# Concrete shoes, pulp fiction or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 30, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221 "2008-07-30T12:30:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/21 "2008-07-31T01:09:08Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] As indeed is concrete a close enough synonym for cement. [/QUOTE] It’s an Italian thing; you wouldn’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/22 "2008-07-31T04:01:52Z")
[QUOTE=wevets] They have also in the past said that he’s the foundation of everything they do and the [baseline](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_Stadium#The_Jimmy_Hoffa_urban_legend) against which all others must be measured. [/QUOTE] > [@Wiki](#): > > This urban myth was tested and found to be false in an episode of the television show Mythbusters. Just how did Mythbusters go about disproving the story? Ultrasound the endzones for suspicious cavities? Pour a model endzone and have a corpse bob to the surface? ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/23 "2008-07-31T12:06:10Z")
Paul Bernarno and Kathy Holmoka (serial killer team from Canada) did this to at least one of their victims. Not sure if it fits the classic definition of ‘concrete overshoes’ but comes pretty close… [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial\_killers/notorious/bernardo/index\_1.html](http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/bernardo/index_1.html) > [@](#): > > On the evening June 29, 1991, a man and his wife were canoeing on Lake Gibson when they came across a concrete block with some pieces of animal flesh encased in it. Later, he went back to the spot and, with the help of a fisherman, pulled out the concrete block and looked at it closely. Inside the block was the calf and foot of a young woman. > > Soon, the place was alive with cops, who found a total of five concrete blocks that had been dumped there in the shallow water. Police theorized that whoever dumped this body in Lake Gibson was not familiar with the area or he would have dumped the concrete blocks over the bridge where the deep water may have kept them a secret forever. > > Not long afterwards, the torso of a young woman was found in the water. The body parts that had been found in the concrete block had been cut from her torso with a power saw. Leslie’s distinctive braces provided the clues to her identification. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/24 "2008-07-31T12:32:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] As indeed is concrete a close enough synonym for cement. [/QUOTE] You mind your place, mister, or ye’ll be wearin’ concrete galoshes. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/25 "2008-07-31T12:34:57Z")
> [@](#): > > As indeed is concrete a close enough synonym for cement. My Materials Science prof from Freshman Year would have a word with you about that. Concrete is a composite of three or more items , of which Portland Cement is but one, albeit the binding that holds the rest together. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/26 "2008-07-31T13:06:57Z")
This is no doubt an urban myth but this is what a mate told to me. When a certain very large and famous theme park was being built on the European continent some years ago at which my mate was working as a carpenter there was an Irish bloke collecting for the Irish Republican “cause” from the large number of Irishmen working on the site . Their contributions were not entirely voluntary there being a tacit"If you dont pay up there will be consequences for you and/or your family back home "implied in the request for donations. Many of the people were not happy about handing over a percentage of their paypackets every week to the “Cause” and the people who organised the work contracts got to hear about it. Unfortunately they were the Italian Mafia and the Irish Republican Zealot is now apparently holding up part of a very romantic,very famous theme park castle. This story could very well be total B/S,I dont know I wasn’t there, but thats the story as told to me by a good mate. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/27 "2008-07-31T13:13:36Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] …I thought he’d been found yonks ago or am I thinking of a Jim Carey film [/QUOTE] Yes, in the Jim Carrey movie _Bruce Almighty_, TV journalist Bruce finds Hoffa’s body and it’s a huge boost for his career. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/28 "2008-07-31T13:50:04Z")
