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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 'Whitey' Bulger, 89, was found unresponsive in his cell at USP Hazelton, a federal prison in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, on October 30, 2018, less than a day after he was transferred there from a prison in Florida. Some neighbors in South Boston remembered him for helping older women across the street and for giving turkey dinners at Thanksgiving. Federal prosecutors investigated his death as a homicide, and they said three men were charged in connection with it. His family sued the Bureau of Prisons, saying staff failed to protect him after the transfer, and a federal judge dismissed the suit in 2022, ruling that federal law did not allow damages over the housing decision. A Justice Department inspector general report released in December 2022 found serious failures in how the Bureau of Prisons handled his transfer, though it found no evidence of malicious intent.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Federal prosecutors say other inmates beat him to death, and his family's lawsuit says Bureau of Prisons staff knew of threats against him and failed to protect him, while a Justice Department inspector general found Bureau management failures contributed to his death.

Reported by: Bureau of Prisons (Hazelton staff, told The New York Times that other inmates beat him) (the agency that held him); U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI (outside investigators); Justice Department Office of the Inspector General (outside investigators); death certificate (head injuries) (medical examiner or coroner); his family, in a lawsuit against the Bureau of Prisons (family or their lawyers); New York Times, citing Bureau of Prisons employees (reporters).

Lawsuit: His family sued the Bureau of Prisons and 30 unnamed employees in federal court in 2020 (Bulger v. John/Jane Does 1-30), and the case was dismissed in January 2022; no settlement or award was reported. Court record: Bulger v. John/Jane Does 1-30 (N.D.W. Va., 2020).

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