How The Murder Of A Major Mafia Boss Impacted The 'Trial Of The Century'

Prosecuting a defendant or group of defendants as prominent as the mob can be a career-defining case for many lawyers, one that takes months if not years of planning and gathering evidence to make an iron-clad case. So what would happen if one of the biggest players involved was suddenly murdered?

On the September 12 episode of the Law & Order: Criminal Justice System podcast , host Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi walked listeners through the "trial of the century" in New York City that saw prosecutors having to suddenly adjust following the December 1985 murder of Paul Castellano , the head boss of the Gambino crime family and one of the key defendants in the then-upcoming case against the mob.

As "the reputed head of the crime Commission and the godfather of the Gambino family," Castellano's appearance in court was reportedly "bad for business." However, the "chaos" of his death would heavily impact the trial because "the evidence accumulated against Castellano was a lynchpin in the government's case, but his murder might turn it all upside down."

The Law & Order: Criminal Justice System podcast launched in August and "tells the real stories behind the landmark cases that have shaped how the most dangerous and influential criminals in America are prosecuted." The Wolf Entertainment and iHeartPodcasts show, hosted by Nicolazzi, recently premiered its inaugural season is focusing on the "downfall" of the mafia in New York throughout its inaugural season. According to the podcast description:

"In its first season, the series tackles the most influential crime organization in American history, the New York Mafia. Discover how the seemingly random murder of an influential mafioso sparked a chain of events that led to the downfall of the city's five major crime families at the height of their power."

In the the previous episode of Law & Order: Criminal Justice System , listeners learned how a crime boss' "grave miscalculation" helped "prove a conspiracy."

Catch up on past episodes and follow along with all the twists and turns of the Law & Order: Criminal Justice System podcast , now available at iHeartRadio.com .