From the Archives: James 'Whitey' Bulger

The news hit around midnight: the search for Whitey Bulger is over. Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, were found in a small apartment in Santa Monica, Calif., where they had been quietly living their lives for some time. It is the end to a very long story.

For those coming to this page from outside Boston, Bulger led the notorious Winter Hill gang, which killed fellow gangsters and even civilians ruthlessly, and corrupted agents within the F.B.I., where Whitey served as an informant. The FBI has searched for Whitey for nearly two decades. His brother, William (“Billy”), lived on the other side of the law: a high-profile local politician who led what could be called the Beacon Hill gang, and who was nearly as polarizing. Many held Billy Bulger in high regard, but more than a few also held him in deep suspicion.

We’ve accumulated years of coverage on Whitey Bulger, Billy Bulger, and their associates:

Whitey Bulger Had a Hearing Today, by Paul Kix, June 28, 2011
The big news is that Whitey’s chosen his counsel: Max Stern and Howard Cooper, two well-respected lawyers.

What if Catherine Greig Turned in Whitey Bulger?, by Paul Kix, June 28, 2011
This is pure speculation, but in a narrative this strange, Greig as informant sounds as true as anything else.

Is Whitey Bulger Broke?, by Paul Kix, June 28, 2011
In this installment of What We Learned About Whitey Bulger Today: Whitey brags about returning to Boston while he was on the lam, and apparently, he doesn’t have any money left other than the $800K the feds confiscated from him in Santa Monica, Calif.

What We Learned from Whitey Bulger Today, by Paul Kix, June 27, 2011
Welcome to the initial installment of What We Learned About Whitey Bulger Today, in which we at Boston Daily round up all the details from disparate sources about Whitey Bulger’s arrest, his prosecution, and his new — and perhaps even his old — life.

Whitey Bulger Helps Out the New York Post, by Jason Schwartz, June 27, 2011
Aside from being a despicable murderous thug, Whitey Bulger seems like he was a pretty decent neighbor out in Santa Monica. He gave one woman a flashlight so she wouldn’t have to walk in the dark and helped another install locks on her windows (because you never know who might be living in your neighborhood, right?). Well, this weekend he did one more person a favor: Rupert Murdoch. Or the New York Post, anyway.

What Whitey Bulger Can Still Teach Us, by Paul Kix, June 23, 2011
For me, Whitey Bulger’s arrest is more than vindication for a Boston FBI office tainted by the stink of old corruption. Whitey’s capture brings to the forefront questions that have remained unanswered for decades.

Gods & Mobsters, by Beverly Ford, September 2010
Eight years ago, a former Whitey Bulger henchman joined a well-to-do Beacon Hill church, where he quickly ingratiated himself with a group of influential congregants. But as allegations about the ex-con piled up, some members began to wonder: Just how reformed was Eddie MacKenzie?

The Martyrdom of John Connolly, by David Boeri, September 2008
Corrupt FBI agent John Connolly earned infamy ? and a 10-year jail sentence ? for aiding über-gangster Whitey Bulger. But in his upcoming murder trial, the real bad guys will be the ones given sweetheart deals to present their shaky testimony against him. (The prosecutors are no angels, either.) The case against the case against a man the Justice Department seems set on punishing for others’ sins.

The Brother Bulger, by Joe Keohane, October 2007
Out of power and finally out of the spotlight, Billy Bulger finds himself confronting the question of how he’ll be remembered by the state he once dominated. But it’s a tricky thing, repairing a legacy when you’re not supposed to care what people think.

Bulger’s Last Stand, by Jon Keller, August 2003
How the smart and savvy one-time king of Massachusetts politics let his brother drag him down.

Breaking Legs for Whitey, by Edward J. MacKenzie Jr., May 2003
In an excerpt from his controversial book, due out this month, a South Boston drug dealer recalls the dirty work he says he did for the FBI’s second-most-wanted man.

Oh, Brothers, by Alan M. Dershowitz, July 2002
One critic says it’s time for an investigation of the other Bulger.

Federal Offense, by Sean Flynn, November 2000
The feds spout indignation over the alleged crimes of ex-FBI agent John Connolly. But weren’t they complicit?

Blood Brothers, by Alan M. Dershowitz, June 2000
With new information coming to light every day, it is clear now that Billy and Whitey Bulger both benefited from long-standing corruption in the Boston office of the FBI.