Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob (42 page)

A lot of extras who appeared in the film were from South Boston, including a friend of mine, Mike Byron, who played one of Jack Nicholson’s enforcers. William Monahan, the guy who wrote the screenplay for the movie, was certainly not from South Boston and showed no understanding of the people who lived in South Boston or the people in this book.

As for the real thing, there have been no legitimate sightings of Jimmy in the past year. Since
The Departed
came out, however, the book sales have gone up. Evidently people have more interest in the Whitey Bulger story. Perhaps this will translate into more sightings, but for the moment, there do not appear to be any worth discussing.

Jimmy’s still at large, and still on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.

CONFLICTING BOOKS

Around the time that
Brutal
came out, there were two other books written about us. Howie Carr’s book was filled with inaccuracies, and in some cases, complete fabrications. For instance, he attributed murders to Jimmy Bulger that he did not commit, including the killings of James Leary and Donald Killeen. Carr wrote that Jimmy knocked on Leary’s door in Florida and shot him in the face. Carr got this wrong, because he obviously based his “facts” on rumors or sources. The police actually knew the two individuals who committed the crime, one of whom is dead, the other presumed missing. Carr also credited Jimmy with killing Donald Killeen, when, in fact, it was James Mantville and Tommy King who committed that murder. Mantville and King are both dead now, but they were on the opposing side of the gang war in South Boston between the Mullins and Killeens. Jimmy has never been charged with either of these murders.

Carr also included a lot of inaccuracies about Jimmy and the events that took place after he went on the run. For instance, he has Jimmy’s car being found in Yonkers, New York, when it was actually found in Selden on Long Island. Carr even had me flying to Chicago, rather than driving there to bring Jimmy new IDs, as I did. I know where I went and how I got there. Howie has no idea and just writes up the whole story inaccurately. He also has Jimmy and Cathy flying from Chicago to New York. Untrue. The two of them used Amtrak. And those are just a few of the dozens of details he got wrong.

In one Boston weekly,
The Phoenix,
writer David Boeri cited a list of some of the inaccuracies in Carr’s book, writing, “There are so many errors that Boston’s greatest self-described hack hunter could be eligible for induction into his own halls of hackorama. Some of the errors are just annoying; others are laughable.” Boeri also brought up the question of why Carr’s book paid so little attention to the FBI’s errors in dealing with Jimmy, both before and after he took off, stating that this was “the price Carr paid for the exclusive access he got and continues to get to the FBI’s photos and files.” Interesting.

Another book, this one written by a mid-level drug dealer, exaggerated the author’s role, citing that he was the Angel of Death, when in fact the only thing he ever killed was time when he was in prison. He said that he was running the South Boston drug organization at age twenty, when the truth is he was lucky if he could run water from a faucet. Some people who wrote books embellished their roles, never thinking that the truth would come out. I don’t understand why people want to be known as murderers when in fact I’m not proud of my role in five murders.

The one thing I can say about
Brutal
is that when it was written, it was meticulously read and analyzed by the U.S. Justice Department, different branches of federal and state law enforcement, and defense lawyers, as well as by the publisher’s legal department. In addition, the consensus in the press was that this was the most accurate and truthful book that was written on the subject of James “Whitey” Bulger, and the inner workings of his gang. It was vetted by all these groups and, most importantly, by the people on the streets of South Boston who personally knew the cast of characters.

And I was the only one of these authors who didn’t want to write a book but did so only to settle civil litigations, at the suggestion of the plaintiff’s lawyers. Once that decision was made, my only concern was that my book be 100 percent truthful and factual. And it is.

FBI AGENT JOHN CONNOLLY

Former FBI agent John Connolly’s murder trial is slated to begin in Florida on October 22, 2007. Connolly is sixty-six now and four years into his ten-year sentence for racketeering and for warning Jimmy to flee in advance of his 1995 racketeering indictment. Presently, Connolly is facing first degree murder and conspiracy charges for allegedly providing information to Jimmy and Stevie that led to the 1982 death of former Jai Alai president John Callahan. Stevie and I are listed as two witnesses for the government in this case.

It’s a bit strange that the government tried to prove we were liars in the McIntyre case but now will be relying on our testimony to convict Connolly.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Kevin Weeks

To Herself. Without her constant encouragement and belief in me, this book would never have been written. You are my Angel.

To Sister Superior, who always managed to make me laugh. Imagine a “Nun” in red.

To Phyllis, for putting up with me. No one else would have stuck it out. And to her husband St. Jack. Thank you for always having a kind word.

