David Leisure was executed by the State of Missouri for the murder of James Michael
According to court documents David Leisure cousin wanted control over the local union so he would plant a car bomb in the vehicle belong to James Michael. David Leisure would follow the vehicle and the bomb would be remote detonated killing James Michael
David Leisure would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
David Leisure would be executed by lethal injection on September 1 1999
David Leisure Photos
David Leisure Case
According to the record, the murder in question was the product of simultaneous power struggles within an organized crime entity described as being composed of persons of Syrian and Lebanese descent within St. Louis and Local 110 of the Laborers Union, which was headed by the victim, James A. Michaels, Sr.; Michaels was the reputed head of “the Syrians.” The record further reveals that a second, competing organized crime unit existed in St. Louis known as “the Italians,” headed by Anthony Giordano.
In early 1977, Ray Massud promised Anthony Leisure, David Leisure’s cousin, that he would succeed Massud as Local 110’s business manager. While in the hospital with a terminal illness, Massud changed his mind, asking Anthony Leisure to accept the job of assistant business manager and to allow John Massud, his son, to serve as business manager of the union. Anthony Leisure agreed. On June 30, 1977, after Ray Massud’s death, the appointments were made to the Union positions in accordance with the agreement. Under the “terms” of the agreement, Leisure would control the hiring and firing of union officers; John Massud would operate the union office.
John Massud began to hire Union officers without consulting Anthony Leisure. Moreover, Massud hired Vince Giordano, nephew of Anthony Giordano, as a union organizer. Mike Trupiano, another nephew of Anthony Giordano, became Union president in May of 1979, with Massud’s blessing and, again, without Anthony Leisure’s consent.
Angered by Massud’s breach of their agreement and his resulting loss of power within the union, Anthony Leisure met with his brother Paul, Ronald Broderick, John Ramo, Charles Loewe and appellant (David Leisure) to consider whether John Massud should be murdered for violating the agreement. The group reached no decision. The Leisures’ feared Massud’s political ties in St. Louis City politics.
Later, Massud complaining that the union payroll was too high, announced that he planned to fire Broderick. Broderick was the only union officer Anthony Leisure had appointed. The Leisures, including appellant, Broderick, Ramo and a Fred Prator, convened another meeting. Again, the subject was the preservation of Anthony’s power within the union. The group again thought it unwise to kill Massud for the reasons earlier stated; nor did they wish to start a war with the Italians by killing Trupiano. They selected James Michaels, Sr., as their victim. Michaels’ death would enhance the Leisures’ position among the Syrians. It would also send a strong message to the union leadership. The Leisures also believed that Michaels had protected *370 the murderer of appellant’s older brother, Richard.
After an unsuccessful attempt to shotgun Michaels at a St. Louis restaurant, appellant and his coconspirators decided to bomb Michaels’ car. On September 4, 1980, appellant and Ramo stole a car that matched the make and model of Michaels’ car, and practiced planting a bomb. Appellant followed Michaels around the city to learn of his habitual movements.
On September 17, 1980, appellant (David Leisure) spotted Michaels’ car in the parking lot of St. Raymond’s Catholic Church. The participants in the plan to kill Michaels moved into action. Anthony Leisure, Broderick and Ramo picked up a van belonging to Broderick’s son. They drove the van to another location, where they retreived the bomb and joined appellant. Prepared now to kill, they drove to St. Raymond’s Church, parking the van next to the victim’s car. Appellant slid under Michaels’ car and attached the bomb; the quartet drove the van to a strategic place where they could see Michaels return to his car. The victim came out of the church with his grandson, James Michaels, III, a Local 110 union organizer. The senior Michaels entered the car and began talking with his grandson through an open window. Appellant suggested that the bomb be detonated at that instant in order to kill both Michaels. Anthony Leisure convinced appellant otherwise.
The van followed as the elder Michaels drove away from the church. Anthony tried to detonate the bomb several times without success; the radio controlled detonating device refused to work. For a moment, the murderers lost Michaels but saw his car on I-55. Giving chase, they caught their victim. Anthony again threw the switch on the detonating device; the bomb did not go off. Frustrated, Anthony threw the switch again and again until finally the bomb exploded. The victim’s upper torso was ripped from the rest of his body and thrown from the car. It struck the windshield of the vehicle following.
The van immediately left the highway and headed toward Illinois. Breaking up the remote control detonating devices, the murderers threw pieces out as the van sped along. In Illinois, they washed the van several times. Returning to Missouri, they stopped at an automobile supply store where appellant bought new windshield wiper blades in an attempt to remove all traces of the explosion from the van. A stop at a drug store brought rubbing alcohol and shaving lotions, which were used to remove the odor of explosives from the hands of the killers.
Approximately a week after the murder, Paul Leisure met with John Vitale, the new leader of the Italians. (Anthony Giordano had died.) Leisure and Vitale agreed that the Syrians would control the Local 110. Two relatives of Michaels lost their union jobs immediately after the murder.
https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/supreme-court/1988/69470-0.html
