Emotional apologies in fourth week of Bulger trial

Emotions came to the fore from several people in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in South Boston as the fourth week of the James “Whitey” Bulger trial continued with testimonies from former Federal Bureau of Investigation supervisor John Morris and William Shea, a drug dealer with alleged ties to Bulger.

The trial was in session for two days this week as the jury heard three tapes of the former mob boss’s jailhouse conversations.

On Monday, after three days on the witness stand, Morris finished explaining his involvement with Bulger during the 1970s and 1980s as supervisor of FBI agent John Connolly, Bulger’s alleged handler during the time he leaked information to the Bureau. The defense denies this involvement ever existed.

After admitting last week to taking $7,000 and two cases of wine in bribes from Bulger, Morris apologized on Monday to the Donahue family who were present at the trial. Morris supplied information to one of Bulger’s associates for the 1982 murder of the innocent Michael Donahue during an alleged hit on another FBI informant to whom Donahue was giving a ride.

“I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but I do want to express my sincere apology for what I did and didn’t do,” Morris said in court. “Not a day goes by that I don’t pray that God gives you blessing and comfort for the pain.”

Some members of the Donahue family said they neither accepted Morris’s apology nor believed it was genuine.

“Those words didn’t mean anything to me,” said Patricia Donahue, Michael’s widow, outside of the courtroom. “While he [Morris] is getting his promotions, I’m mourning my husband. And he’s getting promotions, so obviously those [apologies] didn’t mean anything.”

On Tuesday, former drug dealer William Shea testified that he was able to create a cocaine business in the South Boston area with Bulger’s help.

After several years of selling cocaine, Shea said his relationship with Bulger turned hostile in 1986 when Shea wanted to get out of the drug business. He said he left to go to Florida, but came back shortly after he received a fatal threat from Bulger.

“I told him [Bulger] I’m not looking for a pension plan … [but] he makes it very clear I cannot leave,” Shea said to the court on Tuesday.

After he stepped down, the jury heard three tapes recorded during Bulger’s time in jail. It was the first time the jury had heard the defendant’s voice apart from a few curse words said under his breath last week.

In one of them, Bulger told a story to his nephew, William Bulger, Jr., about the 1975 murder of Edward Connors, whom Bulger and his associate Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi allegedly shot while in a phone booth. Bulger imitated machine gun fire in the recording and said “that was what happened.”

Court was adjourned on Tuesday for the July 4 holiday, but will resume on Monday and is expected to continue into September.