To my friends who have stood by my side throughout all that has happened: Gerard and Yader, who never wavered in their support of me, Billy, Guy, Charlie, Pat N. and Patty L.

I would like to thank my brothers, Bill and Jack. Their help was always forthcoming, and neither one ever gave a second thought to helping their baby brother.

To Doug Grad, who I liked the first time we met, for constantly giving guidance on this project.

To Helen Rees, who believed in this book before it was even written.

To Judith Regan, who made this book happen.

To Tom Raftery, the Brian Dennehy of the legal world.

To Dennis Kelly and Dave Losier, two of the brightest legal minds in Boston.

To Richie Loiacono and Butch Montoya, two of my close friends from paintball.

To Jay Hurley, my friend since we were kids down O & Third streets.

And to the people of South Boston, a great place to live and grow up in.

Phyllis Karas

Nothing could ever happen without Jack. Nor would I want it to. Yet, there are others who helped in myriad ways. Josh and Chalese and Adam and Amy offered limitless enthusiasm, along with expert editing help. The four of them are the joys of my life, each one a uniquely remarkable person. And the littlest Karas, Jason Brady, made Monday the best day of the week.

Toby and Larry Bondy have always been in my corner, ready to read and provide suggestions and love. Mel and Eddie Karas’s knowledge of the subject was another invaluable aid.

For Barbara Ellerin, Karen Madorsky, Arlene Leventhal, Barbara Gilefsky, Ali Freedman, Barbara Schectman, Sheila Braun, and Sharda Jain, my special friends who listen and care, I am especially grateful.

Sherry Perlow and Julie Hoffman, so close and so far away, always managed to be there for me.

No writer cherishes her writers’ group more than I do. Nancy Day, Anne Driscoll, Florence Graves, Melissa Ludtke, Judy Stoia, and Pat Thomas never stopped asking the right questions.

Without my brilliant editor Doug Grad, there would be no book. Working with him was a privilege. Not only is he an expert professional, but he always went the extra step to create an important and unique book.

My extraordinary agent Helen Rees used her talents to make certain this book would come to life. Once again, she proved she is the best there is.

The unflappable and ever-helpful Alan M. Thibeault, the chief librarian in the
Boston Herald
’s library, was my knight in shining armor, never hesitating to pore through the files and come up with exactly what we needed.

At ReganBooks, Alison Stoltzfus worked tirelessly and cheerfully, making certain things went smoothly.

Special thanks to the BU School of Journalism, fall of 2005, JO 403B1 Magazine Writing and Editing class, whose unflagging enthusiasm for the project made the semester such a special delight.

But infinite praise must go to Alan Braunstein, the ingenious attorney who put the pieces together in the most original manner imaginable.

And to KJW, my teacher in true crime, who taught me, oh so patiently, more than I will ever need to know, I can only say, “Thanks for a great ride.”

About the Authors

KEVIN WEEKS
is out of prison and living a clean life in Massachusetts.

PHYLLIS KARAS
is the coauthor of two previous books. She is a contributor to
People
magazine and an adjunct professor at the Boston University School of Journalism. She lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with her husband.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

PRAISE
FOR
BRUTAL

“Mesmerizing and utterly fascinating. Cross and double-cross.
Brutal
’s lean, hard prose brings us dead-center into Whitey Bulger’s mob—a world of deceit and brutality almost beyond imagination. I tell you, no organized crime fiction I have read has anything on this book. I couldn’t put it down.”

—MICHAEL PALMER,
NEW YORK TIMES
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF
THE SOCIETY

“A dazzling story of audacity and cunning,
Brutal
is the most revealing and chilling true crime story I’ve ever read. So much is revealed here for the very first time by Kevin Weeks, the only true insider who is able to tell this breathtaking story from his former perspective at the very top. An explosive mix of adrenaline and testosterone!”

—JULIAN KRAININ, PRODUCER OF
QUIZ SHOW
AND
SOMETHING THE LORD MADE

“Weeks has made his literary bones. He has credibility.”

—
THE PHOENIX
(BOSTON)

“Absorbing…. Conversational and detailed in the extreme.”

—
DESERET MORNING NEWS

Credits

Cover design by Richard Ljoenes

Front cover photograph of Whitey Bulger courtesy of AP Wide World Photos

Copyright

BRUTAL
. Copyright © 2006 by Kevin Weeks and Phyllis Karas. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub © Edition May 2007 ISBN: 9780061739736

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Publisher

Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au

Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca

New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz

United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk

United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com