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Whitey Bulger Could Get Life Sentence Next Week

Whitey Bulger, who was convicted in August of 32 charges of murder, money laundering, and racketeering, could face life in prison after his sentencing next week. Bulger did not take the stand at all d...
Whitey Bulger Could Get Life Sentence Next Week
Written by Amanda Crum
  • Whitey Bulger, who was convicted in August of 32 charges of murder, money laundering, and racketeering, could face life in prison after his sentencing next week.

    Bulger did not take the stand at all during his trial over the summer, but he’ll be given a chance to speak before his sentence is handed down. Federal prosecutors said on Thursday that the 84-year old deserves life in prison for the crimes he’s accused of, which include at least eleven murders as well as drug trafficking. They asked the judge for two consecutive life sentences plus five years.

    “There are no mitigating factors, and defendant Bulger has no redeeming qualities, which would justify any sentence below the one called for by the US Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable case law and statutes,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Bulger’s horrific crimes and sadistic behavior demonstrate that he deserves no mercy at the time of sentencing.”

    Bulger was indicted in 1994 for racketeering, which he managed with the help of some friends in the Bureau. For decades, he ran a large underground world of crime in the Boston area and had several law enforcement officials in his pocket. One of them, John Connolly, tipped Bulger off about his impending arrest in the ’90s and allowed him to run free. He eventually fled with longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig and ended up in San Francisco, where a curious neighbor started the chain of events that led to his capture in 2011. Part of his story inspired the film “The Departed”.

    US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper will hear from families of the victims, prosecutors, and defense attorneys on November 13 before making a decision about sentencing.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

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