end of an era

It’s official – Whitey will die in prison.

Triple O’s and Rotary Liquor are long gone from the landscape of South Boston.  James “Whitey” Bulger dropped out of town in 1994, launching a world-wide manhunt for the reputed mobster.  The 16-year mystery of “Where’s Whitey” would be solved in Santa Monica, CA when the gangster was captured in June of 2011.   Whitey returned to South Boston via an orange jumpsuit to the Joseph Moakley Federal Courhouse two years later to find out his fate.  His neighborhood now unrecognizable.  Across the street from Whitey’s infamous shake-down joint, Triple O’s (now The Station), is a brand-new Starbucks.  This is a symbol of a new era for South Boston – the gentrified one – but underneath all the shiny-new buildings and inflated real estate prices is a dark shadow cast by Whitey Bulger’s notorious life.

In August, after five days of deliberation, a jury came back with a verdict and Bulger was found guilty of 31 of the 32 counts of various racketeering, fire-arms, extortion, and money laundering charges.   He was found guilty of 11 of the 19 murders charges. 

After a two day sentencing hearing, Bulger listened to the victims’ families and sat emotionless. Judge Denise Casper sentenced Bulger to two consecutive life sentences plus 5 years and also ordered Bulger to pay $19.5 million in restitution to his victims’ families.