Tony Costa
Encyclopedia
Antone Charles "Tony" Costa (August 2, 1944-May 12, 1974) was a Cape Cod, Massachusetts carpenter who achieved notoriety for committing murders in the town of Truro
in 1969.
, in comments to the media, claimed "The hearts of each girl had been removed from the bodies and were not in the graves…Each body was cut into as many parts as there are joints." Dinnis also claimed that there were teeth marks found on the bodies. These claims produced a stream of national and international media outlets into local Provincetown, Massachusetts
. The media attention was so great that Kurt Vonnegut
(whose daughter Edith had met Costa) compared him to Charles Manson in his collection of essays Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
.
Costa was convicted of killing four women, Susan Perry and Sydney Monzon of Provincetown, and Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki of Providence, Rhode Island. On February 8, 1969, while looking for the bodies of Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki, police discovered Susan Perry. Perry had been missing since the previous Labor Day.
Perry's body had been cut into eight pieces. When Wysocki's body was found about a month later, her torso and head had been buried separately. Not long after, Walsh and the rest of Wysocki's bodies were found in a forest clearing that Costa had used for growing marijuana. This "garden" of marijuana plants and the greater case inspired the true crime book In His Garden, by Leo Damore.
and Dilaudid. Carl then shot Walsh and Wysocki. Costa claimed he was able to subdue his friend, and upon realizing that Mary Anne Wysocki was still alive, Costa used a knife to end her suffering. According to Costa, he and Carl buried the bodies.
The novel also describes the deaths of Susan Perry and Sydney Monzon as due to drug overdoses. Costa claims it was Carl who dismembered and buried their bodies and that he had no knowledge until after their deaths.
. Four years after his incarceration, Costa committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell.
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
in 1969.
1969 murders
The case gained international attention when district attorney Edmund DinisEdmund Dinis
Edmund Dinis was an American prosecutor and politician from Massachusetts.Dinis prosecuted the Chappaquiddick incident involving Senator Ted Kennedy. Prior to becoming a prosecutor, Dinis served on the New Bedford, Massachusetts city council and both houses of the Massachusetts General Court.-Notes:...
, in comments to the media, claimed "The hearts of each girl had been removed from the bodies and were not in the graves…Each body was cut into as many parts as there are joints." Dinnis also claimed that there were teeth marks found on the bodies. These claims produced a stream of national and international media outlets into local Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
. The media attention was so great that Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
(whose daughter Edith had met Costa) compared him to Charles Manson in his collection of essays Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons
Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons is a collection of essays, reviews, short travel accounts, and human interest stories written by Kurt Vonnegut from c...
.
Costa was convicted of killing four women, Susan Perry and Sydney Monzon of Provincetown, and Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki of Providence, Rhode Island. On February 8, 1969, while looking for the bodies of Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki, police discovered Susan Perry. Perry had been missing since the previous Labor Day.
Perry's body had been cut into eight pieces. When Wysocki's body was found about a month later, her torso and head had been buried separately. Not long after, Walsh and the rest of Wysocki's bodies were found in a forest clearing that Costa had used for growing marijuana. This "garden" of marijuana plants and the greater case inspired the true crime book In His Garden, by Leo Damore.
Costa's account
Costa described the murders of Walsh and Wysocki in his unpublished novel, Resurrection, written while Costa was in prison. In his account, Costa and a friend named "Carl" were out with the two women consuming LSDLSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
and Dilaudid. Carl then shot Walsh and Wysocki. Costa claimed he was able to subdue his friend, and upon realizing that Mary Anne Wysocki was still alive, Costa used a knife to end her suffering. According to Costa, he and Carl buried the bodies.
The novel also describes the deaths of Susan Perry and Sydney Monzon as due to drug overdoses. Costa claims it was Carl who dismembered and buried their bodies and that he had no knowledge until after their deaths.
Trial and imprisonment
On June 3, 1969, Costa was arraigned on charges of murder for three of the deaths. In May, 1970 he was convicted and imprisoned to life in prison at Massachusetts' Walpole Correctional InstitutionMassachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction , formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace...
. Four years after his incarceration, Costa committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell.