Deaths in Custody
Died in prison

James Bulger

89 years old · died October 30, 2018 · United States Penitentiary Hazelton, Preston County, West Virginia

James Bulger, 89, died on October 30, 2018, at the U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, less than a day after he was transferred there from another federal prison. Some neighbors in South Boston remembered him for helping older women across the street and for giving turkey dinners at Thanksgiving. The Bureau of Prisons said staff found him unresponsive in his cell, and the Preston County medical examiner pronounced him dead. Prosecutors and the U.S. Attorney's Office are investigating the death as a homicide, and a New York Times report, citing Hazelton employees, said he was beaten by other people held at the prison; officials have not released a cause of death. His attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., blamed Bureau of Prisons decisions for his death, and a Justice Department inspector general review examined safety and staffing at Hazelton, while questions remain about why he was placed in general population there.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Hazelton employees told The New York Times that other inmates beat him to death, and his attorney blamed Bureau of Prisons decisions for his death.

Reported by: Hazelton employees, via The New York Times (the agency that held him); U.S. Attorney's Office (prosecutors) (outside investigators); NBC News, citing federal sources (reporters); Rick Heldreth, president of AFGE Local 420.

Lawsuit: His family sued the federal government over his death at USP Hazelton, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.

News reports (14)

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