Bulger Day 10: The Informant File Debate Continues

So Whitey Bulger’s on trial and you’re interested in hearing about it, but you’ve got this darn day job and you can’t manage to keep up with all the live tweets. We feel you. Here’s what you missed. (Past coverage here.)

The Witnesses: We heard from several relatives of alleged Bulger victims today. The most colorful testimony came from Margaret King of Southie, who says she confronted Bulger when her husband went missing. Prosecutors contend that Bulger killed her husband, his associate, Tommy King, by luring him into a car where John Martorano put a bullet in him. Bulger then blamed King for killing another alleged Bulger victim, Buddy Leonard.

But when Margaret King asked Bulger about her missing husband, she says he told her he “was probably in Canada robbing banks, that’s what he originally wanted to do,” adding that Bulger was likely “agitated I would even bother him. … I was quite upset.”

The DOJ’s Marra finished walking the prosecutors through Bulger’s FBI informant file before facing a cross examination from  defense lawyer Hank Brennan. Bulger’s team contends that corrupted FBI agent John Connolly fabricated much of the file and that Bulger wasn’t actually an informant. Marra gave prosecutors the impression that Bulger talked with multiple FBI agents and gave up info on pretty much everyone, including his own Winter Hill associates. Brennan poked holes by, for instance, getting Marra to admit that Connolly fabricated some of the material where it concerned information that Connolly was giving Bulger, resulting in people’s deaths. And that Marra couldn’t directly verify much of what he told prosecutors

Court reporters noted that Bulger seemed particularly interested in the cross, watching the wintess answer questions more intently than he usually does (which is to say, not at all.)

The Fashion:

#Whitey #Bulger is in court this morning with his hunter green long-sleeved t-shirt & jeans on. Back on the stand will be Agent Marra @NECN

— Alysha Palumbo (@AlyshaNECN) June 25, 2013

We’re still looking forward to testimony from John Morris, Connolly’s former FBI supervisor, who has admitted to taking bribes from Bulger and leaking information to them.