Notorious Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger reportedly died a violent death in prison as fellow inmates beat the wheelchair-bound mobster. He was 89 and had just been transferred to a penitentiary in West Virginia when he was killed.
The Boston Globe reports that a fellow inmate at the prison with ties to the Mafia was being investigated for a role in Bulger’s death. Additional reports indicate there were multiple assailants.
Bulger had a violent criminal history and reportedly fled Boston in 1994 as he was about to be indicted, placing him on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” criminals list until his eventual arrest in 2011. He was convicted of numerous counts, including 11 murder charges, and was sentenced to life in prison in 2013.
Whitey Bulger was serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 of a litany of crimes, including participating in 11 murders. He was one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives for 16 years until his 2011 arrest in Santa Monica, California pic.twitter.com/0MTjieyhMQ
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 30, 2018
TMZ reports that three inmates may have been involved in the Tuesday morning killing, and that they allegedly wheeled Bulger to an area away from surveillance cameras in the prison. Reportedly using a weapon concealed in a sock, the assailants allegedly beat the elderly gangster until he lost consciousness, leaving dents in his head. The suspects also reportedly tried to gouge his eyes out, but may have been unsuccessful.
Emergency responders reportedly attempted to revive Bulger but he was later pronounced dead.
Authorities are reportedly treating the death as a homicide. The identities of the suspects have not yet been released.
[Feature image: U.S. Marshals Service via AP, File]
