James Bulger, The Departed, Bulger, the leader of Bostons Winter Hill Gang, killed or arranged to kill nearly 20 people between 1973 and 1985, HuffPosts David Lohr reports. I dont know who picked Hazelton its one of our most violent institutions, said Joe Rojas, union president for correctional staff at Coleman penitentiary in Florida. Im not surprised that he got hit; Im surprised that they let him get hit, said Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner. Nowalk said McKinnon acted as the lookout while the two other men, Fotios "Freddy" Geas, 55, and Paul DeCologero, 48, went into Bulger's cell and allegedly killed him. I just want this case to end.". With a $2million reward on his head, Bulger became one of the FBIs Ten Most Wanted criminals. Washington The prison death of notorious Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger less than 12 hours after he arrived at a West Virginia prison was precipitated by Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger Jr. poses for a mugshot upon his arrival at the Federal Penitentiary at Alcatraz Nov. 16, 1959, in San Francisco. This included brazen daylight shootings, young women throttled to death, machine guns aimed at victims crotches and teeth ripped from the mouths of the dead to make them harder to identify. The document, which was published by Bostons WHDH-TV, states that Bulger, 89, was found unresponsive at 8:21 a.m. Oct. 30, 2018. Bulger who ruled Bostons criminal underground for more than 20 years and stayed on the run for another 16 before his capture was reportedly beaten to death We pay for videos too. BOSTON The inmates who killed James (Whitey) Bulger, Bostons notorious crime boss, deliberately moved out of view of surveillance cameras in a West Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The early morning scene at Southie's Castle Island shows a newspaper June 23, 2011, announcing the capture of James "Whitey" Bulger. Wheelchair-bound Bulger was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 of a string of gangland crimes in the 1970s and 80s, including participating in 11 murders. Kevin Weeks, a former Bulger lieutenant who would eventually testify against him, said: "We took what we wanted. This information was relayed by a senior law enforcement official who oversees organized crime cases but is not involved in the investigation into Mr. Bulgers death, and who said he had learned it from a federal official. More than 100 BOP officials were made known of Bulger's upcoming transfer to Hazelton. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report. Flemmi said he would be affected by his mistress' fate "until the day I die." In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. He was continuously falling off the bed and injuring his hip, Mr. Brennan said, adding that his inability to exercise also contributed to several health problems. The Irish Post is the biggest selling national newspaper to the Irish in Britain. photos from 1984 of Mr. Bulger, who was serving two life terms in prison for his role in 11 murders. We were not nice guys.". Bulger, he said, sat and watched while he dug the hole. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. He cemented his grip on the crime scene through ties with corrupt FBI officials who shared his Irish background. After he retired from the FBI, Connolly tipped off Bulger about a coming indictment, sending the mobster on the run in 1995. Mr. Bulgers death, within hours of his arrival at the prison, raised numerous questions. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. were investigating Mr. Bulgers death as a homicide. Killing people was his first option. Lawyers for McKinnon told Lammen that he lived near his mother and was not a flight risk, but the judge did not agree. In February 2018, Bulger threatened an assistant supervisor at the prison in Florida, telling her your day of reckoning is coming.. 'Cult mom' Lori Vallow's hair found on duct tape used to wrap son's body, Inside Jeffrey Epstein's private calendar including meeting with Noam Chomsky, Heartbroken family launch new lawsuit against Walmart over son's death, I won $188m lotto, I only got $88m after taxes but there was a bigger blow to come, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Three men have been charged in the killing of notorious crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger (pictured), Paul J DeCologero (pictured) attacked Bulger with Fotios 'Freddy' Gaes, prosecutors allege, Prosecutors claim Fotios Freddy Geas (left) helped to strike Bulger in the head multiple times, killing the mob boss, Sean McKinnon (pictured) has been charged separately with making false statements to a federal agent, Bulger served as an informant for the FBI, despite continually denying it. All rights reserved. Bulger served as an informant for the FBI, despite continually denying it Credit: AP. The cause of death for the notorious Boston mob boss was listed as blunt force injuries of the head" while imprisoned. "Our investigation revealed serious BOP staff and management performance failures at multiple levels; bureaucratic incompetence; and flawed, confusing and insufficient BOP policies and procedures," Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a video statement. Tipped off that he was about to be indicted, Bulger became a fugitive and eluded authorities for 16 years before being captured in 2011. Its like going on death row, he added. Mobster Whitey Bulger found dead after being transferred to prison in West Virginia. When he was found the next day at 8am he was bleeding heavily. He is serving a life sentence at the Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia for the 2003 killing of the leader of the Genovese crime family in Springfield. It had no further comment. After a few weeks at large, however, Stanley wanted to go home so Bulger dropped her off and picked up another of his girlfriends, Catherine Greig, and disappeared again. Anyone can read what you share. Bulger