FBI never apologized, son testifies
His father was allegedly gunned down by Bulger
The son of a bystander who was allegedly gunned down by longtime FBI informant James "Whitey" Bulger testified yesterday that he cannot understand why the FBI "never issued any type of apology" to his family.
Michael Donahue, a 39-year-old electrician from Dorchester, said his family has yet to find justice, while the government has cut "lousy deals" with Bulger's former associates who have detailed their own murderous exploits in books and on television. "It's insulting," Donahue said.
He testified yesterday during the fourth and final day of a wrongful-death trial in federal court over how much the government should pay the Donahues and the widow of Edward "Brian" Halloran.
US District Judge Reginald C. Lindsay has already ruled that the FBI was responsible for the May 11, 1982, slayings of Michael Donahue, 32, and Halloran, 41, because of the bureau's negligent handling of Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.
Flemmi, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders, testified in prior proceedings that Bulger killed Halloran after being warned by his handler, former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., that Halloran was cooperating with the FBI and had implicated them in the slaying of a Tulsa businessman.
Donahue, a truck driver and father of three sons, was an innocent victim, Flemmi said. He was giving Halloran a ride home when Bulger and an accomplice ambushed them on the South Boston waterfront.
Lindsay gave lawyers a month to file briefs, before he rules on damages.
Retired FBI agent Gerald Montanari, whom the government called to the stand, described Halloran as an enforcer for the Winter Hill Gang with a long criminal history. He also disputed testimony by Halloran's widow, Patricia Macarelli, who said the FBI did not contact her until three months after her husband's slaying, even though the family was living in an FBI safe house. Montanari said he met with Macarelli a day or two after the slaying.
"He's a liar," Macarelli said when asked about the discrepancy.
During closing arguments, Justice Department lawyer Andrew Kaplan said two economists had major flaws in their estimates that Halloran would have earned $631,000 and Donahue $2.26 million, if they had lived. He argued that any income Halloran earned came from crime.
"Brian Halloran certainly wasn't a saint," New Hampshire attorney William Christie, who represents Macarelli, said yesterday. But Halloran suffered greatly as he survived for at least 30 minutes after being shot 22 times, Christie said. "No person deserves to die that kind of death."
Donahue's son, Shawn, 37, who works for The Boston Globe, testified that he lost his childhood the day his father died.
"In every way possible, things were never the same," he said.
