Key Witness In Gus Boulis Murder Trial Back On The Stand
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) — A key witness in the murder trial of Gus Boulis, a prominent South Florida businessman who was gunned down and killed in 2001, testified for a second day Thursday.
Dwayne Nicholson said he was initially involved in the alleged plot to kill Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis but refused to carry it out. Nicholson said defendants Anthony "Big Tony" Moscatiello and Anthony "Little Tony" Ferrari wanted Boulis dead due to a dispute over a profitable gambling cruise line.
"So you know, I need Gus killed," Nicholson said Big Tony told him. "And I didn't say anything. I didn't say nothing. I just listened to him. He say, 'know, if this conversation go anywhere else, then we're going to deal with you."
Nicholson said he was petrified. "What were you thinking?" his attorney asked him. "At that moment, I'm fuc*ed! If I say no, then I'm a liability," Nicholson said.
Nicholson formerly handled security for Ferrari.
Nicholson said he was involved in surveillance of Boulis for weeks but eventually dropped out of sight. Investigators say Boulis was fatally shot by a mob hit man in February 2001 shortly after selling SunCruz Casinos, which led to the power struggle.
Nicholson is the one who called police after Boulis was killed, pointing the finger at the two Tonys. He said Little Tony reminded him of that in court on Wednesday, claiming Little Tony mouthed a threat toward him while he was on the witness stand. "Before we begin, can I ask you a question?" Nicholson asked the judge, Wednesday. "Is Tony Ferrari allowed to threaten me while I was sitting here? He continued, "The first thing he said was I'm a rat."
Both Moscatiello, who is reportedly linked to New York's Gambino crime family, and Ferrari could get the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
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