Whitey Bulger Jury Reversed On Major Verdicts
BOSTON (CBS) ---- The jury in the racketeering case of James "Whitey" Bulger reversed itself on some major verdicts, according to Scott Hotyckey, also known as Juror Number Two.
Hotyckey, of Framingham, first spoke exclusively to WBZ the day the verdict came down. Then, Tuesday, in a follow-up interview, he revealed that the jury originally found Whitey Bulger responsible for 18 of the 19 murders in his indictment. They later reversed themselves on seven of them.
"They were proven then they went back and decided not to prove them," he explains. "And I was like, well, I don't really like this. I held out to the very end."
The murders in question are the oldest ones of which Bulger was accused. Jurors found the evidence for those killings hinged on the testimony of John Martorano, an admitted killer and liar.
"I guess if you looked at it that way, you couldn't believe any of it," Hotyckey said.
Juror #12, Janet Uhlar, of Eastham, confirmed to CNN that it was very difficult for the 12-member panel to put their faith in testimony of convicted criminals.
The news that Bulger was, for a time, held accountable for the killing of his father and namesake was like a "kick in the face" to William O'Brien, Jr.
"It's a joke, it's a joke what happened yesterday," O'Brien said.
He was upset that jurors seemed to believe the defense argument that they should ignore what Martorano had to say.
"He was bought and paid for," O'Brien admits. "But I mean, he's a credible witness, he's a professional witness."
Learning that jurors had changed their minds about Bulger's role in his father's death left O'Brien "stunned" and "sick to my stomach."
