New Details Emerge in Murder of Whitey Bulger

The mob boss is reported to have met his demise at the hands of merciless individuals.

whitey bulger mugshot 2
Image via Getty
whitey bulger mugshot 2

Wednesday it was reported that James "Whitey" Bulger had been murdered upon arriving at a West Virginia penitentiary. As the story was reported, there were limited and hazy details surrounding the incident.

New information about the prison homicide has surfaced, indicating the motive behind the killing may have been mafia-related. While it was first reported that the incident transpired in a common area, sources told TMZ that Bulger, who was wheelchair-bound, was in his USP Hazelton cell at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday when four fellow inmates entered. Security cameras captured the individuals entering the 89 year-old's cell, but did not capture the murder itself. Prison officials believe the men proceeded to viciously pounce on Bulger, initially beating him unconscious with a lock in a sock, followed by an attempt to gouge his eyes out with a sharp razor.

When Bulger was found by prison officials, it was also noted that there was a tremendous amount of blood in his mouth, which indicated the attackers may have attempted to remove his tongue (though it is unclear whether or not they were successful). Afterwards, the four men reportedly left, changed out of their soiled clothes, and returned to mop up the mess.

At around 8:20 a.m., Bulger was found by prison staff. Emergency dispatchers were contacted and CPR was performed, but Bulger was ultimately declared dead.

The method employed in carrying out the hit would further corroborate the notion that the incident was mob retaliation, as the mafia is known to have removed the eyes and tongues of informants. Bulger is notorious for not only his role as a ruthless gangster, but as an FBI informant. His ability to corrupt FBI officials would allow him a 30+ year tenure as a cutthroat mafia boss who was able to commit heinous acts without fearing any repercussion from law enforcement.

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