By Steve Neavling
One of the men charged in the murder of infamous Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the 2018 fatal bludgeoning.
Paul J. DeCologero, a Massachusetts gangster who was already serving a 25-year sentence, previously pleaded guilty to an assault charge, a crime that carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors initially alleged DeCologero and inmate Fotios “Freddy Geas repeatedly beat 89-year-old Bulger in the head with a lock attached to a bolt. But prosecutors said on Thursday that he only served as the lookout, the Associated Press reports.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh called the sentence “fair, just and appropriate” and said it “strikes the balance the court is trying to seek.”
Geas is facing up to life in prison. His next hearing is set for Sept. 6.
Another inmate, Sean McKinnon, was sentenced to time served after prosecutors dismissed a more serious murder conspiracy charge. He was also accused of serving as a lookout.
Bulger was beaten to death in his cell on the morning of Oct. 30, 2018, less than 12 hours after he was transferred to Hazelton federal prison in West Virginia.