strongly denied ever being a government informant. A notorious criminal presence in Boston, with ties to illegal gambling, drug trafficking, extortion, racketeering and murder, Bulger also served as an FBI informant. Bulger who ruled Bostons criminal underground for more than 20 years and stayed on the run for another 16 before his capture was reportedly beaten to death within hours of his transfer from a Florida prison to the high-security penitentiary in West Virginia on Tuesday. They turned a blind eye to his crimes in exchange for information they could use against the Italian Mafia. It is not immediately clear what role, if any, this played shipping him to a different prison. He had been housed in the general population at Hazelton for less than 12 hours before he was found beaten to death Oct. 30, 2018. "He loved that type of life. The murder of James "Whitey" Bulger was planned as soon as the notorious mobster had arrived at the prison in West Virginia where he was found beaten to death, a Justice Department prosecutor said. Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger Jr. lived by the sword and died by the sword. Flemmi, 79, who is serving life after admitting to 10 murders, said he didn't want to kill Debra Davis but Bulger thought she was a distraction and knew too much about the Winter Hill Gang's relationship with corrupt FBI agents. Shortly after Bulgers killing, The Boston Globe reported that Freddy Geas, a fellow inmate and convicted hit man who hated rats, was considered a suspect. McKinnon was arrested on Thursday in Florida after he was indicted separately for making false statements to a federal agent, police said. F.B.I. Murder victim son Tommy Donahue told CBS: "He deserved a slow death and that's what I hope he got. Fotios Geas, also known as Freddy, age 55, Paul J. DeCologero, also known as Pauly, 48, and Sean McKinnon, 36, were charged on Wednesday with conspiracy to commit first degree murder. The DOJ Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation due to "unusual" circumstances in Bulger's transfer to Hazelton. Bulger committed numerous other crimes, and his handler, FBI Special Agent John Connolly, was later convicted on corruption charges. Steven Davis, the brother of Debra Davis whom Mr. Bulger was said by his former associate, Stephen (The Rifleman) Flemmi, to have strangled to death in 1981 also said he was pleased. Several BOP officials said they were unaware of Bulger's notoriety or did not consider his identity in making decisions about his transfer, the report said. Clickhereto upload yours. An intake screening form Bulger signed after his arrival at Hazelton said he answered "no" when asked if there were any reasons he should be kept out of the general population and if he ever assisted law enforcement in any way. Many in Boston, particularly in Mr. Bulgers old stomping grounds in South Boston, were relieved at the news that the long, deadly saga of Mr. Bulger finally appeared over. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Sending him there is like a death sentence. He was on federal supervised release when the indictment was handed down. Boston, In February, Mr. Bulger told the female staff member that her day of reckoning was coming, according to a prison official with knowledge of the event. He said: "What I don't understand is why the Federal Bureau of Prisons would transfer a super high-publicity inmate, who is a known snitch, to general population of a high-security prison. Mr. Geas was among those sent to solitary, according to prison documents obtained by The New York Times. Weichel and Geas both served time together in Massachusetts. "And if someone ratted us out, we killed him. or redistributed. Sometimes Bulger sat silently at the defendant's table and at other times he engaged in profane shouting matches with witnesses such as Flemmi. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. There were plenty of inmates at Hazelton who hated him. Bulger was also portrayed by Johnny Depp in a 2015 film Black Mass. Federal Bureau of Prisons officials and his attorney declined to comment on why he was being moved. He's a bad, bad, bad guy.". Inmates at the violent West Virginia prison where infamous gangster James "No, I mean, you should know the name," McKinnon told his mother, according to the transcript of the phone call. Although Greek and therefore unable to become "made" mafia members, the siblings were hired by them as muscle. Three Hazelton inmates, including a Mafia hitman, were charged in his death Aug. 18, 2022. Geas and DeCologero are accused of striking Bulger, 89, in the head several times in October 2018, causing his death, the district attorneys office said. In addition to the conspiracy charge, Geas and DeCologero are charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, the statement said. A parade of former associates testified against Bulger at his two-month trial for murder, giving brutal details about how he would kill enemies and then take a nap. Mr. Davis, the former police commissioner, said he was baffled that the prison had not done more to keep Mr. Bulger away from a convicted organized crime hit man from Massachusetts.. The lethal attack took place in a corner of the prison selected by the inmates because it is away from the watching eye of the facility's security cameras. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. His death is being investigated as a homicide, a prison union official has confirmed. He was convicted in 2013 in 11 underworld slayings and a long list of other crimes and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors allege that Geas and DeCologero struck Bulger in the head multiple times Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Prosecutors allege that a mere 12 hours after Bulger arrived at USP Hazelton, he was found dead in his cell. An 85-year-old man named Ed, who did not want to give his last name because he said he knew one of Mr. Bulgers brothers and did not want to alienate him, spoke for many when he said that Mr. Bulgers death represented a kind of justice. