Snapped on Oxygen: What happened to Charlie Cammisano?

The death of 52-year-old Charlie Cammisano was left unsolved for several years before the investigations led to a suspect close to home. Charles "Charlie" Cammisano was found shot to death in his Riverside home on September 1, 2007, and his body had been covered with a blanket, per the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office. He had a contact wound at the back of his head and multiple gunshot wounds on his torso.

Charlie was part of Kansas City mob boss, William Cammisano's extended family, and episode 5 of season 28 of Snapped delves into his murder as it re-airs on June 25, 2024, at 10 pm EST on Oxygen. The episode originally aired on October 4, 2020, and the official synopsis reads:

"A man is murdered and questions are raised about his ties to the mafia, but a closer inspection reveals a spiteful killer with a more personal connection."

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Who was Charlie Cammisano?

Charlie Cammisano was born in July 1955 to parents Joseph and Doris Cammisano. He grew up with his brother Vince Cammisano in a rather dangerous environment. His uncle, William Cammisano, was an alleged mob crime boss involved in the Kansas City organized crime, per The Kansas City Star.

Charlie's father, Joe Cammisano, chose to stay away from the family business and started his chain of restaurants. Oxygen reported that Charlie wished to follow in his father's footsteps and wanted to open a food joint.

Charlie Cammisano had two children, a boy and a girl, with his girlfriend in 1971 but the couple went through an amicable separation. He then went on to date a waitress at his father's restaurant, Letti K. Rivera, with whom he stayed for over 21 years and the duo had five children. Letti and Charlie got divorced and in July 2003, the former went on to marry Terry Strait.

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What happened to Charlie Cammisano?

52-year-old Charlie was found shot to death in his Riverside home on September 1, 2007, per The Platte County Citizen. His body was found in a pool of blood and he had a clean contact wound on the back of his head. He also had multiple gunshot wounds on his torso. Additionally, while there were no signs of forced entry into his house, his Jeep Cherokee was missing.

Charlie Cammisano was expected to show up at a family sporting event when his nephew came by looking for him. Charlie had spent the previous night at a River Market bar named The Caddyshack, where he had told to a friend that his ex-wife, Letti, had allegedly threatened to kill him.

According to Fox 4 News, further investigation led officials to learn that Letti Strait and Cammisano had had an ugly argument regarding the custody of their children. Charlie had primary physical custody of the kids but Letti Strait had been collecting SNAP benefits on the children's behalf for two years. Officials also learned that Letti owed Charlie Cammisano over $19,000 in child support, which he had forgiven, leading him to experience financial issues.

Witness statements and evidence eventually led authorities to Letti. Her 9-year-old also stated that they overheard Letti tell Terry that they had to have Charlie killed, according to The Platte County Citizen.

Riverside Police Detective Sergeant Doug VanLeeuwen also said on the show that Charlie Cammisano mentioned that he was scared of his ex and said, "If anything ever happened to him, that Letti probably did it."

Letti and Terry were arrested in December 2014. DNA testing proved Letti's involvement in the case and officials discovered that Terry had a .25 caliber handgun, the same type used in the shooting, in his possession at the time. As per WDAF-TV, they were charged with first-degree murder. Letti was also convicted of attempted tax evasion.

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Charles Cammisano's murder will be the focus of the upcoming episode of Snapped, which is set to air on Oxygen on Tuesday.