2 Springs men arrested in gangland slaying

A Colorado Springs man was possibly looking for money when he plotted the mob-style murder of his father in New Jersey in May, police said Wednesday.

William Silvi, 40, was arrested Tuesday outside his Colorado Springs home on suspicion of hiring his brother-in-law to kill 64-year-old William Marcucci, a New Yorker with ties to the Mafia, according to New Jersey police.

Silvi's brother-in-law, Daniel Tunks, 34, of Colorado Springs was also arrested Tuesday. He is suspected of killing Marcucci May 20 in Saddle Brook, N.J.

Silvi and Tunks planned the killing from the Springs, police said. The men were arrested when leaving their home at 734 E. Costilla Street.

Marcucci may have been killed for "financial purposes," Colorado Springs police said Wednesday.

According to The Record, a northern New Jersey newspaper, Marcucci was found dead in his Cadillac outside a Bennigan's. He had been shot once behind his left ear, The Record reported.

Silvi, who also uses the name William Kachur, was convicted in 1991 by a Jefferson County jury of killing a 2-year-old boy he was baby-sitting.

At the time, Silvi was on parole for an earlier burglary conviction. He was sentenced to 22 years in the child-abuse death. It was unclear Wednesday when Silvi was released from prison.

The Record reported that Marcucci's mob connections, in conjunction with the style of his murder, initially suggested the killing to be linked to organized crime. Marcucci, of the Bronx, "was a Genovese crime family associate who had a role in the organization's bookmaking operations," The Record reported.