Three men were charged Wednesday for the beating and murder of infamous mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger.
Fotios “Freddy” Geas, 55, Paul J. DeCologero, 48, and Sean McKinnon, 36, face charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
Geas and DeCologero are accused of beating Bulger over the head multiple times while they were all incarcerated at the Hazelton Penitentiary in West Virginia, the DOJ stated. The duo have also been charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder and assault resulting in serious bodily harm. Both were identified as suspects shortly after Bulger’s death and were reportedly placed in solitary confinement throughout the probe, NPR noted.
Here Are Some Of ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s Most Heinous Crimes https://t.co/PHDIErZvvN pic.twitter.com/w6Q9DGgH8t
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 31, 2018
Geas is also facing a separate charge of murder by a federal inmate serving a life sentence, according to the press release. Geas is a former Mafia hitman who received a life sentence for the murder of a mob boss and his associate.
“Freddy hated rats … Freddy hated guys who abused women. Whitey was a rat who killed women. It’s probably that simple,” a private investigator said at the time. The three inmates reportedly jumped Bulger, beating him with a padlock in a sock and attempting to gouge out his eyes with a shiv. The former mafioso was in a wheelchair during the beating. (RELATED: Fourth Mysterious Body Found In Iconic Lake Mead)
McKinnon received a separate charge of making false statements to a federal agent, the DOJ noted. The DOJ emphasized that the indictment is just an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.