Notorious gangster Whitey Bulger was murdered just seven minutes after going to prison
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Donaldson Collection / Contributor
A notorious gangster was preyed upon and killed only minutes after the doors to his cell were unlocked on his first day in prison.
In 2022, a trio of prisoners were charged with the murder of James Whitey Bulger at Hazelton Prison in West Virginia, US.
Bulger, a Boston gangster and crime boss, ended up being murdered less than 12 hours after being transferred to the prison on 29 October, 2018.
The morning after Bulger arrived at the prison, surveillance footage showed fellow inmates Fotios 'Freddy' Geas, 55, and Sean McKinnon, 36 meeting with Paul J. 'Pauly' DeCologero, 48 in their cell at 5am - an hour before the brutal murder took place.
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Cell doors were opened at 6am for prisoners to leave for breakfast, which is when Geas and DeCologero entered Bulger's cell at 6:06am, before leaving at 6:13am.
McKinnon did not enter but was instead sat at a nearby table in view of the offences station and Bulger's cell.
A recorded phone call revealed that McKinnon had reportedly discussed Bulger's arrival with his mother, who had urged him not to get involved.
During the call, McKinnon told his mother that inmates were 'getting ready to get another higher profile person here tonight'.
When told to stay away from Bulger, he responded: "Ah, I can't."
Assistant US Attorney Hannah Nowalk described the call as evidence that the trio had been planning the murder prior to Bulger's arrival.
DeCologero and Geas were both charged with aiding and abetting first degree murder, while McKinnon was charged with lying to the FBI.
Bulger's attorney, Hank Brennan, called the charges against the three men 'inconsequential', as he explained that the Bulger family hold the Bureau of Prisons responsible for his death after they made the decision to move Bulger from a secure unit.
Bulger was serving a life sentence for 11 murders at a secure unit prison before being moved to the general population at Hazelton Prison.
The gangster had led the Winter Hill Gang in Somerville, Massachusetts. He went on the run in 1994 after he was accused of 19 murders and remained at large until 2011.
It wasn't until November 2013, that the wheelchair-bound criminal was handed two life sentences.
Geas was a known Mafia enforcer in Massachusetts. He was serving a life sentence for a pair of gang-related murders. DeCologero was a member of a Massachusetts gang who robbed rival gangs, while McKinnon was released from prison in 2022 after completing a sentence.
US attorneys have asked a Florida judge that McKinnon be detained until his trial.