BECKHAM
19-06-2013, 11:14 AM
BOSTON — In Boston's close-knit gangster world of the 1970s, James "Whitey" Bulger would go to great lengths to protect himself and those close to him — even if it meant he needed to kill somebody, according to testimony at his racketeering trial Tuesday.
That image came through as confessed killer John Martorano, 72, implicated Bulger in a series of murders during his second day of testimony. Describing an ethic that enabled him to justify his own murdering of 20 people, Martorano shed light on a gangster culture and mind-set in which killing can be seen — at least sometimes — as an honorable act.
"It's helping a person who comes to you for help," Martorano said, explaining why in 1969 he killed Ronald Hicks, who seemed adamant that he would testify against friends of a friend.
Bulger, too, was willing to kill in order to help a friend, according to Martorano. When Bulger killed Brian Halloran in 1982, it was because Halloran had told the FBI about Martorano's gang-sanctioned murder of World Jai Alai owner Roger Wheeler in Oklahoma, Martorano said. Bulger's murder of Halloran "saved my life," Martorano said.
Bulger faces 32 counts, including participation in 19 murders, extortion, money laundering and firearm violations. In planning and executing murders, Bulger was trying to cut his Winter Hill Gang's risks, according to the witness.
Sometimes Bulger did the dirty work himself, Martorano said. Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi did the shooting on a June day in 1975 when bar owner Eddie Connors died in the phone booth where they had arranged to meet him. Connors had made the mistake of bragging about how he had helped the Winter Hill Gang squelch a threat by staging a murder. He needed to be "taken out," Martorano said, before his loose lips could lead to indictments.
As one of Bulger's closest partners in the 1970s, Martorano is a key witness for the government's case. The defense aims to discredit his testimony by contending he's been willing to lie for personal gain, including the short sentence he served from 1995 to 2007.
Contrary to legend, Martorano said, Bulger was not the Winter Hill Gang leader but rather an equal member with one vote in the small gang's collective decisions, including whom to kill. Still, Bulger tended to get his way.
For example, Martorano didn't want to kill Tommy King, a former member of a rival gang, whom Bulger said was "not controllable. … We need to take him out." Despite reservations, Martorano said, "I decided to go along with Mr. Bulger's request."
According to his testimony, Bulger hatched a plan to tell King they needed his help to kill somebody else. On the day of the job, Bulger passed out guns to everyone in the car. All were loaded except King's, which was filled with blanks. Sitting in the back seat, Martorano reached forward and shot King in the head. Bulger, he told the jury, left the body by the Neponset River.
"When we'd cross the bridge," Martorano recalled, "Whitey would say, 'Tip your hat. Tommy's over there.' "
What Martorano had done to protect friends, however, he later did to one of his buddies at the behest of Bulger and Flemmi. Outvoted on one occasion, he agreed that his friend, John Callahan, had to die because he seemed weak and couldn't be trusted to keep quiet if authorities started questioning him. Reluctantly, Martorano agreed to pick Callahan up at a Florida airport under the guise of updating him on business and shoot him.
"I felt lousy, but you know, these were my partners, and they just sort of dictated," Martorano said. "We were up to our necks in murders already. This is what they wanted. I had to do it."
The defense says such practices make Martorano a killer who's willing to do anything — lie to a friend, murder a friend — if he thinks there's a greater benefit. Bulger attorney Hank Brennan pressed Martorano about his admission that he had urged others to lie to a grand jury and had himself lied to Callahan about the reason for their Florida meeting.
"You were getting pretty good at lying, weren't you?" Brennan asked.
For Martorano, lying and killing weren't just business. They were tactics to defend what he valued most.
"Family and friends come first," Martorano said. "The priests and the nuns I grew up with taught me that. They talked about Judas," who betrayed his friend Jesus. "He was the worst person in the world."
That image came through as confessed killer John Martorano, 72, implicated Bulger in a series of murders during his second day of testimony. Describing an ethic that enabled him to justify his own murdering of 20 people, Martorano shed light on a gangster culture and mind-set in which killing can be seen — at least sometimes — as an honorable act.
"It's helping a person who comes to you for help," Martorano said, explaining why in 1969 he killed Ronald Hicks, who seemed adamant that he would testify against friends of a friend.
Bulger, too, was willing to kill in order to help a friend, according to Martorano. When Bulger killed Brian Halloran in 1982, it was because Halloran had told the FBI about Martorano's gang-sanctioned murder of World Jai Alai owner Roger Wheeler in Oklahoma, Martorano said. Bulger's murder of Halloran "saved my life," Martorano said.
Bulger faces 32 counts, including participation in 19 murders, extortion, money laundering and firearm violations. In planning and executing murders, Bulger was trying to cut his Winter Hill Gang's risks, according to the witness.
Sometimes Bulger did the dirty work himself, Martorano said. Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi did the shooting on a June day in 1975 when bar owner Eddie Connors died in the phone booth where they had arranged to meet him. Connors had made the mistake of bragging about how he had helped the Winter Hill Gang squelch a threat by staging a murder. He needed to be "taken out," Martorano said, before his loose lips could lead to indictments.
As one of Bulger's closest partners in the 1970s, Martorano is a key witness for the government's case. The defense aims to discredit his testimony by contending he's been willing to lie for personal gain, including the short sentence he served from 1995 to 2007.
Contrary to legend, Martorano said, Bulger was not the Winter Hill Gang leader but rather an equal member with one vote in the small gang's collective decisions, including whom to kill. Still, Bulger tended to get his way.
For example, Martorano didn't want to kill Tommy King, a former member of a rival gang, whom Bulger said was "not controllable. … We need to take him out." Despite reservations, Martorano said, "I decided to go along with Mr. Bulger's request."
According to his testimony, Bulger hatched a plan to tell King they needed his help to kill somebody else. On the day of the job, Bulger passed out guns to everyone in the car. All were loaded except King's, which was filled with blanks. Sitting in the back seat, Martorano reached forward and shot King in the head. Bulger, he told the jury, left the body by the Neponset River.
"When we'd cross the bridge," Martorano recalled, "Whitey would say, 'Tip your hat. Tommy's over there.' "
What Martorano had done to protect friends, however, he later did to one of his buddies at the behest of Bulger and Flemmi. Outvoted on one occasion, he agreed that his friend, John Callahan, had to die because he seemed weak and couldn't be trusted to keep quiet if authorities started questioning him. Reluctantly, Martorano agreed to pick Callahan up at a Florida airport under the guise of updating him on business and shoot him.
"I felt lousy, but you know, these were my partners, and they just sort of dictated," Martorano said. "We were up to our necks in murders already. This is what they wanted. I had to do it."
The defense says such practices make Martorano a killer who's willing to do anything — lie to a friend, murder a friend — if he thinks there's a greater benefit. Bulger attorney Hank Brennan pressed Martorano about his admission that he had urged others to lie to a grand jury and had himself lied to Callahan about the reason for their Florida meeting.
"You were getting pretty good at lying, weren't you?" Brennan asked.
For Martorano, lying and killing weren't just business. They were tactics to defend what he valued most.
"Family and friends come first," Martorano said. "The priests and the nuns I grew up with taught me that. They talked about Judas," who betrayed his friend Jesus. "He was the worst person in the world."