On the final day of testimony in the James "Whitey" Bulger trial, the defense finally put to rest speculation that Bulger would testify by telling Judge Denise Casper that the defendant would not take the stand.
At that point, Judge Casper turned to Bulger to confirm his choice.
“You have done that after careful consideration, sir?”
“Yes I have,” replied Bulger, who stood facing the judge in a black shirt tucked into dark jeans.
“Are you making this choice voluntarily and freely,” the judge asked.
“I’m making the choice involuntarily because I don’t feel... I feel that I’ve been choked off from having an opportunity to give an adequate defense,” Bulger responded in a strong and defiant voice.
Bulger, the person everyone had been waiting to hear from, punctuated his trial of 35 days where more than 70 witnesses came to testify by declaring, “I didn’t get a fair trial. This is a sham.”
That triggered an outburst from Patricia Donahue, whose husband Michael Donahue was allegedly murdered by Bulger.
“You’re a coward,” she yelled.
“You do what yous want with me,” concluded Bulger. “That’s it. That’s my final answer.”
With that, Bulger sat back down. The man who had spent most of the trial hunched over a desk, taking notes, sat back, caressed his glasses, and silently awaited the end of the day.
