Three men charged in the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger have reached plea deals with prosecutors, as revealed in court documents filed on Monday. This development comes nearly six years after the 89-year-old gangster was beaten to death in his cell at a troubled West Virginia prison.
Fotios “Freddy” Geas and Paul J. DeCologero were accused of repeatedly striking Bulger in the head, while Sean McKinnon served as a lookout during the fatal incident. An inmate witness disclosed that DeCologero mentioned using a belt with a lock attached to it to carry out the fatal beating.
Prosecutors have requested the court to schedule hearings for the men to change their not-guilty pleas and proceed with sentencing. However, specific details regarding the plea agreements have not been made public as they have not been filed in court.
Last year, prosecutors announced that they would not pursue the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero, who faced murder charges. The trio was collectively charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a potential life sentence. McKinnon also faced an additional charge of making false statements to a federal agent.
Whitey Bulger, known for leading the Irish mob in Boston during the 1970s and ’80s, was a former FBI informant who provided information on his gang's main rival. After fleeing Boston in 1994 following a tip-off from his FBI handler, Bulger spent over 16 years as a fugitive before being apprehended at the age of 81.
In 2013, Bulger was convicted of 11 killings and numerous other criminal activities, many of which were committed while he was reportedly cooperating with the FBI. His violent death occurred shortly after being transferred to USP Hazelton in West Virginia, where he was placed in the general prison population.
An investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general attributed Bulger's killing to a series of management failures, incompetence, and flawed policies within the Bureau of Prisons. While no evidence of malicious intent was found among bureau employees, the report highlighted a chain of errors that left Bulger vulnerable to rival gang members behind bars.
Despite his criminal history, Bulger never admitted to his FBI collaboration. Court documents from a lawsuit filed by his family revealed that he denied assisting law enforcement agents during an intake screening at Hazelton.
