Court rejects ex-gangster Whitey Bulger’s bid for new trial

By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press

Posted March 4, 2016 9:23 pm EST

1 min read

This article is more than 8 years old and some information may not be up to date.

In this courtroom sketch, James "Whitey" Bulger sits at his sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. Bulger was convicted in August in a broad indictment that included racketeering charges in a string of murders in the 1970s and '80s, as well as extortion, money-laundering and weapons charges. AP Photo/Jane Flavell Collins

BOSTON – A federal appeals court in Boston has rejected ex-gangster James “Whitey” Bulger’s request for a new trial.

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The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the argument Bulger’s right to a fair trial was violated when a judge barred him from testifying about his claim he received immunity for his crimes, among other things.

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Bulger’s lawyer argued his defence was eviscerated when he wasn’t allowed to tell the jury a now-deceased federal prosecutor granted him immunity to commit crimes.

Bulger is now 86 years old. He was one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives after he fled Boston in 1994. He was captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011. He’s serving a life sentence for 11 killings during in the 1970s and ’80s.

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