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368. McKinnon stood as lookout as Freddy and Pauly went into Mr. Bulger's cell and bludgeoned him to death in those seven minutes that are recorded on the surveillance footage.". Authorities believe Bulger was killed sometime between then and 8:20 a.m., when correction officers discovered him unresponsive in his cell after he failed to show up for breakfast. Many of the families of Mr. Bulgers victims did not hide their glee. DeCologero was no longer being held at USP Hazelton but was housed in the federal prison system and McKinnon was on federal supervised release and was arrested last week in Florida. In chilling detail, Boston gangster Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi described how Bulger allegedly orchestrated and carried out the murder of Flemmi's girlfriend strangling her with his bare hands as he dragged her down a flight of stairs and making Flemmi dig a riverbank grave. "The admissions were, from Pauly, that he and Freddy used a belt with a lock attached to it and beat Mr. Bulger to death," Nowalk told the judge in arguing for McKinnon's pre-trial detention. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "We found it particularly troubling that Coleman personnel placed Bulger, an 89-year-old inmate who used a wheelchair and had serious heart conditions, in a single cell in Colemans special housing unit, or SHU, for eight months while Coleman staff bureaucratically struggled with how to transfer him to a new facility. ", "No other information will be released at this time.". A source close to the murder investigation told the New York Times: They apparently tuned him up to the point where he was unrecognisable.. ", SLAIN MOBSTER WHITEY BULGER WAS BEATEN BY INMATES FOR 7 MINUTES BUT WASN'T FOUND UNTIL 2 HOURS LATER: FEDS, James "Whitey" Bulger mugshot in 2011. James Whitey Bulger, the infamous Boston mobster, was found dead in a West Virginia prison Tuesday morning, according to federal officials. He is listed as having died of blunt force injuries of the head and was assaulted by other(s), suggesting the number of attackers was unknown when the document was filed. Authorities did not immediately release a cause of death. In quick succession, he recounted murder after murder, including the 1975 slaying of loose-lipped tavern owner Edward Connors. Bulger was the third inmate killed in six months at USP Hazelton. Prison had been something Bulger had gone to great lengths to avoid - killing potential witnesses, cultivating corrupt lawmen and living as a fugitive for 16 years. One month after Bulgers death, NBC News reported that another prisoner was struck with a padlock, the same object used in the gangsters murder. The killing, Nowalk said, took all of seven minutes. But it all ended when a tip from a former Icelandic beauty queen led to his capture in June 2011 in Santa Monica, California, where he was living with a long-time girlfriend. Geas was a close associate of the Mafia and acted as an enforcer, but was not an official made member because hes Greek, not Italian. Federal authorities believe he carried out or organized the killings of 19 people dating back to the 1970s, though he was found guilty of involvement in 11 deaths. By Katharine Q. Seelye,William K. Rashbaum and Danielle Ivory. But when he was moved on Monday to US Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia he would be sharing a prison with hit-man Fotios Freddy Geas, 51. They also show a code indicating his medical treatment had been completed, allowing for referral to general population. Bulger had been serving a sentence of life in prison for killing 11 people. Fotios "Freddy" Geas, a reputed New England mafia hitman has been named as a potential suspect, but law enforcement sources tell NBC News he is one of several potential actors they are looking at in the Bulger killing. Greig was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $150,000 for helping Bulger evade capture. One of the suspects in Bulgers murder was Fotios Freddy Geas, who had a longtime beef with Bulger and believed the gangster had helped frame one of his friends for murder, according to a harrowing report by the Globe. He was killed after being in Hazelton for less than 12 hours, after he was transferred from another facility. The inmates who killed Bulger, 89, deliberately moved out of view of CCTV before pummelling him with a padlock stuffed inside a sock - and dislodging his eyes from their sockets. Whitey was a rat who killed women. Bulger had been serving a sentence of life in prison forkilling 11 people. Whitey Bulger. Cameron Lindsay, a former warden at the prison where Bulger was killed is puzzled about why the elderly gangster was sent there in the first place. IE 11 is not supported. Flemmi told the court he wrapped his dead girlfriend in a tarp and when it got dark, he and Bulger went to the Neponsit River with the corpse and shovels. prosecutor Fred Wyshak asked. Don Treeger/The Republican, via Associated Press. Federal Bureau of Prisons officials say one of the weapons used to murder him was a lock in a sock. He could stand up by himself, but he could not walk, Mr. Brennan said in an interview Wednesday. We just stepped out from the side of the building the garage and shot him, Flemmi said. Boston mob kingpin James Whitey Bulger was beaten to death in a West Virginia prison cell just one day after his arrival at U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton, according to While Bulger was robbing banks and killing people, his younger brother Billy was acquiring political notoriety and power. On October 29, he was transferred to Hazelton. Private investigator Ted McDonough, who knew Geas, told the Boston Globe: Freddy hated rats. NBC10 Boston has obtained the death certificate for Boston crime boss James Whitey Bulger. (Mark Garfinkel/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images), Whitey Bulger found dead in West Virginia. