 Cotroni was a member of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta Cotroni crime family who were the rivals of the Sicilian Mafia Rizzuto crime family.Cotroni was killed partly to gain the favor of the Rizzutos and partly because he was a friend of Boucher.On 8 September 1998, Johnny Plescio—a founding member of the Rock Machine—was at his Laval home watching television when his cable was severed.