Juror No. 5 Reveals Deliberations In Whitey Bulger's Racketeering Trial
BOSTON (CBS) -- In an exclusive interview Monday night with WBZ-TV, one of the jurors in James "Whitey" Bulger's racketeering trial revealed what happened behind closed doors during much of the jury's deliberations.
Scott Hotyckey, 47, of Framingham, said tensions often ran high as jurors weighed Bulger's fate on dozens of alleged crimes including murder and extortion.
"Slamming doors," Hotyckey said of the deliberations. "People leaving. Peolpe wanting to get off the jury."
Hotyckey, who said he was laid off from a biotechnology job just before he was called for jury duty, said he was unfamiliar with the case before he was picked as a juror. "Some people like to read books about it. They stay up all night reading," said the 47-year-old, who was designated Juror No. 5. "That's not me."
Hotyckey said some jurors had trouble keeping track of the dozens of charges against Bulger, but he had no doubts about the South Boston mobster's guilt or innocence.
"To me, it seemed like he was pretty much obviously guilty of all the charges," Juror No. 5 said. "It seemed to me that this organization existed, the Winter Hill organization."
Hotyckey said Bulger did not have to be found guilty of personally committing murders in the racketeering trial. "He was guilty by association," the 47-year-old said.
When asked whether Bulger's defense attorneys gained any traction with jurors through presenting evidence of government corruption and FBI misconduct, Hotyckey said he was unimpressed. "The FBI wasn't on trial," he said.
