Whitey Bulger Said to Have Been Killed by Inmates in Prison Attack

While you might believe that Bulger "got what he deserved, he was in the federal prison system, and had a right to safety while under federal control.

Bulger was violently killed soon after he was transferred to a new prison. The attack, with a padlock concealed in a sock, was so brutal that his eyeballs were dislocated. So those who are so vehemently against capital punishment for serial murderers might want to rethink their position. The death sentence may actually be more humane than exposing the killers to an inmate population which will carry out their own version of Justice.

Sure seems like the sequence of non-medical facility relocation, general population assignment, 6am next day unlock and discovery during 8am rounds went like crisp, pre-ordained clockwork. Not expecting that the likelihood of administrative complicity in all this will be thoroughly investigated.

why would he be bounced around ,he needed to be locked on a geriatric floor not in general population .Both he and Jeffrey Dahmer didn't want to be locked in protective custody ..........

Such ridiculousness. He was an old man. He got tangled in his bed clothes and fell. It was an unfortunate accident. It's just like the hysterical reporting on the death (?) of that guy in the Saudi consulate. Much ado about nuttin'.

It's hard to generate much sympathy for Whitey Bulger, but this article represents a false, but typically Hollywood, picture of prison safety. In fact, prisons are by far the safest and most healthy places in which most inmates have resided in their adult lives. Inmate homicide rates in local jails are below the national average and the homicide rates in state and federal prisons are roughly the same as those in the outside community. https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/msp0114st.pdf https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0013st.pdf But comparing homicide victimization rates of prison inmates to homicides rates of law abiding citizens in the outside community is comparing apples to oranges Those who end up incarcerated in America are largely violent criminals or major drug dealers who lead extraordinarily dangerous lives. On the outside they are often in danger of being murdered at time of any day. On the inside they are murdered LESS frequently than average citizens. Additionally, jails and prisons, although certainly not pleasant for those incarcerated, provide most of these individuals with the first adequate health care of their lives and bland but passable nutrition. Inmates may not be happy with their circumstances in custody, but they are healthier than most have been throughout their lives. It's time to dispel Hollywood myths about incarceration in America.

NYT turned a newsy article into agitprop by implying that the prison staffing problem is caused by trump.

"...may have been...?" The Times is appropriately diplomatic.

If the case actually, I won't lose much sleep over this at all. Nonetheless, such execution, if true, would stand against our system of justice formally as well as, I think, morally. The problem of "getting even" like this which is speculated about, is that "we" become like the proved criminal in terrible ways. Execution of an 89-year-old man makes the matter even worse. To be civilized comes at an emotional price for the innocent. If lex talionis would work, we'd know it by now; it not only doesn't, it is potentially socially destabilizing in general situations each of us face every day..

The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they never stop.

Prisons have been corrupt since there have been prisons, this is not new, or confined to any one administration. Murders are a fact of life behind bars, these are not kind, gentle souls who wind up in 'hard time' prisons. Another confirmation, if any was needed (just ask the Kennedy's), that the Mob does not forget and their reach is long.

No matter who he was, or his crimes, he was not sent to jail to be killed and he was. Something is wrong here. We must do jail time better, providing a place of real rehabilitation, separating and teaching youth and lesser offenders, rebuilding them to be good citizens in our complicated world. These inmates will one day bring what they have learned, for better or worse, back to society. Most now return, worse and worse. Trained personnel can prepare them what they need to know to be better citizens, and humane treatment can set them up for a better self image and success once they are released. A leg up, for these are human beings, some worse than others, but let the courts decide that. And it can be done more cheaply and run more easily, not so intolerable as to have to rely on secretaries, et al, to fill in positions no one wants. The Netherlands has set a good example restructuring jail to be more than a holding place. https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../the-netherlands-have-a-strange-problem-empty prisons He may have been killed no matter what, but a better system would have lowered the odds and saved so many now tragically lost. Of course, we have to have a kinder gentler world for released inmates to return to, so they are not lost again by an uncaring default culture we provide the least among us. It starts with who we are and how we choose to treat each other. Just a thought after reading of this brutal in-house killing.

A man who murdered people frequently and betrayed nearly everybody during many years is targeted for revenge by murder. Who would be surprised? He deserved it no more than those who he killed and whose lives he ruined. The suffering that people cause other people is sad. But in all honesty, people who lie, cheat, steal, and kill to avoid having to work for what they can enjoy materially in a country where the opportunities are unmatched in human history are unsympathetic. They are vicious, dangerous, and ridiculous all at once.

It seems to me that he got off easy for the crimes he committed. It seems to me they could have caught him much earlier than they did, but he was such an embarrassment to the FBI, that they let some years go by so people would forget that without law enforcement enabling him, he would have been locked up decades ago.

Why is there little to no mention of the Bureau of Prison's responsibility to keep its inmates safe? And it is laughable to think that they did not have a vested interest in his safety or lack thereof.

The commenters who are appalled that a man in custody would be beaten to death seem not to have paid attention to all the stories published and broadcast and depicted in stories about life in prisons. The prisons have many prisoners who are extremely violent and have little chance to be released for good behavior. The only punishments which might deter them are solitary confinement and the death penalty. Any prisoners not in isolation may suffer from the violence of other inmates. Inmates in isolation go crazy in about a month. Bolger might have been the victim of neglect but more likely just being a man with a lot more enemies than he knew.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

While I have little sympathy for Whitey Bulger, who caused the death of many, prison killings are unacceptable in a modern democratic society, and cannot be tolerated. Justice is meted out by serving time in prison, and not by creating an environment in which prisoners can murder each other.

