The assailants alleged to have murdered Boston crime figure James 'Whitey' Bulger accept charge arrangements, officials state.
Fotios Geas and Paul J. DeCologero are claimed to have murdered Bulger while Sean McKinnon kept watch in October 2018, merely hours after the gangster was transported to the US Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills.
These three men have decided to admit their guilt, as revealed in motions submitted by prosecutors on Monday. The motions don't specify which charges they'll be pleading but mention that the defendants "consent to cooperate with the United States Probation Office."
All of them faced conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charges. Geas and DeCologero also face first-degree murder and assault charges, according to the motions. McKinnon has been charged with lying to a federal agent concerning Bulger's murder.
A judge must authorize the guilty plea bargains. The prosecution wants the court to organize a plea hearing with a sentencing hearing as well.
During the 1970s and 80s, Bulger presided over Boston's infamous Winter Hill gang, committing horrific acts that left the city terrified.
He turned into one of the most sought-after criminals in America as he managed to evade arrest for 16 years on racketeering and murder charges, securing his spot on the FBI's most-wanted list. Bulger was apprehended in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison in 2013 following a jury's decision that he was involved in 11 killings and other criminal activities.
His life of crime served as inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film, "The Departed."
"He lived violently and he apparently died violently," claimed Dick Lehr, author of "Whitey: The Life of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss" after Bulger was slain at 89. "It marks the conclusion of a dreadful life."
After his passing, Bulger's family took legal action against prison personnel, accusing them of "intentionally or deliberately indifferent" behavior toward Bulger's safety and that he was "deliberately sent to his death." However, a judge dismissed the lawsuit in Jan 2022.
Nevertheless, a December 2022 report from the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General detailed a number of blunders made by prison administrative staff that may have jeopardized Bulger's safety when he was transferred to the West Virginia prison.
The report highlighted several errors, such as the decision to place Bulger, one of the most well-known organized crime figures at the time, in the general population after guards spoke about his imminent arrival in the hearing of other inmates.
The report disclosed that inmates' pre-knowledge of his arrival heightened the likelihood Bulger faced immediate peril at Hazelton. Recorded phone calls and emails from that time, included in the report, revealed how inmates prepared for the possible repercussions when Bulger arrived.
In the report, one inmate interviewee mentioned that other inmates had a grudge against Bulger and perceived him as a "rat" for cooperating with the FBI, "both the inmates and the staff were speculating about—and inmates were betting money on—how long Bulger would remain alive at Hazelton."
CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz, Ray Sanchez, and Kristina Sgueglia assisted with this report.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
