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On Thursday, three men were indicted for the 2018 murder of Whitey Bulger, a convicted criminal who was reportedly Boston's most notorious crime boss throughout the 80's and 90's.
CBS reported that on August 18, the Department of Justice announced the indictment of three suspects who allegedly murdered the 89-year-old gangster during his prison sentence at USP Hazelton in Preston County, West Virginia.
The suspects, believed to be organized crime associates, were identified as 36-year-old Sean McKinnon, 48-year-old Paul "Paul" J. DeCologero, and 55-year-old Fotios "Freddy" Geas. The men have been accused of murdering the aging, wheelchair-bound former crime boss due to reports that he had operated as an FBI informant.
The Murder of Whitey Bulger: What Led to the Killing?
Whitey Bulger had been serving 2 consecutive life terms at USP Hazelton for crimes such as racketeering, firearm possession, and 11 murders.
According to the Boston Globe, he became a target of other inmates after allegations surfaced that he used FBI connections to rise in the Boston underworld. As per prosecutors, Bulger had joined forces with corrupt FBI agents and exchanged information on his rivals for virtual immunity with regards to his own criminal operations.
The New York Post reported that Whitey Bulger was murdered at 8:20 pm on October 30, 2018. CBS reported that he was attacked by multiple inmates armed with bladed weapons and a padlock contained in a sock. In the course of the killing, his eyes and tongue were mutilated, which was seen by authorities as a potentially symbolic warning against all potential informants.
The alleged hitman behind the Bulger assassination
While 3 men have been indicted in connection to the murder, the Boston Herald reported that the most prominent of the alleged assassins was Fotios Geas, a reported mafia hitman who is said to have orchestrated the killing.
The Boston Globe reported that Geas was a Greek-American, Massachusetts associate of the infamous Genovese crime family, a powerful mafia organisation that originated in New York.
When Whitey Bulger was killed, Geas was already serving a life sentence, as he was in USP Hazelton after having been convicted of 2 other organized crime-related murders, both of which were carried out in 2003.
On August 18, in connection to the murder of Whitey Bulger, he was indicted on first-degree murder charges along with Paul DeLocogero and Sean McKinnon.
The Department of Justice stated that, in addition to this, Geas and DeCologero have been charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury. McKinnon, on the other hand, has been accused of making false statements to a federal agent.
