The Unholy Murder of Ash Wednesday: The Stained Life and Rude Times of Mob Wannabe "Bolo" Dovishaw

by Dominick D. DiPaolo

Erie, Pennsylvania; January 3, 1983: Are you ready for some football?

Frank “Ash Wednesday” Dovishaw was more than ready that bitterly cold Monday night. He didn’t really care who won or lost the last National Football League game of the regular season. But the man also called “Bolo” did indeed care about local sports betting on the nationally-televised pro game, and more specifically about his “take” on the action.

Frank—or “Ash Wednesday” or “Bolo." He had many nicknames and aliases. He was a bookmaker. Not just a garden variety illegal numbers and sports-betting bookie. In partnership with an admitted mob hit man, he ran Northwestern Pennsylvania’s most lucrative bookmaking operation, one that easily handled hundreds of thousands of dollars over a busy college bowl and professional football weekend. He was king of the local action.

Unfortunately for Bolo, he would never see football that night; nor would he take another bet. Just hours before kickoff, begging for mercy on his knees, Frank Dovishaw lost not a wager, but his life.

The execution-style gangland murder set off a series of events for Erie’s top homicide investigator that would span nearly seven years, touching upon virtually every aspect of the lakeside city’s dark underbelly, and reaching from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia and Florida.

Along the way, it became the story of dirty cops, hit men, drug dealers, crooked lawyers, and co-conspirators who abandoned omerta, their code of silence. Yet, despite the many obstacles and detours, DiPaolo’s unrelenting quest to identify Dovishaw’s killers could not be stopped. Many of the acts DiPaolo encountered were stunningly vicious. Yet other acts, and especially those who inflicted them, would be almost humorous if not so jaw-dropping, brutally true.

Here is the extraordinary true story of Dominick DiPaolo, a persistent, unyielding veteran cop who refused to quit through death threats, bribery attempts, false leads and sidetracks, while tenaciously following clues and suspects, from “made” men and wannabes, burglars and armed robbers, arsonists and hired killers, cop and union leader killings, to culmination of the Unholy Murder of Ash Wednesday.

Genres: True Crime

545 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2014

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very convoluted and horribly redundant story. It seemed to be more about how awesome the cop DiPaolo was and not so much else. Funny thing being the main defendant in the murder for hire plot was found not guilty. Guess the cop wasnt so hot after all

[Mary Gorden · Rating 4 out of 5]

My parents grew up in Erie, PA, yet my immediate family ended up in North Texas where I've lived most of my life. My mother was raised in Erie's Little Italy. Genealogy is a hobby of mine. I have researched about 2,700 relatives so far on the website ancestry.com. I came across this book accidentally while conducting a Google search about Erie. Upon recognizing a few family names in the book's online preview, I rush ordered it. What I found is that I'm related to Detective Dom DiPaolo. We share the same 3rd great grandfather. We are also related to a few of the "good, bad and ugly" characters in this book. I'm a journalist/public relations professional by trade, so I appreciated the journalistic style of co-author Jeff Pinski. I like the fact that he worked at The Erie Times where my maternal grandfather and uncle worked for many years. His repetition of events throughout the book did not bother me. I needed to be reminded of the cast of characters, beginning with the graphic murder of Ash Wednesday to the courtroom trials. Because my mother grew up in Erie's Little Italy surrounded by a large, loving Italian family, I was intrigued by the story. During my few childhood visits to Erie, I enjoyed my maternal relatives' banter about placing bets on horses and playing the lottery. "Gambling" seemed to be a thread woven throughout the city's richly-colored tapestry. I sensed that playing the numbers gave people hope and an excitement in imagining "the big win." While reading this book, I discovered many interesting facts, not the least of which is that my Irish "Nana" lived just a few streets over from Ash Wednesday's home on the night that he was murdered. I'm sure she was just "thrilled" to read about the murder in the Times. She likely prayed for all concerned. When next I visit Erie, I would like to check out the places mentioned in this book. Who knows, I may even meet Detective DiPaolo and congratulate him for a job well done. I did not find anything about him to be braggadocious as some people have stated in their reviews. On the contrary, I believe that co-author Pinski was inspired by DiPaolo's guts and determination. To bring these powerful criminals to justice meant walking through political fire and stepping on familial toes. His bravery is to be commended. I believe this is a good read for the thousands of Italian Americans who are descended from Erie's Little Italy. This book adds one more layer to the rich history of our city by the lake.

[Ann Gehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, Erie is and always will be home. We lived in the area of the murder and remember the murder. Since it took awhile to solve some of the investigation in the middle was nice. Amazed at the corruption in the EPD and the city government.
Writing was okay, but I guess writing a book isn't easy. Great list of characters and associations. You see for sure that there is "No honor among thrives"

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. Maybe because it takes place in Erie, PA and I am familiar with the author and the case,

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read a book with some familiar places and people in my small hometown. The actual writing and amount of repetition in the story were not as much fun.

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are connected to the Erie, PA area this is a great read about history and a murder that took seven years to solve and convict those involved. Lot of names that people that live there will recognize.

Well written and captivating.

[Kim L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish the book, interesting but much repeating and I lost interest.