James "Whitey" Bulger appeared in court to enter his plea on a racketeering indictment that has him involved in 19 murders. Bulger appeared before judge Marianne Bowler to enter his plea of not guilty. There was also a motion filed by his attorney J.W. Carney to have his law partner Janice Bassil to help with the case. The judge denied the motion based on the fact that lawyer for the same firm can help with each others cases.
The prosecution has said it will be calling anywhere between 30 to 40 witnesses to support their case. They are looking at a timeframe of four months for this trial. The defense thinks they can get can a fair jury from the area but feel not quite as prepared as the prosecution. Carney made the statement that the prosecution has had 20 year to prepare while he had only a couple of weeks.
This trial will be a must view for those of us in this area. I grew up in the Winter Hill area and know what kind of influence Bulger had, even being on the run. Talking with people today from the old neighborhood still have a lot of nice things to say about him. I wonder if the defense is counting on Bulger's influence to hang the jury. It could happen and may be the only way out for Bulger. Otherwise, what we see in court will be the final chapter on a man who owned the streets and the FBI for many years.
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