3 suspects in 2018 jail killing of Whitey Bulger have entered into plea deals

Three men accused of killing Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in prison in 2018 have made agreements with prosecutors, as stated in court documents filed on Monday.

The agreements for Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were made public almost six years after the 89-year-old gangster was killed in his cell at a problematic West Virginia prison.

Geas, a former Mafia hitman, and DeCologero, a gangster from Massachusetts, were accused of hitting Bulger in the head multiple times while McKinnon kept watch.

DeCologero told another prisoner that Bulger was a “snitch” and they were going to kill him as soon as he arrived in their unit. DeCologero told another prisoner that he and Geas used a belt with a lock on it to hit Bulger and kill him, according to prosecutors.

Geas and DeCologero were thought to have been involved in Bulger’s death, but they were not officially accused for many years while the investigation continued.

The lawyers in West Virginia asked the court to set up meetings for the men to admit they are guilty and to be punished. They didn’t give more information about the agreement, which has not been officially submitted to the court.

Belinda Haynie, a lawyer for Geas, said she wouldn’t talk on Monday. Lawyers for the other two people accused did not quickly reply to requests for their thoughts from The Associated Press.

Last year, the Justice Department said it would not try to have Geas and DeCologero put to death for the murder they were accused of. All three men were accused of planning to commit a serious crime and could be sentenced to life in prison. McKinnon was accused of lying to a government officer.

Bulger, led the Irish gang in Boston in the 1970s and 80s, and also worked with the FBI by giving them information about his gang’s main rival. After running away from Boston in 1994, he became one of the top criminals wanted in the country. This happened because someone from the FBI warned him that he was going to be charged with a crime. He was caught when he was 81 years old after trying to hide for more than 16 years.

In 2013, he was found guilty of 11 murders and many other crimes related to gangs. Some of these crimes were committed while he was working with the FBI.

Bulger was murdered a few hours after he was moved from a Florida prison to USP Hazelton in West Virginia and put with the other prisoners. Bulger was moved to Hazelton prison despite concerns about violence and not enough staff. He was put with other prisoners instead of being kept in a safer place. Experts strongly disagreed with this decision after he was killed.

A government investigation found that his death happened because the people in charge didn’t do their jobs well, and there were big problems with how the prisons are run. The inspector general didn’t find any proof that the bureau employees meant to harm anyone, but they made a lot of mistakes that put Bulger at risk from other gangsters in prison.

DeCologero was part of a gang run by his uncle in Massachusetts. He was found guilty of purchasing heroin to attempt to kill a teenage girl. His uncle wanted her dead because he was worried she would tell the police about the gang. According to court records, the woman was not killed by heroin. Another man broke her neck, cut her body into pieces, and buried her in the woods.

Geas was close to the Mafia and worked as a enforcer, but he wasn’t an official member because he’s Greek, not Italian. In 2011, he and his brother were given life in prison for being involved in violent crimes, which includes the 2003 murder of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, who was a mob boss in Springfield, Massachusetts. Another criminal boss told someone to kill Bruno because he was angry that Bruno had talked to the FBI, according to prosecutors.

McKinnon had finished his time in prison but was still being watched by the government. He had been in prison for stealing guns and was then arrested for being involved in Bulger’s murder.