James ‘Whitey’ Bulger linked to 11 murders

Story highlights

The jury found that Bulger was involved in 11 murders

Those killings occurred during the 1970s and 1980s

The trial included testimony about the killings from former gangsters

CNN  — 

In finding mobster James “Whitey” Bulger guilty on racketeering charges Monday, a federal jury linked him to 11 murders.

He had been accused of involvement in 19 murders, with those killings taking place from 1973 through 1985.

The jury found that the government failed to prove Bulger was involved in seven of the murders, and jurors had “no finding” in one murder.

Here are profiles of the victims, listed in the order that the deaths occurred.

Bulger was found to be involved in the deaths of:

Paul McGonagle (1974): McGonagle was a leader of a rival gang in Boston. Jurors were shown several photos of remains recovered in 2000, including parts of a pelvic bone, a fractured skull with decomposed brain matter and a ring with part of a decomposed finger bone. The remains were recovered from a shallow grave near a river, and a witness testified that whenever Bulger drove past the grave area, he would say, “Drink up, Paulie.”

Edward Connors (1975): Connors was gunned down in a phone booth in 1975 after, according to witnesses, he had bragged about his involvement in another killing. Connors’ daughter, Karen Smith, testified in the trial about how her father always came home for dinner and put her and her sister to bed. Smith sobbed as the courtroom listened to Bulger talk about the Connors killing in a recorded phone call.

Thomas King (1975): King was involved in Bulger’s criminal activities, according to testimony, and Bulger was convinced King was going to do something reckless. Former hitman John Martorano, who served 12 years in prison but was released in 2007 in exchange for testifying against Bulger, testified that he shot King in the back of the head, on orders from Bulger. Martorano said King was told to come along on a “hit” on another target, and while Bulger drove and King sat in the front seat, Martorano shot him.

Richard Castucci (1976): Castucci, a night club owner and a bookie, had learned too much about members of Bulger’s gang who were hiding from authorities, witnesses said. Martorano, the former hitman, testified that that he shot Castucci while he, Martorano and Bulger were in an apartment counting money. “Richie was sitting at the kitchen table counting the money with Whitey at the table,” Martorano tesitified. “I walked to the side of Castucci and shot him in the temple.”

Roger Wheeler (1981): Wheeler, a wealthy Oklahoma businessman, refused to sell a portion of his business to John Callahan, who was fronting the deal on behalf of Bulger and his gang, according to testimony. When Wheeler wouldn’t sell, Bulger and his partner Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi sent weapons in a “tool kit” on a bus to Oklahoma for Martorano to pick up. Martorano testified he shot Wheeler in the eye at a Tulsa country club.

Brian Halloran (1982): Halloran was gunned down in 1982. According to testimony, Halloran had become an FBI informant and had agreed to wear a “wire” to get John Callahan, the man who had tried to buy a business from victim Roger Wheeler to admit gang participation in Wheeler’s murder. Bulger learned from his crooked FBI handler that Halloran was cooperating with authorities against Bulger.

Michael Donahue (1982): Donahue was gunned down while driving home a man Bulger and his crime associates were targeting. John Morris, a corrupt FBI supervisor who was on the Bulger payroll at the time of Donahue’s death, made a public apology to the Donahue family in court during Bulger’s trial. “I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but I do want to express my sincere apology for things I may have done and things I didn’t do,” Morris said to the Donahue family. Michael Donahue’s three sons and widow, Patricia, sat front row in the reserved section in the Boston courtroom.

John Callahan (1982): He was the “front man” who had tried to buy a business from victim Roger Wheeler. Callahan’s body was discovered in the trunk of a car in a Miami airport parking lot. According to testimony, Bulger got word Callahan was being called for questioning in Wheeler’s death. Callahan was called down to Florida to talk to hit man Martorano. When he got there, Martorano shot him in the head, according to testimony.

Arthur “Bucky” Barrett (1983): Barrett went missing after a dispute with Bulger over money from the burglary of a financial institution, according to testimony. Barrett’s remains were exhumed from a shallow, makeshift grave in Boston in 2000. A former drug dealer for Bulger testified that Bulger threatened him once by saying, “You remember what happened to Bucky Barrett.”

John McIntyre (1984): According to testimony, McIntyre had begun cooperating with the government on the shipment of weapons to the Irish Republican Army and the shipment of 36 tons of marijuana imported into Boston Harbor. Bulger partner Flemmi said he was holding McIntyre’s body while Bulger was trying to strangle him with a rope, but the rope was too thick. After that didn’t work, McIntyre practically begged for a bullet after Bulger asked him if he would “like one in the head,” according to Flemmi.

Deborah Hussey (1985): Hussey was the common-law stepdaughter of Bulger partner Flemmi. Flemmi testified that Bulger strangled the 26-year-old woman, and another witness testified that he saw Bulger strangling her as her eyes rolled back into her head. Bulger’s defense countered that Flemmi had molested Hussey when she was 17 (at act that Flemmi maintained happened twice and was consensual), and that Flemmi was responsible for Hussey’s death. “You murdered your stepdaughter,” defense attorney Hank Brennan charged in his questioning of Flemmi. “In the eyes of the law, yes,” Flemmi responded, “but physically no.”

The seven deaths in which Bulger’s alleged involvement was not proved, according to the jury:

Michael Milano (1973): Milano was a member of a rival gang and, according to testimony, was killed when he was mistaken for the leader of that gang.

Al Plummer (1973): Plummer was a member of a rival gang. A man who was in the car with Plummer when he was shot to death testified “A firing squad hit us,” and that a hundred slugs plowed into the car, which “imploded.”

William O’Brien (1973): O’Brien was killed in a drive-by shooting that left another man, Ralph DeMasi, with eight bullet wounds. DeMasi testified fresh out of jail after serving 21 years for conspiracy to rob an armored car.

James O’Toole (1973): O’Toole had been a member of a rival gang. Former hitman Martorano testified that he, Bulger and their associates shot O’Toole because he was “mouthing off” at a local bar about seeking revenge on Bulger’s gang.

Al Notorangeli (1974): Notorangeli was the alleged leader of a rival gang. According to testimony, he was killed because his gang had been terrorizing bookies from other organized crime groups.

James Sousa (1974): He was killed because he had been involved in a botched gold exchange, and there was concern he would become a liability to the gang, according to testimony.

Francis “Buddy” Leonard (1975): Leonard’s body was found riddled with 13 bullets, including two to the head. He was killed to cover up the murder of another gangster with whom Leonard had been friends, according to testimony.

And there was “no finding” in the death of Debra Davis, who was the girlfriend of Bulger partner Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi. Flemmi had testified he lured Davis to a house where Bulger stranged her. The defense presented testimony from Martorano, who admitted he had “accidentally strangled” the 26-year-old woman.

CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.