The disappearance of tattoo artist Keith Palumbo led authorities down a dark and twisted path, ultimately uncovering a web of violence, betrayal, and murder involving a notorious motorcycle gang and a childhood friend with a violent past. Keith’s case remained unsolved for some time, but through diligent police work and shocking confessions, the truth behind his death was finally revealed.
The Disappearance of Keith Palumbo
Keith Palumbo, 36, went missing after borrowing his mother’s car on October 18, 2021. His mother, Dottie Palumbo, reported him missing a few days later, recalling that Keith had been agitated during their last interaction and was wearing the gold guitar pick necklace she had gifted him. “She felt that there was something wrong,” said Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt, emphasizing Dottie’s motherly instinct.
Keith’s car was found in a neighborhood known for drug activity, leading friends to worry that Keith, who had struggled with addiction, may have relapsed.
Authorities quickly turned their attention to Keith’s childhood friend Mike DeLuca, a member of the notorious Warlocks motorcycle gang. DeLuca had a criminal history, including a conviction for aggravated assault, and was familiar to law enforcement. However, there was a major complication—Mike was also missing.
A Shocking Lead and Dark Connections
Detectives learned that just days before Keith’s disappearance, he had been shot in the leg, but refused to identify the gunman. This critical detail led investigators to examine Keith’s connections within the Warlocks gang more closely. One name that emerged was Buck Evans, a Warlocks member with a grudge against Keith. Buck believed Keith was responsible for getting his son arrested on drug charges.
During questioning, Buck Evans admitted to shooting Keith but denied any involvement in his disappearance. However, he hinted that Keith’s disappearance might have something to do with the Warlocks clubhouse. When detectives investigated the clubhouse, they discovered a disturbing scene: blood on the walls, high-velocity blood spatter, and a large pool of blood near the baseboard. But whose blood was it—Keith’s or Mike’s?
Keith Palumbo’s Final Resting Place
Keith’s cell phone records provided a crucial clue, showing that his phone had powered down near Mount Moriah Cemetery & Arboretum, a 200-acre burial ground.
Police searched the cemetery and found a pre-Civil War crypt with a large, moved capstone and fresh scratches on the marble surrounding it. When investigators pried the top open and lowered an inspection camera, they saw a body wrapped in a tarp, face up.
The body was identified as Keith Palumbo. Around his neck hung the gold guitar pick necklace his mother had given him. Nearby, a second, much more decomposed body was discovered—identified as David Rossillo, a prospective Warlocks member who had been missing since 2017. Lab tests later confirmed that the blood in the clubhouse belonged to Keith.
The Confessions and Arrests
After further investigation, confessions came swiftly from members of the Warlocks gang. Donna Morelli, the clubhouse owner, admitted to helping cover up Keith’s murder. Surveillance video from the night Keith was killed showed Mike DeLuca and Warlocks member Billy Gibson transporting a body to Donna’s house, which had access to the cemetery.
Buck Evans, Billy Gibson, and Donna Morelli all admitted to their roles in covering up Keith’s murder. According to their testimonies, Mike DeLuca had shot Keith in the head at the clubhouse, mistakenly believing that Keith was an informant. Once arrests were made, the remaining Warlocks members began pointing fingers at one another, breaking the code of loyalty and snitching on their comrades.
The Arrest of Mike DeLuca and Sentencing
Mike DeLuca was arrested in Wyoming in 2021 during a traffic stop and later extradited to Pennsylvania. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 25 to 35 years in prison. Meanwhile, Buck Evans, Billy Gibson, and Donna Morelli all pleaded guilty to charges related to covering up the murder and were sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison.
Keith’s friend, Matthew Sondermann, reflected on the betrayal by Mike DeLuca, stating, “I can’t even put into words how hard it was to hear that Mike was responsible… We were inseparable, best friends, did everything together.” His mother, Dottie, also felt the betrayal deeply, as she had considered Mike a second son.
