Three men have reached plea deals with prosecutors in the 2018 prison killing of Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J. DeCologero, and Sean McKinnon were charged with the murder of Bulger, who was beaten to death in his cell at a West Virginia prison. Geas and DeCologero were accused of hitting Bulger in the head while McKinnon served as a lookout. DeCologero revealed plans to kill Bulger as soon as he entered their unit, and they used a belt with a lock attached to it to bludgeon him to death.
The Justice Department has stated that they will not seek the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero. All three men were initially charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a potential life sentence. McKinnon also faces charges of making false statements to a federal agent. Bulger, a notorious gangster who had been an FBI informant, was captured in 2013 after more than 16 years on the run. His killing in prison was attributed to multiple management failures and flawed policies within the Bureau of Prisons.
DeCologero, a member of an organized crime gang in Massachusetts, was convicted for his involvement in a plot to kill a teenage girl who was considered a threat to the group. Despite the heroin used in the attempt failing to kill her, she was later murdered by another individual. Geas, closely associated with the Mafia, was involved in violent crimes and sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for his role in the killing of a crime family boss. McKinnon, who was on federal supervised release for previous offenses, was arrested in connection with Bulger’s killing.
The killing of Bulger shortly after his transfer to USP Hazelton raised concerns about the handling of high-profile inmates within the prison system. An inspector general’s investigation found that his death was a result of managerial failures and flawed policies, rather than malicious intent by Bureau of Prisons employees. The transfer of Bulger to a facility with known issues of violence and understaffing, and his placement in the general population, was criticized by experts. The men involved in his murder are now set to change their pleas and be sentenced under the terms of their plea agreements.
The plea deals for Geas, DeCologero, and McKinnon come nearly six years after Bulger’s death, bringing some closure to the high-profile case. While details of the plea agreements have not been made public, the fact that prosecutors are scheduled hearings for the men indicates progress in the case. The killing of Bulger, a former mob boss turned FBI informant, marked a tragic end to a notorious criminal career that spanned decades. The resolution of the case sheds light on the complexities and challenges of managing high-profile inmates within the federal prison system.
