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Died in prison

James 'Whitey' Bulger

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

James Bulger, 89, used a wheelchair and was in poor health. Neighbors in South Boston remembered him for helping older women across the street and giving turkey dinners at Thanksgiving, and his younger brother William became a well-known Massachusetts politician. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said he was found unresponsive at USP Hazelton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, on October 30, 2018, less than a day after he was transferred there. Prosecutors and unnamed prison employees told reporters he was beaten to death in his cell by other people held there, and the U.S. Attorney's Office is investigating the death as a homicide. His attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., said decisions made by the Bureau of Prisons contributed to his death, and a Justice Department inspector general review later examined safety concerns at the facility.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Federal prosecutors and sources told news outlets he was beaten to death by other inmates, and a Justice Department inspector general found that Bureau of Prisons management failures contributed to his death.

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

News reports (16)

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