You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 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. He was on federal supervised release when the indictment was handed down. 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. According to the TMZ report, the gruesome attack was possibly motivated by Bulger's decision to serve as an informant. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Horrifying details have been emerging about the notorious Irish-American crime kingpin's killing at a maximum-security US prison this week. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. The tale of Davis's death capped a day of testimony from Flemmi that spanned decades and included stories of 1960s gangland figures with nicknames like Punchy, Wimpy and Suitcase. A prison workers union official told The Associated Press in 2018 that sending Bulger to the troubled federal penitentiary that housed other New England gangsters was like giving him a death sentence.. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. By Katharine Q. Seelye,William K. Rashbaum and Danielle Ivory. Documents show that on the day he was killed, he was scheduled to for some kind of medical exam in Morgantown, West Virginia. Though Bureau of Prison employees did not act with "malicious intent or an improper purpose," there were "serious job performance and management failures" that compromised Bulger's safety at Hazelton prison in West Virginia, the DOJ Inspector General's office said in a new report. The three men implemented in Bulger's murder were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The 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. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? 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 Mobster Whitey Bulger found dead after being transferred to prison in West Virginia. Tom Foley, who worked on Bulger cases for the Massachusetts State Police, said: "The guy is a sociopathic killer. 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. That reclassification came months after he allegedly threatened a nursing supervisor in Florida, saying "your day of reckoning is coming." He had previously been in a prison in Bulger led the Irish mob in South Boston for decades and became an FBI informant who supplied information on the New England Mafia, his gang's main rival, in an era when bringing down the Italian mob was a top national priority for the bureau. Im not surprised that he got hit; Im surprised that they let him get hit, said Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner. Weichel's attorney, however, disputed any claim that his client could have motivated Geas to kill Bulger at all. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? A recording of that phone call was played in federal court on Monday by Nowalk, a transcript of which was obtained by ABC News. Processing took about two hours and included background checks and medical assessments. Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger was wrapped in a blanket and put in bed with his head on the pillow to make it look like he was sleeping after being choked and fatally beaten with a "lock-in-the-sock" inside his cell, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the case tell NBC News. Meanwhile David Hoose, Geas' lawyer during the mafia killing trial, said he was not surprised his ex-client refused to talk. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Boston crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger in a booking photo from 2011. Sources say Bulger was processed at USP Hazelton starting at 8 p.m. Monday. The cause of death for the notorious Boston mob boss was listed as blunt force injuries of the head" while imprisoned. Bulger had been incarcerated at Coleman for four years. I hate to be morbid, but knowing the way of person he was, its probably a long time coming, seeing that he was responsible for so many other families and peoples misery over the years, he said as he walked around Boston Harbors Castle Island, where Mr. Bulger frequently strolled with his associates. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Whitey Bulger's death in prison exposed "deeply troubling" On October 29, he was transferred to Hazelton. Nowalk said that on the day of the murder, at around 6:07 a.m., the three men gathered outside of Bulger's cell, then went in and stayed there for seven minutes, allegedly killing Bulger. Tipped off that he was about to be indicted, Bulger became a fugitive and eluded authorities for 16 years before being captured in 2011. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Weichel and Geas both served time together in Massachusetts. Investigators found that officials at the Florida prison, supported by the Bureau of Prisons medical director, had downgraded Bulger's health assessment, which cleared the way for his transfer to Hazelton. Bulger, who ran the largely Irish mob in Boston in the 1970s and 80s, served as an FBI informant who ratted on his gangs main rival in an era when bringing down the Mafia was a top national priority for the FBI. ", "No other information will be released at this time.". Part of HuffPost Politics. 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. 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. More than $800,000 in cash and a cache of weapons was found hidden in the walls of his apartment. 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 Irish Post delivers all the latest Irish news to our online audience around the globe. He died the way I hoped he always was going to die, Mr. Davis said. The charges and arrest come after Bulgers family filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 30 unnamed employees of the prison system, arguing that they failed to protect him. In his younger years, Mr. Bulger was a fitness fanatic who obsessed over taking care of his body and keeping in top physical condition. He's one of the hardest and cruelest individuals that operated in the Boston area. Attorney Christopher Nasson said while there was certainly "no love lost" between his client and Bulger, Weichel was not dwelling on the past. Clickhereto upload yours. Prosecutors allege that Geas and DeCologero struck Bulger in the head multiple times and caused his death, the AP said. ", FBI FILES ON MURDERED BOSTON MOB BOSS WHITEY BULGER DECLASSIFED. By 8:07 a.m., Bulger was found dead by prison guards. BOSTON The inmates who killed James (Whitey) Bulger, Bostons notorious crime boss, deliberately moved out of view of surveillance cameras in a West , 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. "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. The prison lockdown is lifted after the 5 a.m. prisoner count ends, typically around 6:15 a.m. or redistributed. After Flemmi first took the stand Thursday afternoon for just 15 minutes, he and Bulger traded hard stares and angry remarks. Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 after his FBI handler, John Connolly Jr, warned him that he was about to be indicted. 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. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? The men alleged to have killed Whitey are thought to have links to the Mafia. All rights reserved, Roxbury Shooting Leaves Man With Life-Threatening Injuries, Celtics-Sixers Takeaways: James Harden, Turnovers Crush C's in Game 1 Loss, New Video Shows Moment Floor Buckled on Green Line Train on Marathon Monday, Ex-Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief Charged With Child Rape, Pupdate on the Adorable Dog That Fell Asleep on Our Broadcast, SatanCon 2023 Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary in Boston This Weekend, Man Convicted in Deadly 2021 Belmont Road Rage Attack Involving Hate Crime. At the Coleman prison complex in Florida in September 2014, he was disciplined multiple times, including once for masturbating in front of a male staff member and once, in February, for threatening a female medical staff member, according to the prison documents. 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. All rights reserved. It is not immediately clear what role, if any, this played shipping him to a different prison. "She walked in the entrance and he grabbed her by the neck," Flemmi said. "No, I mean, you should know the name," McKinnon told his mother, according to the transcript of the phone call. He was forced to resign the latter job in 2003 after it was learned that eight years earlier he had spoken by phone with Whitey, who was a fugitive at the time, and did not report it to authorities. The prison was locked down for the night sometime around 10 p.m. Monday and Bulger likely got to his cell around that time. He was captured in 2011. Kevin Weeks, a former Bulger lieutenant who would eventually testify against him, said: "We took what we wanted. Mr. Bulger was bleeding profusely when he was found by prison authorities at 8:20 Tuesday morning. (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). ", The dead man's widow, Patricia added: "I'm gonna buy myself a bottle of champagne, and I'm going to pop that cork.". Gaes remains at a prison in Hazelton and DeCologero is being held in another federal prison facility. Federal Bureau of Prisons officials say one of the weapons used to murder him was a lock in a sock. He's also infuriated by any suggestion that he was a government informant who ratted out mobsters in exchange for protection from rogue law-enforcement agents. HuffPost's top politics stories, straight to your inbox. Carney Jr., blamed his death on prison officials, saying Bulger "was sentenced to life in prison, but as a result of decisions by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, that sentence has been changed to the death penalty. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. one of the most dangerous prisons in America, ruled Bostons criminal underground for more than 20 years. We pay for your stories! Mr. Geas was among those sent to solitary, according to prison documents obtained by The New York Times. The early morning scene at Southie's Castle Island shows a newspaper June 23, 2011, announcing the capture of James "Whitey" Bulger. Several sources familiar with the investigation say that Bulger was hit repeatedly. He grabbed Davis around the throat "and strangled her," continuing to choke her as he took her down the stairs to the basement, Flemmi said. "Every heard the name Whitey Bulger?". They dont get any colder than him. Retired police detective Tom Duffy "It's been like throwing salt on an open wound," he said of the courtroom discussion of his sister. But Mr. Bulger was said to be in questionable health. Bulger was also portrayed by Johnny Depp in a 2015 film Black Mass. Workers and advocates spoke out about the poor conditions of the jail in the past. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). McKinnon's mother warned him to stay away from Bulger because she was worried hanging around Bulger would get him "in trouble," the transcript shows. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. By then, he had already established a record of troubling activity in other prisons. The report indicated that prison officials decided to send Bulger to Hazelton because it was closer to his family in Boston, had appropriate medical care facilities and "took good care of the inmates." We pay for videos too. There were plenty of inmates at Hazelton who hated him. [Whitey Bulgers crew, from the rifleman to the executioner: Where are they now?]. 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. Debra Davis, ex-girlfriend and murder victim of Stephen Flemmi. Bulger was of course no stranger to violence. "In our view, no BOP inmates transfer, whether they are a notorious offender or a non-violent offender, should be handled like Bulgers transfer was in this instance.". In return, Connolly let Bulger know about working investigations while Bulger and close associate Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi carried on with impunity. 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 spent his final years of freedom in No. As James "Whitey" Bulger stewed at the defense table, his former partner in crime took the witness stand Friday and portrayed him as a rat and a lady-killer. "We made millions through extortion and loansharking and protection. Bulger was in a wheelchair when several potential suspects beat him to death, officials told NBC.