Editing Petru Ionuț (section)

== Final months and death ==
In March 2024, Petru Ionuț returned to [[Romania]] for the last time. During this visit, he confronted [[Marku Ionuț]] in [[Bucharest]] and rejected any transfer of authority or assets from his California operations.

During the same trip, Petru traveled with [[Ruben Istrate]] to the house of his retired father, [[Dumitru Ionuț]]. When they arrived, Petru told Ruben to remain in the vehicle and said, "If anything but me walks out that front door, you drive, and keep driving."

Petru then entered the house alone. Security camera footage from inside the property showed him sitting with Dumitru in the kitchen. Dumitru at first acted normally, then tried to strike Petru in the back of the head with a pan. Petru reacted immediately and struggled with him. During the fight, Dumitru tried to reach a knife, but Petru knocked it from his hand and overpowered him.

Once Dumitru had been forced to the floor, Petru pinned him down and repeatedly struck him in the face while shouting, "She didn't do anything wrong!" He kept repeating the phrase while continuing the assault. Petru did not stop until Dumitru was dead. By the time he stood up, Dumitru's face was no longer recognizable.

Petru then walked out of the house covered in blood. Ruben later stated that Petru said nothing. The two left the property and returned to Los Angeles later the same day.

The next day, [[Iakob Ionuț]] entered the house and found Dumitru dead in the kitchen. He was visibly angry when he saw the condition of the body. After viewing the internal security footage and confirming that Petru had carried out the killing, Iakob did not delete the footage. He left the house immediately and tried to locate Petru, but was unable to find him. The killing of their father strengthened Iakob's decision to act against Petru later that year.

On 18 June 2024, [[Marku Ionuț]] sent [[Valeriu Petrescu]], the son of [[Dorin Petrescu]], to [[Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], with orders to kill Petru and abduct [[Silvia Wilson]]. The order followed Petru's refusal to surrender his California operation and Marku's earlier contact with Wilson during a visit to Hollywood.

The ambush took place inside Petru's penthouse above his Hollywood casino. Valeriu entered the penthouse from behind Petru, jumped onto him, and forced him to the floor before Petru could react. During the struggle, Wilson struck Valeriu in the head with a glass bottle, stunning him and allowing Petru to force him off.

Valeriu then tried to draw a handgun. Petru kept closing distance to stop him from aiming it, and the gun fired once during the struggle, grazing Petru's shoulder. Petru knocked the weapon away and continued the fight by hand. He overpowered Valeriu, struck him repeatedly, drove his head against the edge of a table, and killed him after Valeriu fell to the floor and tried to stand again.

The gunshot was heard by [[Ruben Istrate]], who was downstairs in the casino complex. Istrate went up to the penthouse armed with a gun and recognized Valeriu. He warned Petru that Marku's side would continue sending men after them. Petru and Istrate later moved Valeriu's body to a field outside the city. While searching Valeriu's jacket before burying him, they found a note stating that Wilson was to be brought alive and delivered personally to Marku. The note angered Petru, who stabbed Valeriu's face several times before the body was buried.

Valeriu's death increased Dorin Petrescu's loyalty to Marku. Marku promised Dorin revenge against Petru, while his own motive remained the failed attempt to take control of Petru's California operation.

On the night of 19 August 2024, Petru told [[Silvia Wilson]] and [[Ruben Istrate]] to leave Los Angeles for safety and go to his second house in [[Morrison]], [[Tennessee]], taking a large amount of cash that he gave them. During that final meeting, Silvia told Petru that she was pregnant. Ruben remained silent. Petru looked at her for several seconds, hugged her, and told her in Romanian that everything would be all right. Silvia and Ruben then left for Tennessee.

On 20 August 2024, Petru ordered that the casino would not open and sent personnel home. Security footage from that day showed that he spoke to no one. At 3:18 p.m., he was seen standing alone on a bridge near the casino, looking out in silence before throwing down his cigar and walking away. At 4:07 p.m., he was recorded standing in front of a church near the district, remaining there for several minutes without entering. He then returned to the casino penthouse. No guards or staff remained in the building that night.

On 21 August 2024, Petru Ionuț spent most of the day alone inside the casino complex. The building remained closed and largely empty. Security systems recorded no visitors until late that evening.

At 10:41 p.m., [[Iakob Ionuț]] entered the building. At 10:44 p.m., Petru and Iakob saw each other in the main hall of the casino. Both drew their weapons immediately. Petru was armed with a revolver and Iakob with a pistol. No words were exchanged.

At 10:44 p.m. and 38 seconds, both men opened fire. Between 10:44 p.m. and 10:46 p.m., they exchanged gunfire across the main hall and adjacent corridor entrances. Petru then fell back after emptying the ammunition in his revolver.

At 10:47 p.m., Petru took cover around a corner and waited for Iakob to advance. As Iakob entered the corridor, Petru rushed him, hit the pistol out of his hand, and forced him into hand-to-hand combat. At 10:48 p.m., Petru threw Iakob into a slot machine and continued hitting him. The fight then moved back into the main hall, where Petru landed harder blows and showed that he was physically stronger.

At 10:49 p.m., the two men entered a close wrestle. During the struggle, Iakob pulled out a gold-colored switchblade and stabbed Petru seven times in the chest and stomach. Petru stepped back, maintained eye contact with his brother, and dropped to his knees.

At 10:50 p.m., Iakob moved into an adjoining room, recovered his pistol, returned to the hall, and fired a full magazine into Petru at close range. Petru died at the scene.

At 10:52 p.m., Iakob left the building. He then traveled to Los Angeles International Airport. At 11:37 p.m., he telephoned [[Marku Ionuț]] and informed him that the job had been completed.