Gangster ‘Whitey’ Bulger dead in prison
Notorious Boston crime figure’s death being investigated as a homicide
James “Whitey’’ Bulger, the Boston gangster who eluded authorities for 16 years before being captured and then convicted in 2013 of participating in 11 murders, has died at a prison in West Virginia.
Bulger, 89, was found dead Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed, saying Bulger had arrived at the Hazelton Penitentiary in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, on Monday.
Authorities did not release a cause of death, but Justin Tarovisky, a prison union official, told The Associated Press the death was being investigated as a homicide.
He had been found unresponsive Tuesday morning, according to the bureau. The FBI is investigating.
Known as one of the nation’s most notorious criminals and fugitives, Bulger – nicknamed “Whitey” for his bright platinum hair – was the head of a violent South Boston crime ring known as the Winter Hill Gang from the 1970s into the 1990s.
In December 1994, Bulger was tipped off about his imminent indictment by an FBI agent and escaped, remaining on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list until being apprehended in 2011 in Santa Monica, California.
His life of crime inspired several movies, including “Black Mass” and “The Departed,’’ which won an Oscar for the Best Picture of 2006.
Adding intrigue to his story was the FBI’s contention that Bulger was a longtime informant – which he denied – and the fact that his younger brother, William “Billy” Bulger, became one of Massachusetts’ most powerful politicians as the president of the state Senate for 18 years.
Bulger was seen as a Robin Hood by some: helping old ladies across the street and giving turkey dinners to neighbors at Thanksgiving. But authorities said he was diabolical and would kill anyone who would cross him.
Patricia Donahue’s husband, Michael, was killed in 1982 when he offered a ride home to a man allegedly targeted for death by Bulger because he was talking to the FBI. “I’d like to open up a champagne bottle and celebrate,” Donahue told WBZ-TV on Tuesday.