3 men ready to plead guilty and jail sentences for murder of Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger

By JOHN RABY

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — Three men accused of the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger are scheduled to appear in court Monday for a plea hearing and sentencing.

The combined hearing of Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and Sean McKinnon is scheduled to be held in federal court in northern West Virginia.

The plea deals for the three were disclosed May 13, nearly six years after Bulger, 89, was beaten to death in his cell hours after being transferred to a troubled West Virginia prison.

Geas and DeCologero are accused of repeatedly punching Bulger in the head and McKinnon of acting as a lookout.

According to prosecutors, DeCologero told an inmate witness that Bulger was a “snitch” and that as soon as he entered their unit, they planned to kill him. DeCologero also told an inmate that he and Geas used a belt with a lock attached to bludgeon him to death.

Last year, the Justice Department said it would not seek the death penalty for Geas and DeCologero, who are charged with murder. All three men were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a possible life sentence. McKinnon was also charged with making false statements to a federal agent.

Bulger, who led Boston's predominantly Irish mob in the 1970s and 1980s, became one of the country's most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994. He was captured at age 81 after more than 16 years on the run and convicted in 2013. a series of 11 murders and dozens of other gang crimes.