Mafia hitmen, mobsters and newly released inmates: who killed Whitey Bulger?

Killer of mob capo, mafia killer with deep hatred for informants.

1996 barbaric murder and he was involved in the amputation of a 19-year-old girl Boston gangster

and only his A man with no known mob connections who was released from prison three weeks ago.

On Wednesday, the three men were charged with killing him in prison in 2018, one of the most notorious mob bosses in American history.

As the leader of his gang in the infamous Winter Hill, James “Whitey” Bulger terrorized the streets of Boston in his 70's and his 80's, murdering rival gangsters and killing allies. gang he accused the FBI.

Later, after being tipped off by an FBI insider, he continued his 16-year run on the run, becoming one of the most important fugitives in the United States.

For more than a decade, Irish his mafia boss topped his FBI's most wanted list and al-Qaeda leader he was second only to Osama bin Laden on 9/11. I was second.

But now US authorities are seeking justice for his own murder.

Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 55, Paul “Pauly” DeCologero, 48, and Sean McKinnon, 36, were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder this week.

All three West He was imprisoned with Bulger at the Hazelton U.S. Penitentiary in Virginia, where he was savagely beaten almost four years before he was recognized by anyone. .

On the morning of October 30, 2018, Bulger, who had arrived at the federal prison just 12 hours before him, was beaten to death with a heavy padlock in his socks.

He was found by guards wrapped in blankets and posing to appear asleep. Bulger was 89 years old at the time and in a wheelchair.

Geas and DeCologero announced that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia had been charged with repeatedly striking Bulger in the head, causing him to die.

In addition to conspiracy to kill, Geass and De Cologero are also charged with first-degree murder and aiding assault that caused serious injury.

Geass also faces another charge of murder by a federal inmate who is serving a life sentence.

Meanwhile, McKinnon has been charged with making false statements to federal agents.

Geass is still incarcerated at Hazelton Prison, and De Cologero is now being held at another federal prison facility, prosecutors said.

McKinnon was released under his supervision and arrested in Florida on Thursday.

After the indictment, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins said that the same justice system that finally brought Bulger to justice for his life of violent crime would now bring justice to his own family. I pointed out the irony of asking.

"Today, our hearts are with her 19 known murder victims and their loved ones, and all who were ever harmed by this man." she said in a statement.

"He is a serial killer and every mention of his name triggers a family he has ravaged and wounds that I hope have finally begun to heal again." … Most ironically, the Bulger family experienced the excruciating pain and trauma their relatives inflicted on too many, and the justice system came to their aid.”[59]

It's no secret that Bulger, who spent decades as a notorious mobster and FBI informant, amassed a long list of enemies, but the motive for his brutal death has never been revealed.

Neither of the three suspects appeared to have known him personally until they arrived at the detention center hours before he was killed.

Indeed, four years after his murder in prison, many questions still remain. such as who really were his three men accused of murdering Bulger.

Fotios “Freddy” Geas

Shortly after Bulger's murder, law enforcement identified Geas as the prime suspect in the murder. I paid attention as

Like Bulger, Geass has long been involved with the Massachusetts Mafia and has a long track record of violent crime and brutal murder.

But there is one thing about him that sets them apart. Geass has a history of hating law enforcement informants.

The 55-year-old man is now charged with murdering mob boss Adolfo "Big Al" Bruno and mob associate Gary Westerman, and killing union boss Frank Dabado. He is serving a life sentence in Hazelton for attempted murder.

Geass, along with his brother Ty, were long-time hitmen and collaborators of the Genovese organized crime family operating in the Bronx, New York, and Springfield, Massachusetts.

However, these two brothers of his were not officially 'made' members due to their Greek descent.

In November 2003, Geass killed Westerman, a minor mob, execution-style in Agawam, Massachusetts. because he believed he was cooperating with the police.

One night, Geath lured Westermann into a house, where he shot him in the head and beat him with a shovel before burying his body in a ditch.

The victim's body was finally found in April 2010.

In the same month as the murders, Bruno, the capo of a Genoese crime family, was also shot dead in Springfield, Massachusetts.

According to prosecutors, the attack was ordered by a deputy mob boss who Bruno learned he was talking to the FBI. It was Geass and his brother who plotted the murder and hired the killer.

