Three inmates accused of killing notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger in prison in 2018 are scheduled to appear in federal court in northern West Virginia for a plea hearing and sentencing on Monday. The defendants, Fotios 'Freddy' Geas, Paul J. DeCologero, and Sean McKinnon, reached plea deals last month in relation to the murder of Bulger.
Whitey Bulger, aged 89, was brutally beaten to death in his cell shortly after being transferred to a troubled West Virginia prison six years ago. Geas and DeCologero allegedly struck Bulger multiple times in the head, with McKinnon acting as a lookout during the fatal assault.
DeCologero reportedly referred to Bulger as a 'snitch' and disclosed plans to kill him upon his arrival in their unit. According to an inmate witness, DeCologero and Geas used a belt with a lock attached to it as a weapon in the fatal attack on Bulger.
Geas and DeCologero were charged with murder, while all three defendants faced charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a potential life sentence. McKinnon also faced an additional charge of making false statements to a federal agent.
Last year, the Justice Department announced that it would not pursue the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero. Whitey Bulger, a prominent figure who led the Irish mob in Boston during the 1970s and 1980s, evaded authorities for years after fleeing the city in 1994. He was eventually apprehended at the age of 81 following over 16 years on the run and was later convicted in 2013 for 11 murders and numerous other criminal activities.
