Whitey Bulger Trial: Jury concludes third day of deliberations without reaching verdict
UPDATE: Whitey Bulger Found Guilty
(CBS) BOSTON - A jury in the case of reputed mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger has gone home for the day without reaching a verdict, WBZ Boston reports via Twitter.
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The alleged former leader of South Boston's notorious Winter Hill crime gang is charged in a broad 32-count indictment that accuses him of raking in millions from drug trafficking and extortion. One of the counts, a federal racketeering charge, covers 33 criminal acts including 19 murders, six extortions, and conspiracy to sell drugs, Boston.com reported.
The case was turned over to the jury shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday after more than seven weeks of testimony. Thursday marked their third day of deliberations.
The jury has asked several questions as they continue to weigh Bulger's fate, including whether they must be unanimous in deciding whether the government didn't prove its case against Bulger for any particular racketeering act.
A judge told them Wednesday that they must be unanimous in any decision they make, but to leave the racketeering count blank if they couldn't decide. The judge Thursday clarified her answer to that question, granting a request from prosecutors, Boston.com reported - telling the jury, "You have a duty to attempt to reach agreement on each of the racketeering acts, if you can do so conscientiously."
Also on Thursday, the jury asked to see a submachine gun with an obliterated serial number that was introduced into evidence.
Bulger is charged with orchestrating or committing the killings during the 1970s and '80s while he allegedly led the notorious Winter Hill Gang, a crew of mostly Irish-American gangsters.
Bulger was one of the nation's most wanted fugitives after he fled Boston in 1994 ahead of an indictment. During his 16 years on the run, his secret relationship with the FBI as an informant was revealed, embarrassing the FBI and exposing corruption within the bureau.
Bulger, now 83, was finally captured in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011, where he had been living in a rent-controlled apartment near the beach with his longtime girlfriend.
In the racketeering indictment, Bulger is accused of being a hands-on boss who killed anyone he saw as a potential rival or danger to the gang. He is accused of shooting or strangling some of the victims himself. In other cases, he allegedly ordered the slayings, or participated in some other way.
He is also accused of making millions by extorting drug dealers, bookmakers and legitimate businessmen by threatening to hurt or kill them or their families.
Bulger's lawyers strongly denied that Bulger was ever an informant and told jurors the government's three main witnesses - all once-loyal Bulger cohorts - were pathological liars who blamed Bulger for crimes they committed so they could get reduced sentences.
Complete coverage of the Whitey Bulger case on Crimesider
