Crime History: Chicago mob boss kills himself

On this day, March 19, in 1943, Chicago mob boss Frank Nitti sat down on an Illinois Central railroad branch line and shot himself in the head.

Nitti’s suicide took place the day before he was scheduled to appear in court to face charges that he and other mob leaders had extorted money from Hollywood’s largest movie studios. Fearing a second stint behind bars, Nitti chose to end his life instead.