Brother Who Hung Out With Mobsters Testifies Against Brother Accused of Jamaica Plain Tedeschi's Slaying

Billy Corliss told jurors that the night a JP Tedeschi clerk was gunned down, his brother, Ed Corliss, visited him falling-down drunk and told him he’d killed somebody.

“I said, ‘Who?’” Billy Corliss said. “He said, ‘A guy in the store. The guy lied to me.’”

The testimony came in the murder trial of ex-con Ed Corliss, 65, accused of shooting convenience store clerk Surendra Dangol on Dec. 26, 2009 in the course of a robbery. The murder, at the , shocked JP. At the time, Corliss was on parole for killing a Salisbury convenience store clerk in 1971.

Ed Corliss had come over to Billy Corliss’ Green Street apartment that night, Billy Corliss testified. Ed Corliss, who usually just scraped by for money, was flush — and very drunk.

“He reached in his pocket and money came out spilling all over the place,” Billy Corliss said. They were mostly ones, but included at least one $50 bill.

“I asked him , ‘What’d you do, hit the lottery? Where’d you get it?’ He said he pulled a score,” Billy Corliss told the court.

Prosecutors are seeking to prove that Ed Corliss is the masked, bewigged assailant seen on surveillance video mortally wounding Dangol.

Billy Corliss testified that his brother told him why he killed a guy.

“He told the guy he wanted the money in the drawer,” Billy Corliss said. “The guy said there is no money in the drawer.”

But after Ed Corliss, who is known as “Butch,” looked into the drawer, he did find money.

“Then he said, “You lied to me” and he shot him,” Billy Corliss testified.

On surveillance tape, Dangol can be seen loading money into a bag at gunpoint.

Billy Corliss, who grew up with Ed Corliss in the Winter Hill section of Somerville, testified that the first two times police questioned him after the murder, he didn’t tell the whole truth. It wasn’t until Billy Corliss was called before a grand jury that he told about Ed Corliss coming over, and about all the money he had.

“I couldn’t tell them because I was more worried about something else,”

That “something else” was being labeled a rat by the Winter Hill Gang, a notorious Somerville mob syndicate. Billy Corliss testified he used to drink and party with the mobsters, but said he never did any “scores.”

“I’m associated with the Winter Hill Gang and people would believe I’m part of the Winter Hill Gang,” Billy Corliss said. “They don’t take lightly to somebody testifying against somebody.”

In a letter, Ed Corliss tried to convince Billy that cops were eyeing him for the Tedeschi’s murder. The men resemble one another and both had white cars. A white car was caught on surveillance video leaving the murder scene.

“It seems all the circumstantial evidence is pointing at you,” read Ed Corliss’ Aug. 1, 2010 letter to Billy Corliss. He tried to make the argument that Billy Corliss shouldn’t testify at trial. “This here is not a grand jury where you get to flap your gums like Mr. Ed…you will be facing dangerous consequences from your own words.”

In opening statements, according to the Globe, Ed Corliss’ defense said it will seek to prove the assailant in the surveillance footage is taller than Ed Corliss.

The prosecution is still presenting its case. No testimony is scheduled for Friday and the trial is expected to resume Monday morning.