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Paul J. DeCologero, suspected of the murder of James "Whitey" Bulger, never met the infamous Boston gangster before he arrived in a West Virginia jail this week, but there were blood ties between their families, DeCologero's brother said Friday.
In a telephone interview, Derek Munro first stated that DeCologero, his older brother, had "no motive" to kill Bulger.
"I do not think Paul did it," he said. "No way."
However, a few hours later, Munro said that his uncle, Paul A. DeCologero, had just called him from Kentucky Prison, where he was serving a life sentence for murder, and claimed that Bulger had already contracted to kill members of the DeCologero family.
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"Whitey" and my brother never had personal interaction, but my uncle explained that there was a problem, that one day, Bulger had a contract "with the uncle and his family, said Munro. "It still does not make me think that he had a motive for killing him."
Paul J. DeCologero was a member of the so-called DeCologero crew, led by his uncle, Paul A. DeCologero. Crew members stole rival drug traffickers and, in 1996, 19-year-old Aislin Silva, killed and dismembered because they feared she would cooperate with the authorities to against them.
Paul A. DeCologero could not be reached for comment and the cause of the bad blood between Bulger and DeCologeros is not clear.
His brother, who is serving a twenty-five-year sentence of imprisonment and a conspiracy leading to the murder of Silva in 1996, has three children and is awaiting his release in 2026. The other suspect in the US Bulger's badbadination, Fotios "Freddy Geas
, a West Springfield Mafia hitman, is serving a life sentence for two murders.
Federal authorities suspect DeCologero, a member of a feared group A group of organized criminals from the North Shore and Geas savagely beat Bulger to death in his cell Tuesday morning with a lock embedded in a sock, according to two law enforcement officials aware. The attack occurred within 11 hours of Bulger's arrival at US Hazelton Penitentiary in West Virginia.
Captured surveillance video DeCologero, 44, of Lowell and Geas, 51, entering Bulger's cell at around 6am, said several repressive sources. Bulger was found severely beaten in his cell about two hours later.
Law enforcement officials said Geas had admitted to attacking Bulger, but claimed that he had acted alone. The two men are locked out. No charges have been filed.
"Maybe I could see him coming into the cell because anybody can do it, but I can not see him hitting him," said Munro, 41, who lives in Malden. "My brother is not like that."
Christopher Bator, the now retired attorney who won the convictions of DeCologeros, said Paul J. DeCologero "knowingly participated in acts and events involving [violence]including the robberies where the victims were tied up and severely beaten. "
He said that DeCologero was "not the main guy, but he was there and he participated. He has always been a disciple.
The brutal murder of Bulger has raised questions as to why US Bureau of Prisons officials have transferred Bulger, 89, from Florida to Hazelton, where two other detainees have been killed in recent months, and one of the most prominent detainees. have placed in the prison population with other prisoners related to organized crime in Mbadachusetts.
"I think the feds wanted to prepare and kill Whitey," Munro said. "I think the feds are a co-conspirator because they sent it there. It was deliberate and intentional. They knew what they were doing. "
The role of Paul J. DeCologero in the 1996 plot was to obtain a particularly powerful heroin strain that was supposed to kill Silva with an overdose. When this plan failed, another member of the crew broke his neck.
Paul J. DeCologero was convicted with his uncle and other crew members in 2006. A federal appeals court upheld the convictions handed down in 2015, dismissing charges that defendants had not benefited fair trial because the authorities did not provide evidence.
Munro said his cousin was currently working on a book and a documentary detailing allegations of government misconduct in this case.
Munro said his brother had no connection with Bulger, a long-time FBI informant serving a life sentence for having participated in 11 murders while he was running a sprawling criminal enterprise from the 1970s to the 1970s. 1990. Bulger arrived at the federal prison on Monday night.
Munro said he sent an email to his brother earlier this week to let him know that their 86 year old grandfather was in hospice and may not live much longer. He said that DeCologero responded to him by e-mail at 22:51. Monday, saying that he would try to call but that prison officials would not let the detainees use the phone.
"It's one of the worst prisons in the country. They sent [Bulger] there, basically allowing that to happen, "said Munro. "So no matter who did it, it does not matter."
Shelley Murphy can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymurph. You can contact Kevin Cullen at [email protected].
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