The pair were also involved in the 2003 attempted murder of Bronx cement union boss Davado. Ty shot Davado his ninth time while Geass was driving the getaway car. Somehow, the union figures survived the ambush.

Several of Geass' victims were killed on suspicion of collaborating with law enforcement.

During the trial, Geass learns that Anthony Arrilotta, the Genoese crime syndicate who "made the man", has flipped and has become an informant for the FBI. Alilotta became a star government witness in Geass' trial, and he was sentenced to 99 months in prison just for pleading guilty to murder.

Meanwhile, Geass refused to cooperate with the prosecutor.

In 2011, he was convicted of multiple murders, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, racketeering, conspiracy to racketeer, extortion, usury, and other Genoese criminal family members and associates. rice field.

In the indictment, he was also found guilty of conspiring to kill Luis Santos (because he believed he was cooperating with law enforcement) and rival mob member Giuseppe Manzi. received.

Geass was sentenced to life in prison on multiple charges.

Geass may not have crossed paths with Bulger at the Boston gang scene, but his hatred of government informants has led to speculation that Bulger could be an easy target. provoked.

"He is very disrespectful to informants," Giass' longtime attorney Daniel Kelly told MassLive. com he told in 2018.

I am only telling you what I know about him. "

The former mob hitman may have sought revenge on behalf of his friend Frederick his Wychell,The Boston Globe reported in his 2018 report. rice field.

Mr. Weichel has long framed Bulger for the 1980 murder of Robert Lamonica at Braintree in Boston.

In 2013, Bulger handed Weichel's attorney a letter saying another man was the killer, but he refused to testify or sign an affidavit to support his claims. Did.

Weichel said he was serving a 36-year sentence for the crime until his conviction was overturned in 2017.

Prosecutors have since said he will not seek a retrial, and Weichel is now suing Braintree and Boston police.

he told Grove in his 2018:

Mr. Weichel became friends with Geass while incarcerated in Shirley, Massachusetts, and Mr. Kelly told the paper that his client had repeatedly said he believed his friend had been deceived. rice field.

Kelly said Thursday that the charges against Geass were not surprising.

Paul Declogero

A second inmate, Declogello, was also identified as a suspect shortly after Bulger's murder.

DeCologero was a member of the DeCologero Crew, an organized crime group that controls the North Shore of Massachusetts.

His uncle Paul A. de Cologero was the leader of a gang that primarily traded guns and drugs.

DeCologero is currently serving a 25-year sentence for murdering Aislin Silva when he was 19 in 1996.

Gang leader ordered murder of teenager because police found a stash of guns in her apartment and feared she would betray the gang in her law enforcement interrogation .

Prosecutors said the conspiracy was to get Silva to overdose on heroin and make her believe she was taking cocaine.

DeCologero was. He bought high-end heroin and used it to try to kill her.

When Silva overdosed and did not die as planned, other mob members snapped her neck.

Her remains were then buried in the woodlands of Massachusetts.

Several mob members were charged with Silva's murder, including his DeCologero, who was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy.

Sean McKinnon

Probably the most likely of his three suspects accused of murdering Bulger McKinnon has the lowest .

Unlike his alleged co-conspirators, he has no known ties to the mob.

The 36-year-old was just getting used to his newfound freedom after being released from prison on July 27.

His freedom was short-lived, and he was arrested only three weeks after he died of Bulger's death.

At the time of Bulger's death, McKinnon said West that he shared a cell with Geass in a Virginia prison, where he had served eight years on charges of stealing guns and trading them for heroin in Connecticut.

In March 2015, the then-29-year-old stole a Jeep from a Vermont car dealership and drove it to a licensed firearms dealer R&L for his archery.

There he broke into a store and stole twelve of his .20 caliber handguns from the display cases.

He then drove his car to Hartford, Connecticut, where he traded 12 handguns for heroin and cocaine with drug dealers.

Two days later, police searched McKinnon's home and found a 20-gauge shotgun, 45 bags of heroin, drug paraphernalia, several pry sticks, and ammunition.

McKinnon confessed to the crime and SKS he used an assault rifle, with a laser. He also told investigators that he traded guns for drugs with the same dealer on multiple occasions, including 380-caliber handguns and other pistols.

