Capone Family Heritage Not All Black and White

Note: Another interesting story has surfaced. This time the subject is none other than Al Capone. I wonder what DNA will show, if and when it happens.

On a side note, a distant family member is rumored to have been a major supplier to Capone during the Prohibition with their special "Berkeley County Bourban." I have been told the goods would go on the train in barrels labeled as potatoes and corn. Now there's an fascinating tale to tell. Perhaps I shall at a later date.

/PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois, Christopher Knight Capone, the putative grandson of the most notorious crime figure in American history Al Capone, filed a complaint requesting the court to enter an order protecting the interred remains of his grandfather Alphonse Capone.

Christopher Capone (www.ChrisCapone.com) has conducted several years of in-depth historical and genealogical research in order to confirm his true identity, with the assistance of a professional team including a well-respected genealogist, forensic genetic genealogist, and numerous private investigators. The extensive research and historic findings give Chris good cause to believe that his deceased father, William Knight, was the hidden son of Alphonse Capone and his wife Mary. Much of the research is contained in his memoir, Son of Scarface: a memoir by the grandson of Al Capone (www.SonOfScarface.com).

Before filing the complaint Knight requested DNA from living Capone descendants. "The other Capone descendents refused to provide DNA samples, and I respect that," said Christopher Knight Capone. "Similar to an orphan searching for their birth parents, I'm trying to learn my father's ancestry while confirming my own, and I hope they will respect that."

The complaint Knight Capone filed seeks merely to prevent any attempt to move or disturb the remains while Chris completes his quest for voluntary DNA samples from living Capone relatives, which he plans to use in an attempt to definitively establish his genetic link to Al Capone.

"My goal is to definitively and conclusively prove my lineage. I'm continuing to explore all possible opportunities and while I'd prefer a different route, the motion was filed to protect this, one of the last remaining options," said Capone.

In addition, Chris is presently conducting genealogical research into the distant Italian Capone relatives in hopes of locating other living relatives willing and suitable to provide DNA.

Al Capone died on January 25, 1947 and shortly thereafter his body was buried in Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, a cemetery owned and operated by the Catholic Bishop of Chicago. The complaint filed today also seeks discovery of the identity of any family members who may require notice should Chris seek a disinterment order from the court.

Christopher Knight Capone is represented by David M. Hundley of the Hundley Law Group, a firm which focuses on trial and appellate litigation serving both individuals and the Chicago plaintiff's trial bar. He is also represented by Steven C. Beer of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.