'Whitey' Bulger Witness Delivered Stepdaughter to Be Murdered
BOSTON July 23, 2013— -- The jury in the murder trial of James "Whitey" Bulger listened today to some of the grisliest testimony yet as a witness described how he took his stepdaughter shopping before delivering her to Bulger allegedly to be strangled.
The witness, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, had earlier told the court how he had delivered another girlfriend to a house where Bulger waited to strangle her.
Flemmi, 79, appeared exasperated at times as he recounted the murder of his stepdaughter Deborah Hussey, who grew up calling him Daddy and later became Flemmi's lover and murder victim.
When pressed by Bulger's lawyer on the relationship, Flemmi motioned his head toward the defense table where Bulger sat and added, "You want to talk about pedophilia, look at that table over there."
Flemmi was Bulger's partner and key lieutenant during his reign as the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, prosecutors and Flemmi claim. Flemmi is now a key witness against Bulger, who is on trial for a string of crimes including 19 murders. Those victims include Hussey and Flemmi's long time girlfriend Debbie Davis.
Flemmi's surly accusation about pedophilia came as Bulger's defense attorneys pestered him with questions about Hussey. Flemmi began a relationship with her mother, Marion Hussey, when Deborah was 2, he told the court.
Reluctantly, Flemmi admitted Deborah Hussey called him Daddy, that he had read her stories and had driven her to school.
But in January 1985, when Hussey was 26, she took the last ride of her life with her stepfather.
"Did you drive your daughter to her death?" Bulger defense attorney Hank Brennan asked Flemmi.
"I drove her to the location, yes, '' Flemmi answered.
Brennan asked him about the ride to the house where, Flemmi told the court, Bulger looped a rope around her neck, tied a stick to the rope and twisted it until she choked to death. Then Flemmi got on his knees and pulled out her teeth to prevent her being identified.
Before that, Flemmi took her to the mall.
"I took her shopping,'' Flemmi told the court.
"You took her shopping knowing you were going to kill her?" Brennan asked.
"You are so negative about it,'' Flemmi testified. "Why don't you want to hear the positive side of it?"
"You were her father, Mr. Flemmi. Did you defend her?" Brennan asked.
"That murder could have been prevented with one word from Bulger: Stop,'' Flemmi testified. "He could have prevented it. All he had to do is say the one word, pass. And that would have been the end of it and I would have been happy. P-A-S-S."
Flemmi said Bulger wanted Hussey killed because her mother was aware of her fling with Flemmi, she used drugs and talked carelessly, making her a liability.
"If I wanted to murder her, I could have done it myself. I didn't need anyone else to do it. I didn't need any witnesses," he said.
"When your stepdaughter was on the ground, you took a pair of pliers and put them in her mouth?'' Brennan asked Flemmi.
"Yes. I tried to pull her teeth out," Flemmi answered.
"How many teeth did you pull out of your stepdaughter's mouth?" Brennan asked.
"I don't remember,'' Flemmi answered.
"Do you remember getting on your knees and pulling them out of her mouth?" Brennan asked.
"Probably,'' Flemmi told the court. "It was very distasteful to do and it was very difficult for me to do."
