Secret manuscripts penned by James “Whitey” Bulger have been made public by lawyers who argue that the infamous mobster’s writings could prove their client’s innocence and overturn a wrongful murder conviction.
Lawyers for former FBI agent John Connolly say that the crime boss’s handwritten statements show that he was framed, and claim that prosecutors have failed to disclose the evidence for years.
“The purpose of this book is first to expose these people who have lied about me to get a ‘get out of prison pass,’” Bulger, who ran Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, wrote in 2007.
“I never thought the day would come that I’d be writing a story about my criminal activity,” part of the memoir states, but adds that the mobster had “felt a volcanic rage building inside of me” after reading other books written about him by former criminal associates.
The purpose of his writing his own book was to “clear up the lies,” he said.
In a motion filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Monday, Connolly’s lawyers argued that Bulger said the former agent had not leaked information to him that resulted in the 1982 killing of businessman John Callahan in Miami.
Connolly, now 85, was convicted in Florida of second-degree murder and racketeering in 2008 over the killing.
Instead, Bulger identified Connolly’s supervisor at the FBI, John Morris, as his mole, and described Connolly as a “sacrificial lamb,” according to the filing.
Connolly was a special agent with the FBI in Boston in July 1982 when mob hitman John Martorano shot Callahan in the back of the head and left his body in the trunk of a car at Miami International Airport.
Connolly was indicted on a first-degree murder charge 21 years later. At the time, prosecutors claimed Bulger and fellow mobster Stephen Flemmi ordered Callahan’s killing after Connolly told them the FBI was investigating Callahan’s ties to Bulger and his gang in another murder in 1981.
“I am sure everyone close to me thought all the information I had came from [Connolly], Bulger wrote. “I didn’t discourage that thought — sadly for Connolly, he took the heat for warning me to take off and other things that had come from [Morris].”
He also accused Morris of becoming a “star witness” against Connolly to save himself from prosecution.
The new evidence emerged after a prosecutor involved in the Connolly case resigned from the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office following reports of misconduct.
Connolly’s lawyers received a letter from Miami-Dade Chief Assistant State Attorney in 2024 informing them that a sealed envelope labeled “confidential” contained the Bulger manuscript and his statements to the FBI.
In their filing, Connolly’s lawyers accuse prosecutors of a general pattern of misconduct, arguing that they withheld evidence favorable to the defense. The new material creates reasonable doubt about Connolly’s guilt, they claim.
Connolly, who had been serving a 40-year sentence, was granted compassionate release in 2021 after a judge cited his terminal illness and the risks of Covid-19.
Bulger was beaten to death in prison in 2018 after being convicted of 11 killings and other crimes. He had been serving a life sentence.
While leading his gang, Bulger also served as an FBI informant against the Mafia — a claim he denied – and inspired Jack Nicholson’s character in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie “The Departed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
