On January 6, 1997 L.A. associate's Antonio Davi and Richard Friedman shot and killed Blitzstein in his own home. In 1997, the Buffalo family's Canadian faction boss Johnny Papalia and his lieutenant Carmen Barillaro were murdered by Kenneth Murdock. When the police arrested Kenneth Murdock in 1999, he decided to become a government witness. Murdock told authorities that he was ordered by brothers Pasquale "Pat" Musitano and Angelo Musitano of the Musitano crew to murder both Johnny Papalia and Carmen Barillaro. According to Murdock the Musitano brothers had been fed up with being a satellite (crew) of the Buffalo family and having to pay tribute money to the family. Murdock also claimed he was waiting for Pat Musitano to approve the murder's of four Luppino crew members Natale Luppino and Vincenzo Luppino (the two sons of the late Giacomo Luppino) and Domenic Violi and Giuseppe Violi (the two sons of late Paolo Violi). Also revealed by Murdock was that Pat Musitano had discussed with Quebec Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto and Gaetano Panepinto about Rizzuto investing in Ontario. The Canadian intelligent agencies had observed meetings in October 22 to 23, 1997 between Pat Musitano and Vito Rizzuto which become more significant after the deaths of Johnny Papalia and Carmen Barillaro. Eventually, the Canadian intelligence agencies were convinced that the Musitano brother's did not act along in the murders of Johnny Papalia, Carmen Barillaro and Enio Mora. In 1998, these factors led Lee Coppola, veteran organized crime reporter for "The Buffalo News," to write an article titled "The Withered Arm." In it he stated: "Today’s Buffalo mob -- disorganized and all but penniless -- is a far cry from its heyday," and that the "last visible remnants of mob power in Buffalo disappeared." However, Coppola's pronouncement was premature. In 1999, Joseph E. Todaro Sr. along with his son Joseph A. Todaro Jr. and 16 others were named in a civil racketeering lawsuit for controlling local 210 through the years by various racketeering acts. The court complaint identified Joseph E. Todaro Sr. as boss and his son Joseph A. Todaro Jr. as underboss of the Buffalo family and the owners of La Nova Pizzeria.