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Its probably that simple.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, His body was only discovered on Tuesday morning with the initial 911 call claiming he had gone into cardiac arrtest. "There were also admissions from Pauly and from Mr. McKinnon himself that they collectively were the guys that killed Bulger and thatMr. WASHINGTON (AP) The beating death of notorious gangster James Whitey Bulger at the hands of fellow inmates was the result of multiple layers of management failures, widespread incompetence and flawed policies at the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Departments inspector general said in a report Wednesday. BOSTON The inmates who killed James (Whitey) Bulger, Bostons notorious crime boss, deliberately moved out of view of surveillance cameras in a West Virginia prison before pummeling him with a padlock that was stuffed inside a sock, law enforcement officials said on Wednesday, as investigations began into how such a murder could have taken place in a supposedly secure facility. Today relatives of Bulger's victims spoke out. Bulger terrorised Bostons underworld as the leader of the notorious Winter Hill crime gang, murdering and extorting to get his way. Nearly three years later, all but one have been moved out. In the hours after Boston crime boss James Whitey Bulger was found beaten to death in his prison cell, three inmates were hauled away to solitary confinement. There they remained for two years, eight months and more than 20 days, as the investigation into Bulgers murder dragged on. Prosecutors have not yet offered a motive for the killing or said how the defendants knew of Bulger's arrival. Bulger's former associates turned on him while he was at large and their information led to a 2000 indictment that originally charged him with 19 murders. Market data provided by Factset. "I'm tired of it. She is scheduled for release in September 2020. Bulger, had cut a corrupt deal as a FBI informant in 1975 which gave him a free hand to commit crime as long as he informed about the underworld. The document, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, shows that Bulgers cause of death was Blunt Force Injuries of the Head. The death certificate said the injury occurred when he was Assaulted by other(s) in his prison cell at the United States For other inquiries, Contact Us. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Fred Weichel had long blamed Bulger for framing him for the crime, for which he served nearly 40 years until it was overturned. According to the TMZ report, the gruesome attack was possibly motivated by Bulger's decision to serve as an informant. The men alleged to have killed Whitey are thought to have links to the Mafia. At least one juror shed tears as he testified, the Boston Herald reported. Despite the attackers efforts to hide, officials said, cameras caught video images of at least two inmates rolling Mr. Bulger, 89, who was in a wheelchair, into a corner where the attack took place. The U.S. Justice Department paid more than $20 million in damages to families of people killed by Bulger on the grounds that he was operating under government supervision while killing. The three men implemented in Bulger's murder were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Additionally, news stories were reporting the details of Bulger's impending transfer. Despite his violent criminal history, the FBI recruited Bulger as an informant in 1975. Geas and his brother were sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for their roles in several violent crimes, including the 2003 killing of Adolfo Big Al Bruno, a Genovese crime family boss in Springfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Bulger was serving two life terms in prison for his role in 11 murders committed when he controlled the Boston underworld over several decades. The He died the way I hoped he always was going to die, Mr. Davis said. Their research suggests that back in the 1940s, mobsters were known to gouge out the eyes of any informants speaking to the police. 303 of the Princess Eugenia apartment complex in Santa Monica with Greig. But Mr. Kelly did say that Mr. Geas has a particular distaste for cooperators. Mr. Kelly said that Mr. Geass feelings about informants were so strong that when he was given a chance to avoid a life sentence by cooperating with the authorities, he did not take it. When Bulger fled, he first took Teresa Stanley, his girlfriend of 30 years, with him. Unlike Bulger, he survived. "I'll take care of it," Bulger supposedly told Flemmi. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. McKinnon allegedly told his mother that the cell doors at the prison open at 6 a.m. and they do not lock, prompting the men to enter easily, Norwalk alleged. Flemmi told the court he New details are emerging about the death of notorious mob boss Whitey Bulger on Tuesday after he was transferred to the general population of U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton, one of the most dangerous prisons in America. Attorneys for the three defendants did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for comment. That reclassification came months after he allegedly threatened a nursing supervisor in Florida, saying "your day of reckoning is coming." Bulger, who denied ever being an FBI informant, refused to testify on the grounds that the trial was a sham. Bulger, the leader of Bostons Irish mob and a secret FBI informant, was killed less than 12 hours after he arrived at the West Virginia prison in a transfer from a Florida institution. Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner, said: Im not surprised that he got hit, Im surprised that they let him get hit.. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. A prison official identified one of the suspects as Fotios (Freddy) Geas, 51, a Mafia hit man from West Springfield, Mass.