FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys are leveraging statements from a handwritten manuscript by the deceased mobster James “Whitey” Bulger in a bid to overturn a murder conviction against a former FBI agent. They argue that the crime boss’s own words suggest the agent was framed.
On Monday, lawyers for ex-FBI agent John Connolly filed a motion in Miami-Dade Circuit Court to vacate his conviction, highlighting what they claim is newly uncovered evidence that prosecutors allegedly withheld for years.
This evidence includes FBI reports containing Bulger’s statements and an incomplete handwritten manuscript seized by the FBI from Bulger’s apartment after his 2011 arrest.
According to Connolly’s attorneys, Bulger, the leader of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang, stated in the documents that Connolly was not the source of leaked information used in the 1982 murder of businessman John Callahan in Miami, countering the prosecution’s claims. Bulger instead pointed to another FBI agent, John Morris, as his informant and referred to Connolly as a “sacrificial lamb,” according to the motion.
Connolly, now 85, was found guilty in Florida of second-degree murder and racketeering.
What is the new evidence?
In the manuscript, Bulger admitted to being a “criminal almost all of my life” and detailed using insider knowledge to evade law enforcement.
“I never thought the day would come that I’d be writing a story about my criminal activity,” Bulger noted.
The attorneys assert that Bulger was crafting the manuscript to exonerate Connolly.
They further claim that Bulger’s writings and FBI statements made after his arrest were not previously shared with the defense.
The material emerged after a veteran prosecutor in the Connolly case resigned from the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office amid allegations of misconduct, including granting favors to witnesses and coordinating their testimonies.
In 2024, Connolly’s attorneys received a letter from Miami-Dade Chief Assistant State Attorney Jose Arrojo indicating that a sealed envelope marked “confidential” contained the Bulger manuscript and his statements to the FBI.
In their motion, Connolly’s lawyers accuse prosecutors of widespread misconduct, alleging they withheld evidence beneficial to the defense in breach of constitutional requirements. Although courts have previously determined that some evidence was improperly withheld, they concluded it was not substantial enough to overturn the conviction.
Connolly’s legal team argues that the newly revealed material introduces reasonable doubt about his culpability.
Connolly, who was serving a 40-year sentence, received compassionate release in 2021 due to his terminal illness and the risks posed by COVID-19.
Why was Connolly implicated?
Connolly was an FBI special agent in Boston in July 1982 when mob hitman John Martorano executed Callahan by shooting him in the head, later leaving his body in the trunk of a car at Miami International Airport.
Connolly was indicted for first-degree murder 21 years later. Prosecutors alleged that Bulger and Stephen Flemmi ordered Callahan’s murder following Connolly’s tip-off that the FBI was probing Callahan’s connections to Bulger and his gang regarding the 1981 murder of Roger Wheeler, owner of World Jai Alai.
However, Connolly’s lawyers claim Bulger asserted in the manuscript and post-arrest FBI statements that Connolly was framed by Morris, Connolly’s FBI supervisor.
“I am sure everyone close to me thought all the information I had came from (Connolly),” Bulger wrote. “I didn’t discourage that thought — sadly for Connolly, he took the heat for warning me to take off and other things that had come from (Morris).”
Bulger accused Morris of becoming a “star witness” against Connolly to protect himself. Morris testified against Connolly under a cooperation agreement granting him immunity from prosecution.
While leading his gang, Bulger, who inspired characters in films like “The Departed” and “Black Mass,” also served as an FBI informant against the Mafia, though he denied this claim.
Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.
