John Connolly Jr., 73, the longtime handler of James “Whitey” Bulger and a former FBI agent, has had his murder conviction overturned. A Florida state appeals court voided the 2008 conviction, saying that jurors had relied on a flawed charge that had passed the statute of limitations as part of a 1982 murder case. Connolly had been sentenced to 40 years in prison. He had allegedly tipped off Bulger and Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi that the businessman John Callahan was going to tell the FBI the mobsters were behind the murder of World Jai Alai executive Roger Wheeler.
Unlock a year of full access to The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First monththen $5.99/month
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime
Annual
$35
First yearthen $59.99/year
Discounted annual rate - Save 47%
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
Best Value
Premium
$79
First yearthen $119.99/year
Discounted annual rate
Full access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*
Premium ad-free reading
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Subscription$0.00
Total$0.00
OR
Loading subscription options
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First monththen $5.99/month
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime
Annual
$35
First yearthen $59.99/year
Discounted annual rate - Save 47%
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
Best Value
Premium
$79
First yearthen $119.99/year
Discounted annual rate
Full access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*
Premium ad-free reading
Unlimited access (web + app)
Exclusive ad-free newsletters
Commenting access
Daily crossword
Sneak peek of launches & events
Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.