[QUOTE=DesertDog] Just how did Mythbusters go about disproving the story? Ultrasound the endzones for suspicious cavities? Pour a model endzone and have a corpse bob to the surface? [/QUOTE] They took a pig carcass and encased it cement for several weeks to see what would happen to a corpse encased in concrete. IIRC they ended up with a block of concrete with a pig-shaped gap in it. They then used ground penetrating radar at Giants Stadium to demonstrate that there were no Hoffa-shaped gaps in the foundation of the field. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/29 "2008-07-31T14:07:24Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] As indeed is concrete a close enough synonym for cement. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Philster] It’s an Italian thing; you wouldn’t understand. [/QUOTE] That’s right, as in, “Jethro and Elly Mae are out by the cement pond, feedin’ her critters, Granny.” Hoooooooooo, doggies! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/30 "2008-08-05T17:51:39Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] As indeed is concrete a close enough synonym for cement. [/QUOTE] Only if you also think that “bread” is synonymous with “flour.” ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/31 "2008-11-14T13:43:07Z")
OK, I’m sort of resurrecting an old thread, but I thought it was worth noting: Congratulations, **Ale** , your post was noticed by Cecil and deemed worthy! Your post triggered today’s column! See: [Were “concrete shoes” a favored technique of mob hitmen? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2824/were-concrete-shoes-a-favored-technique-of-mob-hitmen) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/32 "2008-11-14T14:02:50Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I’m assuming that you’re thinking of Jimmy Hoffa? > > His body has never been found, but a spokesman for the Teamsters says that Hoffa will always be a cornerstone of the organization. Now that this thread has been resurrected can I ask: Does no-one know where Jimmy Hoffa is? Or if they do they just aint sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/33 "2008-11-14T14:05:52Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Now that this thread has been resurrected can I ask: > > Does no-one know where Jimmy Hoffa is? > > Or if they do they just aint sayin’ The Department of Justice seemingly does not. They seem to be on a wild goose chase. [http://www.foxnews.com/printer\_friendly\_wires/2007Apr04/0,4675,HoffaSearchCost,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2007Apr04/0,4675,HoffaSearchCost,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/34 "2008-11-14T15:57:37Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > The Department of Justice seemingly does not. They seem to be on a wild goose chase. [http://www.foxnews.com/printer\_friendly\_wires/2007Apr04/0,4675,HoffaSearchCost,00.html](http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2007Apr04/0,4675,HoffaSearchCost,00.html) Well all I can say is they are not as efficient as Horatio Caine and his team. They’d have solved his whereabouts in 60 minutes, plus name his killers ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/35 "2016-05-05T08:50:20Z")
Brooklyn’s Petey Crack makes it big! [**Cement Shoes, Fabled Anchor to Watery Grave, Surface in Brooklyn Crime Scene**](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/nyregion/cement-shoes-fabled-anchor-to-watery-grave-surface-on-body-in-brooklyn.html)By MICHAEL WILSON MAY 4, 2016 …Crime historians were mystified, struggling to think of similar cases. “No,” said Thomas Reppetto, an author of books about organized crime. “Not right offhand.” Mike Dash, a crime writer in London who has written about Mafia killings, said: “I’ve definitely never heard of this happening before. It’s just one of those stories that goes around. I think you’ve got a first there, by the sounds of things.” ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/36 "2016-05-05T09:45:31Z")
How does a corpse with a 5 gallon block of cement attached “wash up on a manhattan beach”. Can the corpse bloat so much that it can float even with this much weight? ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/37 "2016-05-05T12:10:07Z")
Density of concrete is only 2.4 That is really low. In water that means it is only effectively 1.4. Mixing units. 5 gallons = 20kg. Only needs 20 litres of bloat to offset. That isn’t a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/38 "2016-05-05T12:15:43Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > It’s ‘cement shoes’. Capish? > [Cement shoes - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement_shoes) Thats a misnomer then… of course the cement is the powder or liquid form… After its wet and then becomes solid, then its concrete… ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/39 "2016-05-05T12:19:02Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > It’s “capiche”. Capiche? Eh! It’s _capisce_! Got it, ya botchagalupe? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221/40 "2016-05-05T12:35:04Z")
A case from a few days ago: [Brooklyn ex-con with money troubles identified as dead man in plastic bag with his feet in concrete](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/brooklyn-ex-con-found-dead-plastic-bag-feet-concrete-article-1.2624584) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-shoes-pulp-fiction-or-not/458221.md?page=3)