Live by it . . . die by it. No sympathy here for a violent mobster who single-handedly brought pain, suffering, and grief to hundreds who did not deserve it. Violating omerta is a death sentence for many and a life of constant worry for those who survive the USFWPP.

Whitey (a nickname he hated) got the same justice he gave his victims. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

While it is hard to feel sympathy for Bulger, I am concerned about what is going on in our prisons. A sentence of life in prison is not the same a sentence of being beaten to death. And of course, many prisoners who are beaten to death, or otherwise die in prison violence, are serving time for much lesser crimes. A few are doubtless innocent. Millions of dollars were spent to catch and prosecute Bulger. An elaborate sentencing process was employed when a judge sentenced him. And then that sentence is effectively nullified by poor prison management. A prison warden, guard, or fellow prisoner should not have the final say about what happens to any prisoner. That is what judges are for. One wonders why he was moved repeatedly? Any move would seem to be a risk, as we see now. I can only hope that the prisoner found beaten beyond recognition is really Bulger. It would be a shame if some other prisoner got beaten to death just so that Bulger could quietly escape.

Whitey Bulger represented years of a corrupt federal and state network of persons who were sworn to protect and serve the people. They did not protect. The victims of this corruption and their families suffered unspeakable sorrow and trauma. The FBI sadly was a major participant using the guise of informants, and as a result, major crimes were committed. This went on for years. Clearly, the federal office that has a duty to protect- the federal prison system- failed again. Why was this man moved to Bruceton Mills? Faith in the FBI's investigation of anything is suspect: this murder, Brett Kavanaugh, voter fraud, gun, and drug smuggling, on and on. Bulger stands for a corrupt federal system that needs to be investigated by states attorneys general. New England isn't alone. I mourn his victims and their families and the blight on our system of law.

Human life in itself is no more valuable than any other life, except through the lens of human hubris. Those of you mourning the death of this murdering criminal would be better served remembering the many victims of this malicious parasite. He was nothing more than the flesh eating bacteria on societies body.

Really great writing by all. It's a piece of history, albeit a seamy side of history. And Bulger created a lot of the story, as this fine article tells us. That he is killed at the age of 89 verifies the old adage, "There is no honor among thieves," but Whitey was no Mr. Niceguy. Aside from this fascinating history is that this article further raises the desperate need for prison reform in the U.S. the Justice Department is sanctioning murder and condemning human beings to despicable conditions. And giving prison personnel only poor resources forces them into bad conditions as well. The article raises the history of Joe Valachi. When he "sang", there were the words put by comedians to the wonderful popular song of the time, "Volare", sung by Domenico Modugno, Dean Martin and others, Dean, who probably penned those sardonic words, which went, "Valachi...Oh Joe... "Valachi...you gotta go..." It was, indeed, a colorful time. It's amazing that Whitey Bulger lasted through all of that. Inmates might have respected that history, but evidently part of that history was their anger toward Whitey Bulger.

This murder needs to be investigated by an independent agency, not the corrupt justice dept or bureau of prisons.

I guy who murdered people and showed no remorse dies at the hand of people who either were paid to do it or exacting revenge for others. The guy who is being linked to it was an enforcer from West Springfield Mass. who I a m sure had to know people that were ratted on by Whitey. There is a reason it's called jailhouse justice and why snitches get stitches. For the people who can't believe that a man died and that he is a human and deserves respect I for one believe in an eye for eye. He had it coming sorry.

May have been a hit? He was so battered as to have been unrecognizable. Do you think he accidentally walked into a wall? And he had only been in the new prison for less than 24 hours. Who makes new, deadly enemies that quickly?

Glee in the murder of another human being is appalling. If we're no better than Whitey, we had no business depriving him of freedom. I hope the murder is investigated and the perpetrators punished.

A crushing loss for humanity.

Mr. Bulger deserves no sympathy in general. But the government is not supposed to facilitate a homicide behind bars, and has some explaining to do about how an inmate - any inmate - can wind up dead within 24 hours of arrival.

He was 89. I regardless of what happened, natural causes or hit, I think he had the last laugh. Not that any of it is funny.

He snitched on many, many people. Did he think he'd escape payback for that?

Back around the time when Mr. Bulger was discovered living on the lam in California, my husband and I were welcoming a long-haired, white, adopted cat into our home. The new kitty had been abused and was terrified of my husband and I. His first day with us he hid in a reclining chair for hours while we turned the house upside-down, frantically trying to find him. His shelter name was "Snow," but that did not really seem to fit. After hearing a news story about Whitey Bulger, we decided to name our new cat after the Irish mobster. After all, new kitty was pure white, he was in hiding (from us) for several days, and we were pretty sure that when we left the house he was plotting to kill us. That was five years ago, and the name has stuck. When the "real" Whitey Bulger was killed yesterday I started getting texts from friends, "Your cat's namesake just died!" We broke the news to "our" Whitey Bulger last night. He is hiding his grief pretty well.