Philip Charles Testa, known as “The Chicken Man,” was an Italian-American mobster and the short-lived head of the Philadelphia crime family within the Italian-American Mafia. He rose to power following the assassination of his close friend and predecessor, Angelo Bruno, who was killed by his consigliere, Antonio Caponigro. Caponigro’s subsequent murder was ordered by The Commission for killing a boss without authorization. Testa’s unusual moniker derived from his involvement in a poultry business. Approximately a year after Bruno’s death, Testa himself fell victim to a mafia assassination, dying from a nail bomb explosion at his home in South Philadelphia. This killing, believed to have been orchestrated by his underboss, Peter Casella, marked the onset of the first Philadelphia Mafia War.
A month before his murder, Philip Testa, along with Frank Narducci Sr., Harold and Mario Riccobene, Pasquale Spirito, Joseph Ciancaglini, and others, faced a federal racketeering indictment. This case, focused on gambling and loansharking, stemmed from Operation Gangplank and was one of the earliest applications of the RICO Act by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia. On March 15, 1981, Testa was killed by a nail bomb at his home at 2117 Porter Street, South Philadelphia, near Stephen Girard Park. The murder, allegedly ordered by underboss Peter Casella and capo Frank Narducci Sr., led to Narducci’s assassination and Casella’s expulsion from the Mob, forcing him to flee to Florida.
Testa’s death ignited internal conflict within the family. Nicodemo Scarfo assumed leadership, appointing his friend Chuckie Merlino as underboss and Testa supporter Frank Monte as consigliere. Scarfo’s decade-long reign was marked by violence, paranoia, and aggression.
