{"id":2270107,"date":"2024-06-17T22:10:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T02:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alleged-lookout-in-prison-killing-of-james-whitey-bulger-leaves-court-a-free-man\/"},"modified":"2024-06-17T22:13:44","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T02:13:44","slug":"alleged-lookout-in-prison-killing-of-james-whitey-bulger-leaves-court-a-free-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alleged-lookout-in-prison-killing-of-james-whitey-bulger-leaves-court-a-free-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Alleged lookout in James \u2018Whitey\u2019 Bulger&#8217;s prison murder walks free from court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falleged-lookout-in-prison-killing-of-james-whitey-bulger-leaves-court-a-free-man%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2270107&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Sean \u200dMcKinnon, implicated in the 2018 death\u2063 of infamous Boston \u2062gangster \u2063James &#8220;Whitey&#8221; Bulger,\u2064 was\u200d sentenced to time served, avoiding further prison time. McKinnon, 38, had pleaded guilty to lying to a federal officer after \u2063the more severe charge\u200c of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder was dropped. Although McKinnon was accused of being a lookout for the attack \u200bon Bulger, he has maintained his innocence, stating he was only watching TV at the time.<\/p>\n<p>James &#8220;Whitey&#8221;\u200b Bulger was \u2063brutally killed on \u2064October\u2062 30, 2018, shortly after being transferred to a highly violent U.S. penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia. Despite being wheelchair-bound \u2064and 89 \u2062years old, Bulger was placed in the\u2062 general population instead of protective \u2063custody. It \u200bis \u2062alleged that\u200d inmates Fotios \u201cFreddy\u201d Geas and Paul DeCologero \u200bused a\u200d padlock in a sock to beat him to death in\u2062 his cell, aiming to \u200bmutilate him \u200dfurther \u2064post-mortem. The crime, \u200cthough not captured on video, was followed by the suspects \u2063cleaning up \u200cin blood-stained\u2064 clothes, which were caught on surveillance.<\/p>\n<p>Bulger&#8217;s\u200c death has led to accusations against the government for failing to protect him, given his high\u200b profile. Bulger, \u200dwho led the Winter Hill Gang,\u200c was known for his organized crime\u200b activities in Boston, including extortion and racketeering, maintaining a strategic alliance with the FBI that \u200bkept \u2064rival gangs \u200bin\u2063 check while avoiding convictions for his own \u2063actions. His\u2062 relationship with the FBI, particularly with agent John \u200dConnolly\u2014who warned Bulger of an \u2064impending indictment leading \u2063to his\u2064 16-year flight\u2014highlighted \u2064significant corruption within the organization. Bulger was finally captured \u200bin Santa \u200bMonica, California in\u200b 2011 and was serving a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/murdaugh-trial-juror-says-clerk-of-court-influenced-her-verdict\/\" title=\"Juror claims court clerk influenced her verdict in Murdaugh trial\">double life\u200d sentence<\/a> at the time \u200dof his \u200bmurder.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Sean McKinnon, the accused co-conspirator in the bludgeoning death of Boston gangster <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1778503\/whitey-bulger-found-dead-in-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>James \u201cWhitey\u201d Bulger<\/a>, was sentenced to time served on Monday, avoiding any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-ag-keith-ellison-seeks-harsher-sentence-for-chauvin-particular-cruelty\/\" title=\"Democrat AG Keith Ellison Seeks Harsher Sentence For Chauvin: \u2018Particular Cruelty\u2019\">additional prison time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>McKinnon, 38, pled guilty to the lesser charge of lying to a federal officer, with prosecutors dropping the most serious charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, McKinnon, along with convicted mob enforcers Fotios \u201cFreddy\u201d Geas and Paul DeCologero, agreed to plea deals with the federal government. McKinnon remains the first of these three to appear before the U.S. district court in Clarksburg, West Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>Originally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1584027\/three-men-charged-in-2018-killing-of-gangster-james-whitey-bulger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>accused<\/a> of being a \u201clookout\u201d for Geas and DeCologero as they entered Bulger\u2019s cell, McKinnon has insisted he had nothing to do with the murder. In interviews with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/prisoner-solitary-whitey-bulger-s-murder-speaks-out-i-m-n1260989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>NBC<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2022\/09\/16\/metro\/inmate-charged-with-plotting-kill-whitey-bulger-says-he-saw-an-old-guy-wheelchair-thought-wow-thats-him\/?p1=Article_Inline_Text_Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Boston Globe<\/em><\/a>, he vehemently denied the charge. Rather than keeping watch for guards, McKinnon claims he had only been watching the morning news on the chow hall television.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m an innocent man,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>McKinnon also claims he had been best friends with Geas and DeCologero at the time of the killing, reassuring that they, too, are \u201cinnocent men.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The murder of James \u201cWhitey\u201d Bulger <\/h2>\n<p>On Oct. 29, 2018, Bulger was transferred from a prison in Sumterville, Florida, to the U.S. penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia, one of America\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/445506\/misery-mountain-the-jail-where-whitey-bulger-was-slain-has-history-of-murder-and-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>most violent<\/a> correctional facilities. Wheelchair-bound, the 89-year-old had served eight years of his double life sentence for crimes ranging from extortion and racketeering to multiple homicides. Bulger\u2019s impending arrival was well known in Hazelton, with jailwide chants of \u201crat\u201d echoing in the hours before his arrival.