Only one of his 12 guns stolen was recovered by law enforcement.

96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

McKinnon spoke of Bulger's death in a jail interview last year, claiming he was not involved and complaining about being held in solitary confinement.

"If I had anything to say, I told the federal government. I will," he told NBC News. I am an innocent man

He added: "They are treating me as a guilty man." said he was interviewed by

A DNA sample was also taken and he has been in solitary confinement ever since, he said.

Oddly enough, McKinnon stated that he shared a special camp cell with De Cologero.

In January 2021, more than two years after Bulger's death, he asked prison officials to give evidence as to "why I am being punished." I filed an official complaint requesting a meeting.

"I was denied basic comfort privileges and forced to endure cruel and inhumane living conditions in SHU [special housing] for no reason," he said. said in the complaint.

His request was denied, and prison officials said an investigation was active.

McKinnon said at the time that DeCologero and Geas were also "innocent men" and described DeCologero as his "best friend".

Unanswered Questions

Prosecutors Indict Three Men Now Nearly Four Years After Bulger's Death I have not clarified the reasons for this.

In the end, the trio were long suspected of involvement in Bulger's murder and were placed in solitary confinement shortly after.

Surveillance footage showed at least two inmates rolling Bulger to the corner of his cell, beating him with a padlock in his sock,The New York TimesAlso, cameras around the prison likely caught the killer going in and out of the cell.

Yet the investigation continued for years.

Questions also remain as to how Bulger was sent to the infamous prison in the first place and why he was placed among the general public.

Hazelton already housed several New England gangsters, and the prison was known to be a dangerous place for government informants. Bulger, of course, was a gangster and an FBI informant.

Three of his other inmates had been murdered during his six months prior to his arrival in October 2018.

In the case of Bulger, he survived only twelve hours in prison.

The former Hazelton-sent high-profile mob has been held at Coleman II Federal Penitentiary in Florida since 2014. The old gang's time there was mostly uneventful.

That was until February 2018, when prison officials said he had run into a female health care worker.

The notorious killer is said to have threatened his members of staff that "the day of your judgment will come." Seven months after being held in solitary confinement for the

incident, he was transferred to Hazelton.

As part of his transfer, his medical classification had to be downgraded - even though he was 89 years old, suffered from heart disease and was in a wheelchair. .

Prison officials and Bulger's own family condemned the decision to generalize Bulger in a troubled prison known to be dangerous to informers.

In a 2018 interview with the Associated Press , an unnamed prison workers union official described the move as a "death sentence."

In 2020, a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bulger's family against the Federal Prison Service and 30 of his prison officials said he was "willfully harmed."

In a lawsuit seeking $200 million in damages, Bulger alleged that prison officials' "willful or willful indifference put them at risk of certain death or serious bodily injury." claimed.

A federal judge dismissed his case in January.

A life of crime

A frail white-haired man beaten to death in a prison cell in a wheelchair is something else entirely. Seemed from the man who ruled South Boston with terror in the 70's and 80's.

At the time he was murdered, Bulger said he was serving two life sentences for murdering eleven people.

Boston's Winter His Hill As the boss of his gang, Bulger was said to enjoy violence and was known to pull out the teeth of his victims so that his identity would not be identified. rice field.

Although he was eventually convicted of his 11 murders, he has long been believed to be responsible for at least 19 murders. In 1975, he gave information to Agent John Connolly in exchange for protection.

In 1995, one day before he was indicted on federal racketeering charges, Bulger went on the run. Connolly's provision of information to him initiates an investigation into law enforcement corruption.

For the next 16 years, Bulger eluded trial and was arrested in Santa Monica, California in 2011. In Santa Monica, California, he lived with his longtime girlfriend Katherine Grieg. he was 81 years old.

In 2013, his criminal life finally caught up with him when he was sentenced to two life sentences.

Bulger continued to deny that he was a government informant until shortly before his death.

Another of his three men are now facing life imprisonment for their own murders. The killing was celebrated by some of Bulger's victims' families.

Patricia Donahue, whose husband Michael Donahue was murdered by Mafia bosses in 1982, said after Bulger's death: Thank you for waiting very long. ''