Richard 'The Iceman' Kuklinski parlayed his penchant for violence into a lucrative career for prominent Mafia crime families. He was convicted of two murders, but claimed to have killed at least 100 more.

Who Was Richard Kuklinski? Richard Kuklinski suffered a rough upbringing and committed his first murder as a teenager. He eventually found a living as a hitman for the Genovese, Gambino and DeCavalcante crime families, becoming known as "The Iceman" for his method of freezing victims to obscure their time of death. Following his incarceration in 1988, Kuklinski freely shared his experiences with interviewers and was featured in multiple documentaries.

Early Life and Crimes Richard Leonard Kuklinski was born on April 11, 1935, in Jersey City, New Jersey, the second of four children of Irish and Polish immigrants. His mother, Anna McNally, was a devout Catholic, and his father, Stanley, who worked on the railroad, was a violent alcoholic who beat him regularly; another son, Florian, reportedly died from such brutal punishment. Kuklinski said that he began killing cats as a child and graduated to his first murder as a teenager, beating to death a local bully and then disposing of the body by removing identifying markers. He later told a prison interviewer that this experience made him feel "empowered." Kuklinski, who dropped out of school in the eighth grade, soon showed little hesitation for killing anyone who angered him, from loudmouths who reminded him of his father to adversaries at the pool table, and sometimes did so for seemingly no reason at all. The west side of New York City became a testing ground for honing his "talents"; the police thought that bums were killing each other.

Family Man While working on a New Jersey loading dock, Kuklinski met his future wife, Barbara, a recent high school graduate who was employed as a secretary. She discovered that he was already married with two boys, but he was romantic and persistent. When she eventually expressed doubts about marriage, he pierced her back with a hunting knife and told her that he couldn't live without her, she later said. They married in 1961, had three children together and enjoyed a seemingly nondescript life in suburban New Jersey, where Kuklinski held backyard barbecues, served as an usher at Mass and organized trips to Disney World. Meanwhile, his temper flared behind the scenes, with Barbara often enduring the brunt of his wrath.

'The Iceman' Finds His Niche Kuklinski's criminal activities included robbery, hijackings and selling pornographic films, but murder was his forte. He earned Mafia respect at age 18 by efficiently and unquestioningly killing a random man selected for him on the sidewalk. He soon became the Genovese crime family's indispensable hitman, known for thoroughly disposing of his victims — removing their teeth and fingers, or dumping them off bridges, in rivers or down mine shafts. He also worked for Newark's DeCavalcante crime family and the Gambinos of New York City. At a towering 6'5", weighing an eventual 300 pounds, Kuklinski had an imposing and fearsome bearing. His resume for killing included guns, ice picks, hand grenades, crossbows and chainsaws, but his favorite method of murder, he'd later proudly confess, was a nasal-spray bottle filled with cyanide. Kuklinski learned many of these tactics from fellow hitman Robert Pronge, known as "Mister Softee" because he drove an ice cream truck as his cover. Kuklinski earned the moniker "The Iceman" for freezing many of his victims to obfuscate their time of death.