National
authority on organized crime writes book on Chicago mob murders
Dr.
Wayne Johnson to speak at Harper College reception
PALATINE,
IL – From Chicago’s original gangsters to the Outfit’s decline in recent years,
Dr. Wayne Johnson is well-versed in the organized crime that long ensnared the
city. Now coordinator of Harper College’s law enforcement programs and widely
considered a top authority on the subject, Johnson has written A History of
Violence: An Encyclopedia of 1,400 Chicago Mob Murders.
Harper
will host a reception celebrating the book launch at noon Tuesday, April 15,
in the lower level of the library on the College’s main campus, 1200 W.
Algonquin Road, Palatine. Johnson will give a presentation on the state of
organized crime in Chicago followed by a brief question-and-answer session and
book signing. The event is open to the public.
The
300-plus page tome is the product of painstaking research into newspaper
articles, police reports, coroners’ reports and other archives over a 14-year
period.
“I
really wanted to dig in on this because every one of these cases deserves to be
investigated and solved,” Johnson said. “To let them just disappear into
history would be a disservice to everyone involved.”
Johnson
credits two Harper students for their contributions. Daniella Boyd designed the
cover art for A History of Violence by reproducing in charcoal a real
morgue photo of Sam Giancana, one of the most notorious mob bosses in history.
Jackie Cooney wrote a research paper that led Johnson to discover a group of
killings that fit the book’s criteria.
“Coming
from someone who has fought in the trenches against Chicago’s wise guys,
Johnson’s new contribution will be the go-to reference on Outfit violence for
years to come,” said Gus Russo, author of The Outfit and Supermob.
Media Note: Wayne Johnson is available
for interviews. For more information, please contact Kim Pohl, Media Relations
Manager, at 847.925.6159 or kpohl@harpercollege.edu.