Alleged hit man details plot in Atlantic City

On the car ride to Atlantic City, Ronald Walker inspected the .25-caliber semiautomatic he had specifically requested for its small size and quiet shot - perfect for the task at hand.

"We were going there to do a hit," Walker, 49, testified in the murder-for-hire trial of Ronald Galati, an alleged mob associate who owned a South Philadelphia auto shop now belonging to his son.

Walker, a career criminal, answered questions Tuesday on the first day of the trial in federal court in Camden, identifying Galati as the man who agreed to pay him $20,000 to kill Andrew Tuono, who was then the boyfriend of Galati's daughter, Tiffany.

Walker nonchalantly recalled the night of Nov. 30, 2013, when, he said, he shot Tuono four times as Tuono left his Atlantic City apartment with Tiffany Galati. Tiffany Galati, 33, was not injured, and Tuono survived.

"From what I understand, he was having a problem with a guy and he needed it taken care of," Walker said. "He wanted me to kill the guy, he wanted him dead, but he didn't want it to come back on him."

So desperate was Galati to get rid of Tuono, Walker testified, that Galati promised big payoffs and persistently gave the three hit men information about Tuono's whereabouts, instructing them to kill any witnesses - save, of course, his daughter. Walker described ranting phone calls in which Galati repeatedly said he wanted Tuono dead.

Walker is one of three hit men who pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire related charges in the federal case. All three are expected to testify against Galati. If convicted in U.S. District Court of attempted murder and conspiracy, Galati faces 15 years in prison.

It's one of three pending cases against Galati, 64. In Pennsylvania, he also has been charged with murder-for-hire and insurance fraud.

Defense lawyer Anthony Voci cautioned jurors against convicting his client solely on the testimony of criminals.

"The government is going all in on words. There is not a shred of physical evidence that ties my client to this crime," said Voci, who is expected to argue that Tuono was targeted because of unpaid gambling and drug debts unrelated to Galati.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Richardson went through Walker's rap sheet for nearly five minutes. It includes 17 arrests and multiple convictions over 20 years. Walker said that he was not promised anything in exchange for his testimony but that he hoped it brings him a lighter sentence. Given his record, he's facing life in prison.

Walker had been out of jail 14 months when he said he was introduced to Galati at American Collision & Auto Center, near 20th and McKean Streets in South Philadelphia.

Walker said the two initially had a falling out because Walker would not agree to bury Tuono after killing him. He said Galati eventually gave in and agreed Walker could do the job without a burial.

Walker, and codefendants Alvin Matthews and Jerome Johnson, tried to find and kill Tuono on numerous occasions, according to Walker's testimony.

Then, on Nov. 30, 2013, Johnson got a call from Galati in which Galati said "the boat is on the other side," according to Walker. The hit men understood that to mean Tuono was at his Atlantic City residence, Walker said.

As the couple were leaving the apartment in the 600 block of Carson Avenue around 6:30 p.m., Walker and Matthews approached, Walker said.

"I said, 'Don't run.' He looked at me, and I said it again, 'Don't run. You know what this is about,' and he went to run," Walker said. "I shot him."

Tiffany Galati, according to Walker, "didn't make no noise, didn't scream, she got in her car, backed up, and rode away."

Ronald Galati also faces unrelated murder-for-hire charges in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and is charged in federal court in Philadelphia with a large-scale auto insurance fraud scheme involving frozen animal parts used to fake accident scenes.

The murder-for-hire charges in Philadelphia involve the same two alleged hit men as in the Tuono case. In that case, prosecutors say the men were going after a rival auto shop owner and his son but never went through with the plan after that shop closed.

Galati has been described by law enforcement sources as a mob wannabe who has helped made members with jobs and money.

In court Tuesday, he wore a black toupee and white dress shirt, listened stoically to the testimony, and occasionally used his inhaler.

Galati's nephew, his brother-in-law, a first cousin, and his son's fiancee attended the hearing but declined to speak to reporters.

The trial, before a jury and alternates of 12 women and two men, is expected to last at least two weeks.