After 25 years of waiting, the two sons of a Bensenville businessman who was killed in a Mob hit finally saw justice done in a Chicago courtroom. The verdict brought a measure of closure to a family that had been haunted by the memory of their father’s death for decades.
The story began in 1984, when Anthony Reitinger, a successful businessman from Bensenville, was gunned down in a parking lot outside a local restaurant. The murder was carried out by members of the Chicago Outfit, a powerful organized crime syndicate that had long terrorized the city and its suburbs.
For years, Reitinger’s sons, Frank and Tony, worked tirelessly to bring their father’s killers to justice. They cooperated with law enforcement officials and never gave up hope that one day, the people responsible for their father’s death would be held accountable.
Their persistence paid off in May 2009, when a Chicago jury found three men guilty of participating in the murder of Anthony Reitinger. The men, who were members of the Chicago Outfit, were sentenced to long prison terms.
For Frank and Tony Reitinger, the verdict was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, they were grateful that justice had finally been done. On the other hand, they were saddened by the fact that their father was not there to see it.
In a statement to the press, Frank Reitinger said, “We’re happy that justice has been served, but it doesn’t change the fact that our father is gone. He was a good man, a loving father, and a respected businessman. We miss him every day.”
The Reitinger case was just one of many examples of organized crime’s impact on the Chicago area. For years, the Mob had operated with impunity, using violence and intimidation to maintain its grip on the region. But with the Reitinger verdict, and other high-profile prosecutions in recent years, it was clear that law enforcement officials were making progress in their fight against organized crime.
For the Reitinger family, the verdict brought a measure of closure, but it could never erase the pain of their loss. Their father’s memory would always be with them, a reminder of the toll that organized crime had taken on their family and on the community as a whole.
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