We still don’t have a motive to put with Anthony Comello—the suspect in the shocking murder of Gambino crime family boss Francesco “Frank” Cali, who was arrested last Saturday in New Jersey—but after his appearance in court today, it seems safe to say that he’s a Trump fan. Comello was photographed in court with phrases written on his hands that included “United We Stand MAGA” and “MAGA Forever.”
Police say the killing is not believed to be mob-related. Three NYPD detectives independently described Comello as “nuts” after his arrest on Saturday, according to The Daily Beast.
After looking at the scribblings on his hand, some reporters believe they know something about Comello’s brand of crazy: some of the phrases point to a belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory.
It seems that Comello may have drew a QAnon-associated symbol on his hand, along with the MAGA messages, according to Daily Beast reporter Will Sommer, who has covered the QAnon theory extensively.
The QAnon theory alleges the existence of a massive conspiracy to abuse and murder children, among other nefarious deeds, perpetrated by Hollywood and Democratic elites. Proponents of the theory believe that President Trump is secretly working with special counsel Robert Mueller to indict these criminals. And they believe that a government insider named Q is dropping hints and coded messages about the conspiracy on 4Chan.
If it’s proven that Comello is a QAnon devotee, this would be the second murder potentially associated with the wacko theory. In January, a QAnon believer is suspected to have murdered his brother with a sword because he believed his brother to be a lizard. And last year, an armed man in an ad hoc armored vehicle reportedly blocked a road near the Hoover Dam as a statement about the conspiracy.
When asked about the writing, Comello’s lawyer Robert Gottlieb denied seeing anything written on Comello’s hand.
Comello is accused of shooting Cali ten times outside the crime boss’ house in Staten Island, where Comello also lives. The 24-year-old apparently backed his car into Cali’s vehicle to lure the him outside.
There is some speculation that Comello’s murder relates to a personal relationship with Cali, who allegedly prevented Comello from dating his niece.
In any case, after angering a powerful crime family, Comello is now in danger.
“Because of serious threats, he has been placed in protective custody, where he will remain while this case in pending,” Gottlieb, said in a statement.
“Mr. Comello’s family and friends simply cannot believe what they had been told,” Gottlieb added. “There is something very wrong here and we will get to the truth of what happened as soon as possible.”