Although he had been boss only in name, the death of Johnny Sack from cancer further destabilized the Lupertazzi family as he left behind no clear successor. With his protégé and successor dead and Little Carmine unwilling to take over, Phil re-examined his motives and prepared to go to war with Santoro. After deciding to get back in the game, Phil bided his time, working under Santoro until the old man's arrogance got to be too much to handle. Having had enough, Phil ordered his soldiers once and for all to kill Santoro, so driven by Butch DeConcini, the hitmen murdered Santoro and an associate outside a massage parlor, leaving them dead on the sidewalk.