Boston\u2019s Winter Hill Gang<\/a>, asserted in the documents that Connolly didn’t leak information to him that was used in the 1982 killing of businessman John Callahan in Miami, contradicting the prosecution\u2019s case against Connolly. Instead, Bulger identified another FBI agent, John Morris, as his mole, and described Connolly as a \u201csacrificial lamb,\u201d according to the filing.<\/p>\nConnolly, now 85, was convicted in Florida of second-degree murder and racketeering.<\/p>\n
In the manuscript, Bulger wrote that he was a \u201ccriminal almost all of my life,” and described using inside tips to stay ahead of the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought the day would come that I\u2019d be writing a story about my criminal activity,\u201d Bulger wrote. <\/p>\n
The attorneys claim Bulger was writing the manuscript to help clear Connolly’s name. <\/p>\n
They also say Bulger’s writings and FBI statements made after the mobster’s arrest weren’t previously disclosed to the defense. <\/p>\n
The material came to light after a longtime prosecutor involved in the Connolly case resigned from the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office following reports of misconduct that included granting favors to witnesses and coordinating witness testimony. <\/p>\n
In 2024, Connolly’s lawyers received a letter from Miami-Dade Chief Assistant State Attorney Jose Arrojo informing them that a sealed envelope labeled \u201cconfidential\u201d contained the Bulger manuscript and his statements to the FBI. <\/p>\n
In their filing, Connolly’s lawyers accuse prosecutors of a general pattern of misconduct, arguing that they withheld evidence favorable to the defense in violation of constitutional requirements. Courts have previously found that some evidence in the case was improperly withheld, though they ruled it was not material enough to overturn the conviction.<\/p>\n
Connolly\u2019s attorneys say the newly surfaced material goes further, creating reasonable doubt about his guilt.<\/p>\n
Connolly, who had been serving a 40-year sentence, was granted compassionate release in 2021 after a judge cited his terminal illness and the risks of COVID-19.<\/p>\n
Connolly was a special agent with the FBI in Boston in July 1982 when mob hitman John Martorano shot Callahan in the back of the head and left his body in the trunk of a car at Miami International Airport.<\/p>\n
Connolly was indicted on a first-degree murder charge 21 years later. At the time, prosecutors claimed Bulger and Stephen Flemmi ordered Callahan’s killing after Connolly told them the FBI was investigating Callahan’s ties to Bulger and his gang for the 1981 killing of Roger Wheeler, who owned World Jai Alai. <\/p>\n
But in the manuscript and post-arrest FBI statements, Connolly’s lawyers claim Bulger stated that Connolly was framed by Morris, who was Connolly’s FBI supervisor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sure everyone close to me thought all the information I had came from (Connolly), Bulger wrote. \u201cI didn\u2019t discourage that thought \u2014 sadly for Connolly, he took the heat for warning me to take off and other things that had come from (Morris).\u201d<\/p>\n
Bulger accused Morris of becoming a \u201cstar witness\u201d against Connolly to save himself. Morris testified against Connolly as part of a cooperation agreement that granted him immunity from prosecution.<\/p>\n
While leading his gang, Bulger, who inspired Jack Nicholson\u2019s character in the 2006 Martin Scorsese movie \u201cThe Departed\u201d and was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2015 gangster drama \u201cBlack Mass,\u201d also served as an FBI informant against the Mafia. Bulger denied that claim.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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