Led by a marked Massachusetts State Police cruiser with its siren blaring and lights flashing, a small caravan brought James “Whitey’’ Bulger to the federal courthouse in South Boston where his long-awaited trial on murder and racketeering charges will begin in earnest today.
A jury of eight men and four women, chosen Tuesday along with six alternates, are due at US District Court for the trial that is expected to last through September, with gangsters, extortion victims, and relatives of the dead expected to testify about a bygone era when the 83-year-old Bulger’s name evoked power and fear.
On Tuesday, US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper cleared the way for opening statements when she rejected a request by Bulger’s lawyer, J.W. Carney Jr., to delay the start until Monday. He wanted time to conduct his own investigation of State Police handling of John Martorano, a hitman-turned-government witness who is poised to testify against Bulger. Casper found that the State Police had conducted an extensive investigation and found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Bulger’s lead defense attorney, J.W. Carney, Jr., told reporters before he entered the courthouse that has mapped out what he will say during his opening statement.
“I think I’m going to be able to present a very good road map to the jury of where this case is going to go,’’ he said.
Carney always calls his client, James, and refuses to answers questions when someone uses Bulger’s nickname of “Whitey.’’
“I hope to give people a perspective of what Boston was like in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and how it was that James was able to operate with complete impunity, and also what happened when witnesses were taken into the government kitchen, prepared like you prepare a meal and I’ll explain what I mean by that during my opening,’’ he said. “I don’t think people appreciate the lengths to which federal prosecutors and the FBI will go to obtain a conviction.â€
Bulger, who was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., two years ago after more than 16 years on the run, has called the trial “The Big Show†in letters to a friend from jail. Courthouse personnel are bracing for possible record crowds.
The 70 seats in the courtroom are reserved for Bulger’s family; relatives of his alleged victims; investigators; a small group of news media representatives, including two sketch artists; and members of the public, allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis. There are two overflow courtrooms, one for reporters and the other for the public, where the proceedings will be streamed live on television monitors.
Some members of the public in the courthouse today said they outside the building, waiting to get one of the seats in the courtroom, by dawn.
Bulger is charged in a 32-count racketeering indictment that alleges that while running a criminal enterprise from 1972 to 2000, he participated in 19 murders; extorted bookmakers, drug dealers, and businessmen; laundered his criminal profits through real estate transactions; and stockpiled an arsenal of weapons.
This morning, Patricia Donahue and her son, Tommy, walked into the court.
“I’m sick to my stomach now,’’ Tommy Donahue.
Patricia Donahue is the widow of Michael Donahue, a 32-year-old truck driver who Bulger allegedly killed on the South Boston waterfront on May 11, 1982. Donahue had agreed to drive Edward “Brian’’ Halloran, Bulger’s alleged target, from a waterfront bar to Dorchester. Both men were fatally shot as they exited the bar.
John “Jackie†Bulger, Whitey’s youngest brother is his only relative in court, sitting alone in front row reserved for gangster’s family that also includes their brother William, the president of both the state Senate and the University of Massachusetts system.
Bulger’s relationship with the FBI will be a major issue in the trial. The indictment alleges that Bulger developed corrupt relationships with FBI agents, who protected him from prosecution and leaked information to him that led to the slayings of three FBI informants and a potential witness.
The Globe reported in 1988 that Bulger was an FBI informant, then nine years later the FBI acknowledged that fact when ordered by the court to disclose it. But Bulger denies he was ever an informant and insists his voluminous informant file was concocted by his handler.
Shelley Murphy can be reached at shmurphy@globe.com. Milton J. Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @miltonvalencia. Brian Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globeballou.
