Investigators recovered the remains of 36-year-old Keith Palumbo and 33-year-old David Rossillo Jr. from a disturbed family vault at Mount Moriah Cemetery in April 2020 after a tip in Palumbo’s February disappearance. Authorities say cooperating witnesses, cellphone data and physical evidence linked the killings to members of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club. Michael DeLuca pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 15–35 years; Michael DiMauro was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse and given life without parole.
Tip Leads to Mount Moriah Crypt — Missing Musician Keith Palumbo Found; Warlocks Members Charged
Missing man’s body found in abandoned cemetery crypt in case tied to biker gang
A tip in the search for 36-year-old musician and tattoo artist Keith Palumbo led investigators in April 2020 to a neglected family vault at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where they recovered Palumbo’s remains and the body of 33-year-old David Rossillo Jr. The discoveries followed Palumbo’s February 2020 disappearance and prompted a multiagency criminal investigation that tied the deaths to members of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club.
How Investigators Found the Crypt
Retired detective Chris McMullin, featured on Oxygen’s true-crime series Philly Homicide, said the sprawling, long-neglected cemetery had become a dumping ground for stolen vehicles and other illegal activity. While canvassing the grounds, investigators noticed a family vault that appeared to have been recently disturbed; when they opened the vault of Capt. A.H. Cain (d. 1884), they found two sets of remains.
“This is a very sad case,” McMullin told Fox News Digital. “Through a very thorough investigation involving interviews with other parties that either had knowledge or some type of involvement, it led them to Mount Moriah Cemetery.”
Victims and Alleged Motive
Palumbo, described by relatives as a heavy-metal guitarist from Delaware County, was reported missing in February 2020. According to reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer and statements from investigators, Palumbo had been driving his mother’s car with two other men when he received a call from Michael DeLuca — a Warlocks member known as "Kaos" — who asked him to come to his Southwest Philadelphia residence. A witness told police that DeLuca pulled a handgun and shot Palumbo in the face; investigators say the motive remains unclear, though some witnesses suggested DeLuca suspected Palumbo of cooperating with law enforcement. No independent public evidence of that claim has been presented.
Evidence and Prosecutions
Investigators say cooperating witnesses, cellphone data and physical evidence recovered at the scene helped build cases against DeLuca and others. In September 2020, DeLuca and fellow Warlocks member Michael DiMauro were arrested. DiMauro was later convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with Rossillo’s death; prosecutors said he shot Rossillo, tied a rope around his neck and dragged his body into the pried-open crypt. DiMauro received life without parole.
DeLuca pleaded guilty in 2023 to third-degree murder in Palumbo’s death and was sentenced to 15 to 35 years in prison. Three other individuals later pleaded guilty to helping dispose of the victims’ bodies.
“Some gangs are purposely more low-key,” said retired ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard Zapor, noting that smaller outlaw motorcycle clubs can be as violent and dangerous as better-known groups. “Betrayal of the organization is a death sentence. You have allegiance to the club first, and then your family comes after that.”
Aftermath
The case drew attention not only for its brutality but for the betrayal involved: Palumbo and DeLuca were longtime acquaintances. Investigators have called the matter tragic and complex, and the prosecutions brought some closure to the victims’ families while highlighting long-standing issues at Mount Moriah Cemetery, which had suffered years of neglect prior to these discoveries.
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