Cullen chats about Whitey in a Speedo, the tough case against Connolly

Globe columnist Kevin Cullen chatted live with readers for almost two hours from the trial of disgraced former Boston FBI agent John Connolly in Miami. Here are four highlights. For a link to the full transcript, click here.

Kevin Cullen

Kevin_Cullen: If I see Whitey down here, he'll probably be walking on Ocean Ave. on South Beach, wearing a Speedo and holding the leash to a poodle. He and his girlfriend had a poodle they used to walk when they lived in Quincy.

Kevin_Cullen: I don't think it's an open and shut case at all. In fact, I think it's a tough case to sell to a jury that has no context or history on all this. The three key witnesses against Connolly - Johnny Martorano, Stevie Flemmi and Kevin Weeks - have 45 murders between them. The other key witness, John Morris, was corrupt himself. Evidentiary wise, the statements claiming that Connolly fed these guys info to kill people are second hand - Martorano, Flemmi, and Weeks saying that this is what Whitey told them. And of course Whitey ain't around to corroborate them. But John Timoney, the Miami police chief, who is an old pal, told me that Miami juries are pretty sophisticated when it comes to complex cases of law enforcement corruption. It will be interesting to see the way this unfolds.

Kevin_Cullen: I think my biggest concern about Whitey at this point is that he might come back and crack me over the head with a bottle of Geritol. He's 80 years old, for cripes sake. And, no, I don't go around insulting gangsters who are still in the life. I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid.

Kevin_Cullen: I had a pint of Guinness at an alleged Irish pub on South Beach the other day and it tasted vaguely like someone had poured porter into an ash tray. I'll be in Dublin in a couple of weeks, and trust me, I won't walk into Mulligans on Poolbeg Street and ask for a Mojito.

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