Grisly end of ruthless mob boss
ANOTORIOUS gangster and secret FBI informant, James “Whitey” Bulger lived a life of crime that would make any Hollywood mafia film resemble a romcom. After showing academic promise as a child, Bulger didn’t follow in the footsteps of his brother – the much respected politician William Bulger – instead choosing to delve into Boston’s criminal underworld.
He went on to become one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted, with a $2million reward on his head.
Bulger’s first encounter with the criminal underworld came when he was recruited as an enforcer for the gang boss Donald Killeen. When a rival gang member was murdered, warfare ensued leading to a spate of killings in the Boston area.
The highly intelligent Bulger soon realised he was on the losing side and secretly approached the leader of the Winter Hill Gang boasting he could end the war by murdering Killeen. Before Bulger got the chance Killeen was shot dead. Fearing he was next, Bulger arranged to meet the Italian mobster Joseph Russo.
Sitting down to talk “business” at a nightclub, a six-hour meeting saw Bulger form an alliance with the leader of the Winter Hill Gang.
True to his word, Bulger helped topple the Killeens, leaving a vacuum in South Boston’s criminal underworld.
Over the years Bulger rose to be a ruthless gang kingpin, sanctioning the assassinations of those who “stepped out of line”.
Bulger was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the son of James, a union labourer and his wife Jane, an Irish immigrant. His father lost his arm in an industrial accident, making it difficult to find work, and Bulger grew up in poverty.
After moving into a housing project in South Boston, Bulger became involved in gangs. He was given the nickname “Whitey” by the local police for the colour of his white blond hair, which he hated.
In 1943 Bulger, 14, was arrested for assault and armed robbery and sent to a juvenile reformatory.
After release he did a stint in the US Air Force, but committed numerous assaults. However, he was never convicted and in 1952 was granted an honourable discharge, returning to Massachusetts.
In 1956 he was arrested again, this time for armed robbery and hijacking a truck, and sentenced to 25 years, spending time in prisons in Atlanta, Alcatraz and Leavenworth. During this period he joined the CIA’s MKUltra programme, which saw him given a reduced sentence in return for taking LSD and other mind-altering drugs in the name of research. By 1965 he had left prison and would not be arrested again for 46 years.
When he left the Killeen Gang, Bulger joined the Winter Hill Gang. During those years he rose through the ranks and by 1979 had become a feared gang boss. While at its helm Bulger would initiate gangland executions and was heavily involved in Boston’s drug deals, arms deals and illegal gambling.
He was also recruited as an FBI informant and played a pivotal role in taking down the Patriarcas, a rival crime family. But he was soon on the run from police and became one of the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted.
Evading justice for 16 years, he was eventually caught in California in 2011. Two years later he was convicted of participating in 11 murders and was the source of inspiration for many action thrillers, including Black Mass starring Johnny Depp.
While serving his sentence in a West Virginia prison Bulger was murdered in a savage attack by a Mafia-linked criminal.
James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Boston gangster BORN SEPTEMBER 3, 1929 - DIED OCTOBER 30, 2018 AGED 89