Prosecution rests in Connolly case

Top judge, Stern on ex-agent's list of witnesses

Al Diaz/ap/Pool/fileJohn Connolly, in Miami court last month, could face life in prison if convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the 1982 killing of John B. Callahan. (Al Diaz/ap/Pool/file)

After calling 19 witnesses - including a trio of killers and a disgraced FBI supervisor - over the past month, the prosecution rested its case yesterday in the Miami murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who is accused of plotting with longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi to kill a Boston business consultant in 1982.

The defense is expected to start calling witnesses Tuesday, when jurors are to return to the Miami-Dade courthouse after a break. The defense has about 30 witnesses on its list, but it's unclear whether all will be called.

Scheduled to take the stand next week are US District Court Senior Judge Edward F. Harrington, a former federal prosecutor who worked with Connolly on organized crime cases; Donald K. Stern, a former US attorney who prosecuted Bulger and Flemmi; and a number of retired FBI agents.

Connolly, 68, who retired from the FBI in 1990 after 22 years, is accused of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of John B. Callahan. Flemmi, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders, testified last month that Connolly warned him and Bulger that Callahan was being sought for questioning by the FBI and probably "wouldn't hold up" and would implicate the gangsters in the 1981 execution of a Tulsa businessman.

Hitman-turned-government witness John Martorano testified that he lured Callahan to Florida and shot him at Bulger's and Felmmi's request. Callahan's body was found Aug. 2, 1982, in the trunk of his Cadillac at Miami International Airport.

Miami lawyer Manuel L. Casabielle, who represents Connolly, said no decision has been made about whether Connolly will testify.

Connolly, once a highly decorated agent in the FBI's Boston office, is already serving 10 years in prison for his 2002 federal racketeering conviction for protecting Bulger and Flemmi from prosecution and warning them to flee just before their indictment in 1995.

Flemmi told jurors that he had "procrastinated" and was arrested before he could leave the Boston area. Bulger slipped away and has evaded capture. He is implicated in 19 murders and is one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted, with a $2 million reward being offered for his capture.

Connolly could face life in prison if convicted of murder by the Florida jury.

Shelley Murphy can be reached at shmurphy@globe.com