA has infiltrated the mafia, which his lawyers are hoping prove that he is insane.
Anthony Comello told NYPD detectives just days after the killing that the government was spying on him, MSN reports.
The 25-year-old also told detectives that he put his phone in a copper bag to protect it from 'satellites' and stressed that Democratic operatives in Washington were worked with El Chapo.
Following the conversation with authorities, Comello reportedly told his lawyers that he killed Francesco Cali because the mob boss was a part of the 'deep state' plan to undermine President Trump.
Comello's murder trial for the killing of Cali - known as Franky Boy - is currently taking place in a Staten Island court.
But his lawyers are trying to offer the possible defense: At what point does belief in a far-right conspiracy theory make you legally insane?
Comello arrived at Cali's home in March, with the sole purpose of arresting the mafioso, as he reportedly believed he was ordered to do by Trump.
When Cali resisted an attempted citizen's arrest, Comello allegedly shot him and left him to die in the street.
Comello was arrested at his parents' home three days after the murder.
Comello's lawyer, Robert C. Gottlieb, has asserted that his client was deluded by conspiracy theories.
'He ardently believed that Francesco Cali, a boss in the Gambino crime family, was a prominent member of the deep state, and, accordingly, an appropriate target for a citizen's arrest,' Gottlieb wrote in a court documents.
Gottlieb had previously hinted in May that his client’s ties to QAnon were directly linked to Cali’s murder but he failed to elaborate further.
‘The DA has now mentioned right-wing conspiracy websites, which is at the heart and soul of this case,’ he said.
Gottlieb had claimed that his client was unfit to stand trial. He added that Comello instead should be given a psychiatric treatment.
New York's court system requires the defense to prove that the mental illness exist and that the illness prevented their clients from having an understanding they had done something wrong.
Lead prosecutor, Wanda DeOliveria, said that Comello's mind was 'crystal clear' when he waived his rights to a lawyer during his interview with the authorities.
Comello has refused taking a psychiatric exam administered by a doctor from the prosecutor's office. When warned that that could jeopardize his defense, Comello is said to have said: 'Perfectly fine with that.'
Gottlieb argued that Comello's initial confession should be kept out because his client was too impaired at the time of the interview.
But on Thursday, Judge Garnett denied the motion.
Court documents show Gottlieb's conviction that Comello had no ties to the mafia but rather had convinced himself he was on a mission for Trump.
'He ardently believed that Francesco Cali, a boss in the Gambino crime family, was a prominent member of the deep state, and, accordingly, an appropriate target for a citizen's arrest,' he stated.
He said that Comello's support for 'QAnon' went beyond mere participation in a radical organization but evolved into a delusional obsession.
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