During the second week of James “Whitey” Bulger’s federal trial, former hit man John Martorano and several victims of Bulger’s crimes testified in the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in South Boston last week.
From Monday to Wednesday, Martorano spent three days under oath describing the murders he was involved in as well as his relationship with the mob boss. Martorano said he used to be close to Bulger and that the defendant either ordered the killings or was involved in them himself.
“They [Bulger and Stephen Flemmi, one of Bulger’s associates] were my partners in crime,” he said. “They were my best friends. They were my children’s godfathers.”
Bulger is charged with murdering 19 people and also faces multiple charges of federal racketeering and money laundering for crimes he allegedly committed during the 1970s and 1980s. He was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang and, in June 2011, he was caught after a prolonged manhunt in Santa Monica, Calif.
Martorano’s first day of testimony was split between descriptions of his involvement with admitted killings and comments on his close relationship with Bulger. He said he was surprised when he found out Bulger was leaking information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation through handler John Connolly.
“After I heard that they [Bulger and Flemmi] were informants, it sort of broke my heart,” he said. “They broke all trust that we had.”
On Tuesday, Martorano recounted the killing of his friend, John Callahan, under orders from Bulger. He said Bulger collected money from people who conducted illegal activities in order to fund his operations and threatening with violence if they did not pay.
For the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday, Hank Brennan, defense attorney, questioned Martorano’s involvement with the prosecution. Citing the hit man’s plea deal —a 12-year prison sentence for his confessed 20 killings in exchange for this testimony — Brennan asked him if his “partner now is the federal government.”
“You even lied to your friend John Callahan before you killed him, didn’t you?” he asked.
On Thursday, the prosecution brought several victims of Bulger’s alleged crimes to the stand.
Among those brought to testify was Diane Sussman, who was in a car that was attacked, killing her friend and crippling her boyfriend. The 1973 attack, for which Martorano assumed responsibility, was intended for a rival mob boss who drove a similar car.
Sussman was the only one not seriously injured because she ducked out of reflex when she heard the first shot.
“Like when you hear an earthquake,” she said. “That’s probably the only reason I’m still here.”
Several others told their stories of survival, bringing at least two jurors to tears before it was over.
On Friday, Jurors were shown Bulger’s FBI informant identification card, offering proof toward the claim of Bulger’s involvement with the agency — a claim the defense has denied — before fleeing Boston in 1994.
Frank Capizzi, 78, former professional gambler, testified on Friday about the shootings in a 1973 attack and Bulger’s influence in Boston.
“A firing squad hit us,” Capizzi said. “For two-and-a-half minutes, about 100 slugs hit the automobile and it imploded.”
Capizzi, 38 at the time, was injured, while Albert Plummer, 49, was killed in the attack.
The trial will continue in the coming weeks.
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