Community Corner
Bulger Trial Expected to Start Wednesday Despite Defense Argument Over Milton Native
Tempers flared in court Wednesday as attorneys argued about allegations state police protected a key witness from criminal investigations.
A jury of 18 people—12 jurors and 6 alternates—was chosen and sworn in Tuesday to hear the case against James "Whitey" Bulger, according to media reports.
Eight men and four women will serve on the jury, with three men and three women serving as alternates, according to Boston.com.
Trial Expected to Start Wednesday
Opening statements in the trial are expected to take place Wednesday, according to BostonHerald.com.
Find out what's happening in Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Bulger's defense team had moved to delay opening statements to investigate allegations that former Winter Hill Gang member and hit man John Martorano, who grew up in East Milton, continued a life of crime after being released from prison in 2007.
Martorano is expected to be an important witness for the prosecution, and Bulger's attorney, J.W. Carney, argued his Massachusetts State Police handler quashed investigations into his alleged recent crimes. Carney sought documents related to the matter and time to investigate.
Find out what's happening in Miltonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Arguments about the matter got heated and led Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak and Carney to shout at each other, according to BostonHerald.com.
Selecting a Jury
It took a week to whittle a pool of 858 potential jurors down to 18.
Bulger, 83, is a notorious reputed mobster who is accused of participating in 19 murders. He spent 16 years as a fugitive and was captured in California in 2011.
His trial is expected to last into September, and many potential jurors, when questioned, explain why serving on the jury would be a hardship.
One woman said she had to care for a dog with crippled hind legs, another spoke of suffering from depression and leg swelling, and another recalled seeing an acquaintance shot while she was smoking weed, according to Metro Boston.
In swearing in the jury, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Caspar told the members, "Do not make up your mind of what the verdict will be," Boston.com says.
According to WBUR, she also told jurors not to follow the case on television, in the newspapers or by Googling information about it.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, follow Somerville Patch's real-time updates from the Moakley Courthouse as we live-tweet opening statements in the Bulger trial.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.