Wilkes-barre

Anna Lowery 
Feb. 3, 1994 
Anna M. Lowery, Of The Little Flower Manor, Wilkes-barre, Died Thursday In The 
Manor.

By TOM OBRZUT JR.; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Saturday, February 05, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: MONTIONE FACES TRIAL
AFTER CO-SUSPECT FINGERS HIM 





SCRANTON -- Several weeks before Edward "Ned" Tracy was found dead, Charles
Montione asked Frank Mantione to find someone to kill Tracy, Mantione
testified Friday at Montione's preliminary hearing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Both men are charged with first- and third-degree murder, criminal
solicitation to commit murder and criminal conspiracy to commit murder in
connection with Tracy's 1986 beating death. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; District Justice George Clark of Clarks Summit ruled there was enough
evidence to forward the charges against Montione, 34, to Lackawanna County
Court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione, 28, waived his preliminary hearing on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Both Montione and Mantione lived in Pittston at the time of the murder.
Tracy's battered, frozen body was found Feb. 16, 1986, in a shed behind the
Ransom Home in Ransom Township, Lackawanna County. An autopsy revealed the
29-year-old Pittston resident died from multiple head injuries suffered in a
beating. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Police said Tracy owed Montione money for drugs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione testified that in return for his testimony against Montione, the
first-degree murder charge and criminal solicitation charges against him will
be dropped and he will plead guilty to third-degree murder. He could face 10
to 20 years in jail. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione testified that Montione showed him a picture of a "Ned O'Brien" in
January 1986 and Montione said he wanted him killed. Montione offered Mantione
$5,000 to find someone to kill Tracy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione said he asked two men -- Lou Biscotto of Pittston and Anthony Alba
of Exeter -- if they would kill Tracy. Both men refused, Mantione said.
Mantione then asked Charles Oliver, 27, to kill Tracy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Oliver is incarcerated at the Lackawanna County Jail awaiting trial on
first- and third-degree murder and criminal conspiracy charges in connection
with Tracy's death. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione testified that he asked his friend, Thomas Oliver, about a week
before Tracy was killed if Oliver knew anyone who would kill Tracy. Thomas
Oliver replied, "My brother (Charles) definitely would do it. He's crazy like
that," Mantione said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Charles Oliver was paid $1,500 to kill Tracy, Mantione testified. Mantione
said he spent the rest of the money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the night of Tracy's murder, Feb. 7, 1986, Mantione said he picked up
Oliver at his Market Street home. Oliver had a two-foot pipe with him,
Mantione testified. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione then picked up Tracy at an apartment and left under the pretense
of going to sample some marijuana for possible purchase, Mantione said. Tracy
led Mantione and Oliver to the spot where he would be killed, Mantione
testified. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the three men reached the shed, Mantione testified he was inside the
shed for a few minutes before leaving. "I knew what was going to happen,"
Mantione said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Once outside, Mantione heard Oliver strike Tracy twice with the pipe, he
said. As they drove back to Pittston, Mantione testified the two men didn't
talk. The pipe was thrown out along the way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During a lengthy cross-examination by defense attorney Frank Nocito,
Mantione admitted he previously lied under oath. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione testified during his previous two trials that he never approached
Biscotto or Alba and asked them to kill Tracy. On Friday, however, Mantione
said he did ask the men to kill Tracy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As Mantione answered Nocito's questions, Montione shook his head "no"
several times. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Montione is serving a 14-year sentence on drug charges at the Lewisburg
Federal Penitentiary. He will be transferred shortly to the State Correctional
Institute at Dallas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mantione is serving a two- to five-year sentence in the Luzerne County
Correctional Facility after being convicted of offering Alba $5,000 to kill
Tracy. Alba had refused Mantione's offer, police said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lackawanna County District Attorney Michael Barrasse said he will seek the
death penalty for Oliver and Montione. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Charles Montione &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Frank Mantione

Montione Faces Trial After Co-suspect Fingers Him Frank Mantione Testified He Was Hired By Charles Montione To Kill Edward Tracy