Bulger Day 33: Whitey Love Animals

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.)

Perhaps someday, long into the future, our children will return from school, lay their backpacks down, and ask, “Daddy, where were you when Whitey Bulger’s lawyers released a Buzzfeed-ready collection of photos with him cuddling animals?” Probably this will happen. For indeed, late last night, the defense submitted into evidence a collection of photos of Bulger, chronicling his life, and apparent love for cuddly critters. (It’s super unclear to us how this one redeems his reputation at all, but whatever.) The prosecution complained in court this afternoon that the defense submitted the photos merely so they’d be leaked to the press to counter his negative publicity, but the defense argued they could accompany Bulger’s testimony, if indeed he does take the stand. The judge told Bulger’s lawyer to come to court tomorrow prepared to answer once and for all that tantalizing question, so look forward to that.

Today’s defense list resembled yesterday’s in many ways. We heard from former FBI agent Matthew Cronin, who offered much of the same stuff his partner offered from the stand Wednesday: The FBI office was worried about leaks from other agents, and he once investigated the allegation of Debra Davis’s mother that Stephen Flemmi (not Bulger) had killed her daughter.

We also heard from Massachusetts State Police Lt. Steve Johnson, who the defense used to poke holes in the credibility of Bulger’s former associates by contrasting their testimony with statements they’d given Johnson throughout the investigation. Of course, on cross-examination, the Assistant U.S. Attorney asked, “who shot Bucky Barrett in the back of the head with a Mac 10?” and Johnson replied “Mr. Bulger,” and doesn’t that just cut right to the core of the oddities in this trial? It isn’t really about offering a comprehensive defense against Bulger’s 19 murder charges—just the few that he particularly contests.

Tomorrow, however, should bring some more intrigue as John Martorano retakes the stand and we hear previously delivered testimony from Marion Hussey, mother of the murdered Deborah Hussey. And of course, the final word on whether Whitey will testify…