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FILE \u2013 This June 23, 2011, file booking photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows James \u201cWhitey\u201d Bulger. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rather than protective custody, Bulger was assigned to the general population, where, according to prosecutors, DeCologero told a witness that he would kill the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/super-bowl-lv-all-the-best-commercials\/\" title=\"Super Bowl LV: All The Best Commercials\">mob boss<\/a> as soon as he arrived. Inmates placed bets on how long Bulger would survive.<\/p>\n<p>Around 6 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 30, Gaes and DeCologero entered Bulger\u2019s cell when the rest of the unit had been released for breakfast. As McKinnon sat at a table outside, Geas and DeCologero allegedly used a padlock stuffed into a sock to beat Bulger to death while in his wheelchair. They also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1991377\/whitey-bulgers-suspected-killers-tried-to-gouge-his-eyes-out-cut-his-tongue-off-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reportedly<\/a> tried to gouge his eyes out with a shiv and attempted to cut off his tongue.<\/p>\n<p>Surveillance footage reportedly did not capture the crime but filmed the two entering his cell and leaving in blood-splattered clothes, only to return with a mop and bucket for cleanup.<\/p>\n<p>Bulger\u2019s family and attorney claim the \u201cgovernment\u201d remains the true culprit behind his death. <\/p>\n<h2>Leader of the Winter Hill Gang<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Bulger ran the crime syndicate out of Somerville, Massachusetts, known as the Winter Hill Gang. Known for his ruthlessness, Bulger monopolized the illegal gambling, drug, and firearm markets in South Boston, often extorting local dealers by allowing them to sell in his territory in exchange for a share of the profit.<\/p>\n<p>In 1971, Bulger was approached by John Connolly, an FBI agent who had grown up just a few doors down from Bulger in Boston\u2019s Old Harbor Housing Project. For years, Bulger partnered with the bureau, providing information on the rival Patriarca Crime Family out of Providence. In exchange, the FBI ignored the criminal activities of the Winter Hill Gang.<\/p>\n<p>In the late \u201990s, Connolly tipped off Bulger about impending Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictments, leading the boss to flee Boston. For 16 years, law enforcement officials searched worldwide for Bulger. In 1999, he claimed a spot on the FBI\u2019s most wanted list, second only to Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FBI special agent Richard Deslauriers speaks during a news conference next to a poster featuring fugitive James \u201cWhitey\u201d Bulger at the FBI field office in Boston, Monday, June 20, 2011. (AP Photo\/Michael Dwyer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Eventually capturing him and his girlfriend in front of their apartment in Santa Monica, California, Bulger was sent back to Boston for trial in 2011. With the help of Winter Hill Lt.-turned-informant Kevin Weeks, Bulger was charged with various counts of racketeering, extortion, and the distribution of narcotics, as well as his involvement in 19 murders.<\/p>\n<p>Due to rumors and a report from the <em>Boston Globe\u2019s<\/em> \u201cSpotlight Team\u201d in 1988, Bulger was known on the street as a \u201csnitch.\u201d In 1997, Paul Coffey at the Department of Justice confirmed these claims, leading to an investigation into the relationship between Bulger and Connolly. Despite this, Bulger denied any accusation that he was an informant, even up to the time of his death.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s next for Bulger\u2019s accused killers<\/h2>\n<p>Originally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-vt\/pr\/sean-mckinnon-sentenced-96-months-theft-twelve-handguns-rl-archery-barre\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>charged<\/a> in Vermont with the robbery of a dozen handguns back in 2016, McKinnon finished his sentence in 2022. After Bulger\u2019s murder, McKinnon was held in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/prisoner-solitary-whitey-bulger-s-murder-speaks-out-i-m-n1260989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>solitary confinement<\/a> for nearly 2 1\/2 years, a fact referenced by the defense in pursuit of McKinnon receiving time served. He had no known ties to organized crime.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Geas and DeCologero, on the other hand, were two known Boston mob enforcers. Geas is serving time at a Colorado supermax prison, in part for the 2003 murder of Springfield boss Adolfo \u201cBig Al\u201d Bruno. DeCologero, a mobster from the North Shore of Massachusetts, is serving time for the murder of a teenage girl he worried might give up his crew.<\/p>\n<p>Both have made plea deals and are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The dates for sentencing and plea hearings are Aug. 1 for DeCologero and Sept. 6 for Geas.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sean McKinnon, 38, implicated in the murder of gangster James &#8220;Whitey&#8221; Bulger, was sentenced to time served, avoiding further prison. He pleaded guilty to lying to a federal officer, while the major charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder was dropped<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3195,"featured_media":2270108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP22230787108738.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2270107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP22230787108738.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2270107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2270107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2270108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2270107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2270107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2270107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}