Federal prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty for two individuals accused of the prison murder of infamous Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, as stated in court documents filed on Wednesday. BOSTON (AP) —
If Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a former Mafia assassin, and Paul J. DeCologero, a Massachusetts mobster, are found guilty of homicide in Bulger’s assassination, prosecutors have stated in a court document that they will not pursue a capital punishment sentence. Prosecutors have also indicated that they will not seek the death penalty if Geas is convicted of an extra murder charge as a federal inmate serving a life sentence. Nevertheless, they have clarified that they will not pursue it if he is ultimately convicted of that particular charge as well.
Bulger, who had been moved from a different prison in Florida, was placed in Hazelton at USP Hazelton in West Virginia within the general population. Tragically, he was murdered shortly after his transfer. Bulger had acted as an informant for the FBI, providing information on his gang’s primary adversary and leading the predominantly Irish mob in Boston during the 1970s and ’80s. Geas and DeCologero faced charges last August for the killing of 89-year-old Bulger in 2018.
Having spent over 16 years evading capture, the crime boss, who escaped from Boston in 1994 after receiving a warning from his FBI handler that he was about to be charged, was apprehended at the age of 81. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment for 11 counts of murder and various other offenses.
Geas and DeCologero stand accused of repeatedly hitting Bulger in the head, while a third individual, Sean McKinnon, served as a lookout. Prison officials informed a witness that DeCologero claimed he and Geas utilized a belt with a lock affixed to it to fatally assault Bulger.
McKinnon, who is accused individually of providing inaccurate information to a federal agent, did not encounter a potential capital punishment. Geas, DeCologero, and McKinnon are all accused of plotting to carry out a homicide, which has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The individuals are set to go on trial in December 2024 in a federal court located in West Virginia.
Patrick Nash, a lawyer for DeCologero, deemed it the “appropriate ruling by the Department of Justice.”
Nash said, “We are looking forward to the day in court where we will put the facts in front of the jury and trust the fairness of the system and the trust in the system.”
A spokesperson for Geas refused to give a statement. A lawyer who has supported Bulger’s family did not respond to an email.
The death of Bulger, which was discovered in December by the Department of Justice’s watchdog, was the result of multiple layers of flawed policies and widespread incompetence at the Bureau of Prisons.
The inspector general discovered that bureau officials made multiple attempts to lower Bulger’s medical classification so that he could be transferred to different prisons after he caused disruptions at the Florida facility. This was done even though Bulger relied on a wheelchair and had significant heart problems. The watchdog also uncovered that bureau officials either neglected to consider or were unaware of Bulger’s infamous reputation when making decisions about his transfer, despite his well-documented role as an FBI informant.
Federal prosecutors will continue to pursue cases that involve the death penalty, including Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber, in order to uphold previously issued death sentences. However, Attorney General Merrick Garland has paused executions to review procedures and policies. President Joe Biden stated during his 2020 campaign that he would work to end capital punishment at the federal level in the states.
Prosecutors are currently seeking the death penalty against Robert Bowers, who was convicted for the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. History, the killings of 11 worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
The statement from the Department of Justice in Bulger’s situation arrives shortly after the attack on another renowned inmate in a federal correctional facility.