If Salvatore Perrone is contemplating a plea of not guilty by insanity, he’s already laid the groundwork. After his indictment Tuesday on murder charges in the deaths of three shopkeepers, a lawyer for Perrone, whose Staten Island neighbors had dubbed him “Son of Sal” for his antisocial behavior, said “he intends to vigorously fight the charges against him.” The New York Post reports that lawyer William Martin “did not rule out an insanity plea,” and the New York Daily News adds that Perrone “might bring an insanity claim, sources said.”
If that’s the plan, Perrone’s behavior in custody couldn’t hurt. Last week, DNAinfo reported that he told police he was working for an Italian intelligence agency and expected to be paid $800,000 for his “mission.” He thought he was confessing to Italian special agents, but he was actually talking to two Italian-speaking NYPD detectives. Per DNAinfo: “Perrone, who sources described as ‘delusional’ and ‘nuts,’ did not explain any further motive for the killings, sources said.” The Post, meanwhile, had it that Perrone had talked about his “grand plan for world peace.” Perrone was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder.
