The brother of one of James “Whitey†Bulger’s alleged victims shouted out in rage this morning that Bulger’s partner, Stephen “The Rifleman†Flemmi, was lying about him on the witness stand. Flemmi apologized, saying he had mixed up Steve Davis with his brother, Mickey.
Prosecutors say the Davises’ sister, Debra, was killed by Bulger.
When Flemmi suggested on the witness stand that Steve Davis was a drug-addicted informant, Davis, who has long pushed for justice in his sister’s killing, stood up and shouted, “You’re a [expletive] liar!â€
Flemmi, looking somewhat shaken, said he was mistaken and meant Mickey Davis. “I apologize for that remark,†he said.
US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper told Davis he could remain in the courtroom if he kept quiet. Davis later left the courtroom briefly with his wife.
Bulger, 83, is charged in a sweeping federal racketeering indictment with participating in 19 murders, extortion, money laundering, and stockpiling guns in the 1970s and 1980s. Prosecutors say he got away with his crimes for so long because he was protected by corrupt FBI handlers. Bulger has said that the allegations he most wants to refute are that he was an informant and that he killed two women.
Federal prosecutors have been bringing a massive case against him. Flemmi, who began testifying Thursday, is considered a key witness because he was intimately familiar with Bulger’s activities.
Bulger’s case has inspired books, movies, and TV shows. The tale has fascinated people because of his 16-year run from a worldwide manhunt, the revelations of FBI corruption, and the parallel rise of his brother William to become one of the most powerful politicians in the state.
