Jury in ‘Whitey’ Bulger trial ends third day of deliberations
BOSTON - Jurors in the racketeering trial of reputed mobster James “Whitey” Bulger deliberated for a third day Thursday without reaching a verdict.
They will resume deliberations Friday.
Judge Denise Casper had urged the 12-member panel to make findings on each of the 33 racketeering acts against Bulger. Those acts underpin a racketeering charge against Bulger and include the 19 killings Bulger is accused of playing a role in, plus extortion, money laundering and narcotics distribution.
PHOTOS: The hunt for James “Whitey” Bulger
Casper told the jury that in order to find that a certain racketeering act has been proved or not proved by prosecutors, the jury must be unanimous. She said if they are unable to agree unanimously, they can move on to the next act. But she also told them they had “a duty to attempt to reach agreement on each of the racketeering acts if you can do so conscientiously.”
The added instruction appeared to be aimed at encouraging the jury to make findings on each of the killings. Relatives of the victims have sought justice for decades, and many of them have been in court every day of the two-month trial.
Later Thursday, jurors asked to examine a machine gun that was among a cache of weapons Bulger allegedly hid in South Boston.
The 9-millimeter German MP40 sub-machine gun is the subject of the final charge of the indictment against Bulger. In that count, he is charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The judge agreed to send the gun in to the jury room.
Bulger, 83, is accused of playing a role in 19 killings during the 1970s and 1980s as leader of the Winter Hill Gang. He was captured in Santa Monica in 2011 after 16 years as one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives.
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