At 83, he will spend the rest of his life in prison following his two-month, high-profile trial. The former FBI informant and Boston crime boss will not be sentenced until November, but is not anticipated to outlive any prison sentence reports The Boston Globe.
Bulger remains wanted for murder in Florida and Oklahoma, both states with the death penalty. Prosecutors there said said that they would not decide about bringing Bulger to trial until he is formally sentenced.
On the run since 1994 after being tipped off by an FBI handler, Bulger was found guilty of drug trafficking, extortion, laundering, and other racketeering charges including 11 of 19 suspected murders in the 1970s and 1980s. The 11 murders included the strangling of Deborah Hussey.
Families of the victims were present at the verdict, with some relieved others outraged over the eight unproven murder charges.
Bulger refused to testify when the judge did not allow him to present a claim of immunity granted by the New England Organized Crime Strike Force by its former head Jeremiah Sullivan who died in 2009. The defense also claimed that Bulger was not an informant despite overwhelming FBI evidence. Many saw the case as an embarrassment to the bureau.
Bulger did not react to being found guilty but gave his family a thumbs up as he was led from the courtroom. One of his lawyers said there would be an appeal and that Bulger was "very pleased" with the trial as it exposed government corruption.
