– Men charged in Whitey Bulger’s prison killing
– Plea deals for 3 men in Whitey Bulger case.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant development, three men charged in the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger have reached plea deals with prosecutors, as per court papers filed on Monday.
The plea deals for Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were disclosed nearly six years after the 89-year-old gangster was beaten to death in his cell at a troubled West Virginia prison.
Details of the Case
Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a onetime Mafia hitman, and Paul J. DeCologero, a Massachusetts gangster, were accused of repeatedly hitting Bulger in the head while Sean McKinnon served as a lookout during the fatal assault.
DeCologero reportedly told an inmate witness that Bulger was a “snitch” and that as soon as he came into their unit, they planned to kill him. DeCologero also shared with an inmate that he and Geas used a belt with a lock attached to it to bludgeon Bulger to death, according to prosecutors.
Geas and DeCologero were identified as suspects shortly after Bulger’s death, but they remained uncharged for years as the investigation continued.
Legal Proceedings
Prosecutors in West Virginia federal court have requested the court to schedule hearings for the men to change their not-guilty pleas and to be sentenced. However, further details about the plea agreements have not been disclosed in court documents.
Belinda Haynie, an attorney for Geas, declined to provide any comments on the matter. Attorneys representing the other two defendants have not responded to requests for comments from The Associated Press.
Charges and Sentencing
The Justice Department stated last year that it would not seek the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero, who were charged with murder. All three men face charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. McKinnon also faces an additional charge of making false statements to a federal agent.
Background on Whitey Bulger
Whitey Bulger, who controlled the largely Irish mob in Boston during the 1970s and ’80s, served as an FBI informant against his main gang rival. After fleeing Boston in 1994 following a tip-off from his FBI handler, Bulger became one of the most-wanted fugitives in the country. He was eventually captured at the age of 81 after more than 16 years on the run.
In 2013, Bulger was convicted in a string of 11 killings and numerous other gang-related crimes, many of which he committed while acting as an FBI informant.
Investigation Findings
An investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general in 2022 revealed that Bulger’s killing was a result of multiple management failures, widespread incompetence, and flawed policies within the Bureau of Prisons. The report found no evidence of “malicious intent” by bureau employees, but rather a series of bureaucratic errors that left Bulger vulnerable to rival gangsters behind bars.
Individual Backgrounds
Paul J. DeCologero, associated with an organized crime gang led by his uncle in Massachusetts, was convicted of purchasing heroin used in an attempted murder of a teenage girl. When the heroin failed to kill her, another individual broke her neck, dismembered her, and buried her remains in the woods.
Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a close associate of the Mafia and known enforcer, was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for various violent crimes, including the killing of a Genovese crime family boss in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Sean McKinnon, who had been on federal supervised release for stealing guns from a firearms dealer, was arrested on charges related to Bulger’s killing.
Reporting by Raby from Charleston, West Virginia.
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men charged Whitey Bulger prison killing plea deals prosecutors.
