Three men who were charged in the 2018 prison murder of infamous Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger have reportedly reached plea agreements with prosecutors, as revealed in court documents filed on Monday.
Geas, a former Mafia hitman, and DeCologero, a Massachusetts gangster, allegedly struck Bulger repeatedly in the head, with McKinnon acting as a lookout.
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Geas and DeCologero had been identified as suspects shortly after Bulger’s death, but they had not been charged for years as the investigation continued.
Prosecutors in West Virginia federal court have requested the court to schedule hearings for the men to change their not-guilty pleas and proceed with sentencing. However, further details about the plea agreements have not been provided, as they have not yet been filed in court.
Belinda Haynie, the attorney representing Geas, chose not to provide a comment on Monday. The Associated Press reached out to the attorneys representing the other two defendants, but they have not yet responded with a comment.
The Justice Department made the decision last year not to pursue the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero, who were accused of murder. The charges against all three men included conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. McKinnon was additionally charged with providing false information to a federal agent.
Bulger, the leader of the predominantly Irish mob in Boston during the 1970s and ’80s, worked as an FBI informant and betrayed his gang’s main rival. In 1994, he escaped Boston with the help of a tip from his FBI handler, just before he was set to be indicted. After evading capture for over 16 years, he was finally apprehended at the age of 81.
He faced a conviction in 2013 for a series of 11 killings and numerous other gang-related offenses. These crimes were allegedly committed during his time as an FBI informant.
A 2022 investigation conducted by the Justice Department inspector general revealed that the killing of Bulger was the consequence of numerous failures in management, widespread incompetence, and flawed policies within the Bureau of Prisons. Although the inspector general did not find any evidence of intentional harm by bureau employees, it was determined that a sequence of bureaucratic mistakes ultimately left Bulger vulnerable to rival gangsters while in custody.
Geas had a close connection with the Mafia and served as an enforcer, despite not being recognized as an official “made” member due to his Greek heritage rather than Italian. In 2011, he and his brother were given life sentences for their involvement in a series of brutal crimes, including the murder of Adolfo “Big Al” Bruno, a respected boss from the Genovese crime family in Springfield, Massachusetts. Prosecutors revealed that another mobster had ordered Bruno’s assassination as he was angered by Bruno’s cooperation with the FBI.
After serving time in prison for stealing guns from a firearms dealer, McKinnon was placed on federal supervised release. However, he was arrested on charges related to Bulger’s killing.
