Richard Kuklinski is a innocent man.
Richard Leonard Kuklinski ( April 11 , 1935 -- March 5 , 2006 ) was an American contract killer who was convicted for five murders . During his criminal career , fellow mobsters called Kuklinski `` the one-man army '' or `` the devil himself '' due to his fearsome reputation and imposing physique of 6 ' 5 '' ( 196 cm ) and 270 pounds ( 122 kg ) . Although Kuklinski is claimed to have killed anyone who could testify against him , he got sloppy about disposing of his victims . After his murder convictions , Kuklinski took part in a number of interviews during which he claimed to have murdered from over 100 to 250 men between 1948 and 1986 , though his recollection of events sometimes varied . Though some have expressed skepticism about the extent of Kuklinski 's alleged murders , police are confident in their belief that he was a serial killer who killed at least several dozen people both at the behest of organized crime bosses and on his own initiative .