Whitey Bulger sentenced; juror says trial 'was a circus; it was a sham'
A juror who attended the sentencing hearing for convicted mobster James “Whitey” Bulger has apparently had a change of heart.
Bulger was sentenced to two life terms plus five years in prison on Thursday, report the New York Times and the National Law Journal. He was convicted in August of conspiracy, racketeering and murder, including 11 of 19 slayings for which he had been charged.
Outside the Boston courtroom, Bulger juror Janet Uhlar is also making news. She says she corresponded with Bulger after the trial and she now has a better understanding of the case, according to WHDH.com.
Uhlar says if she had known more about government corruption she would have held out for a not guilty verdict, according to WHDH.com. Uhlar talked about her views outside the courthouse on Wednesday. Her comments were also covered by NECN.com.
Uhlar criticized “immoral deals” with witnesses who were also criminals. “We were dealt a bag of goods by the Department of Justice,” she said.
“That jury, it was not a fair trial,” she said. “It was a circus; it was a sham and everybody’s falling for it.”
Uhlar was questioned outside the courthouse by Steven Davis, the brother of a woman whose death did not result in a conviction against Bulger, CBS Boston reports.
“Are you crazy or just nuts?” Davis asked Uhlar. “What are you trying to fight for?” Uhlar replied that she was fighting for “United State Constitution Article 3, Question 2.”
An opinion piece by the Boston Herald identified the juror as Janet Uhlar-Tinney and called her a “moonbat.”
