In Miami courtroom, some support Connolly

(Pool Photo)

Connolly listened intently to testimony during his trial today.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- The second day of the state murder trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. got off to a slow start this morning as jurors remained on an extended coffee break while lawyers haggled over what FBI informant files should be allowed into evidence.

The case that involves fugitive gangster James "Whitey" Bulger has sparked intense interest in Boston but has drawn scant interest here, where barely a dozen spectators, including some courthouse workers, have showed up for the trial.

The 68-year-old Connolly said the cost of traveling to Florida from Boston and the expected length of the trial, which could go two months, had kept his family away yesterday for opening statements. But, today he got a boost when his brother, James, a retired federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent, showed up in court.

The brothers smiled, shook hands, and chatted for several minutes before jurors entered the courtroom.

"We're family,'' said James Connolly, declining to say more.

The only friend of Connolly's who has been present every day since jury selection started Sept. 8 is Francis X Joyce, the former executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and a protege of Bulger's younger brother, William, who was a longtime president of the Massachusetts Senate and the University of Massachusetts.

"We believe in his innocence and we're here to show support,'' said Joyce, who has been commuting daily from his condo in Pompano.

Joyce, who, like Connolly and the Bulgers is a South Boston native, said, "The Connolly and the Joyce families go way back."

Joyce has been sitting in the courtroom, taking notes on a yellow legal pad while listening to testimony.

A retired FBI agent who trained Connolly when he joined the FBI in 1968 and hasn't seen him in decades also came to court today.

"But for the grace of God I could be sitting in his shoes,'' said Bill Hayes, a former Springfield resident who retired from the FBI in 1987 and now lives in Miami. "We all had informants on the street, some good guys, some bad guys.''

Connolly is facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and could face a life sentence if convicted. He's accused of leaking sensitive information to his longtime informants, Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, that led to the 1982 slaying of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan. In opening arguments yesterday, a prosecutor said Connolly became "just another member of the gang."

The former agent, who retired from the FBI in 1990 after 22 years, is currently serving a 10-year prison term for his 2002 federal racketeering conviction for protecting Bulger and Flemmi from prosecution and warning them to flee before their 1995 racketeering indictment.

It's possible that confessed hitman-turned-government witness John Martorano, who has admitted killing Callahan, could take the stand this afternoon.

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