Bio 

Anthony John Ponticelli was born on April 19, 1967, and was raised on Long Island, New York. As a young adult, he relocated to Marion County, Florida, where he became heavily involved in the local drug scene. He maintained a few close connections, most notably a tight friendship with a man named Joseph Leonard.

Murder 

Story On November 27, 1987, Anthony Ponticelli went to a friend's house in Marion County, Florida. He stayed there for about half an hour before going to the home of Nicholas and Ralph Grandinetti. At their house, the three men discussed a substantial amount of money that Ponticelli owed the brothers for cocaine. Ponticelli told them he had a buyer lined up and would pay them back once he sold the drugs.

The Grandinetti brothers agreed to go with Ponticelli in his car to complete the sale. Shortly after they left, the brothers' roommate, Timothy Keese, returned home and noticed they were gone. Later that evening, Ponticelli crossed paths with an acquaintance and the acquaintance's cousin, Ed Brown. Ponticelli explicitly told Brown that he planned to kill the brothers for their money and cocaine, even showing off the gun he was carrying.

At around 9:30 p.m., Ponticelli visited his best friend, Joseph Leonard, to return a gun he had borrowed. He confessed to Leonard that he had "did Nick" and asked for advice on what to do with the bodies. Ponticelli claimed the Grandinetti brothers had been pressuring him for money and refused to let him leave.

After leaving Leonard's house, Ponticelli suffered a flat tire and abandoned the car with the bodies still inside. He then took a cab to another acquaintance's home. There, he confessed again to shooting the brothers for cash and drugs, and immediately washed his blood-stained clothes.

The following day, authorities found the abandoned vehicle. Ralph Grandinetti was found dead in the back seat. Nicholas, who had been shot in the head, was still alive when discovered but later died from his injuries.

In the days following the murders, Ponticelli burned some of his clothing and admitted to yet another friend that he had shot the two men. He also gave away the murder weapon, which led to his swift arrest. Ponticelli faced two counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery. After a trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to death on September 6, 1988. His appeals were denied, and he remained on death row.