By Shelley Murphy, Globe staff

MIAMI -- A Florida jury began its deliberations today in the murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. The six-man, six-woman panel worked for an hour in the late afternoon on the case, in which the once-respected Boston lawman is accused of leaking information to gangsters that led to a business consultant's 1982 slaying.

Connolly's defense lawyer argued today that his client had acted "honorably'' when dealing with longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and never plotted with them to murder anybody.

"If I'm not mistaken, the government would want you to believe Mr. Connolly was some kind of rogue agent who was doing these things in his own best interest,'' said defense attorney Manuel L. Casabielle. "In reality, what Mr. Connolly was doing was the FBI's work. Him and other agents like him were the tip of the spear in the fight against the Mafia.''

In a closing statement that went for an hour yesterday afternoon and nearly three hours today, Casabielle urged jurors to find 68-year-old Connolly not guilty of charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of John B. Callahan. He is accused of warning Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan, a former World Jai Alai executive, was being sought for questioning by the FBI and would likely implicate the gangsters in the 1981 slaying of World Jai Alai owner, Roger Wheeler.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. did not pull the trigger, and was not even in Florida in the summer of 1982 when an admitted hitman shot Boston business consultant John B. Callahan in the back of the head and dumped his body in the trunk of a Cadillac at Miami International Airport.

John J. Connolly

But, during closing arguments in Connolly's murder trial, a prosecutor told jurors that the former agent signed Callahan's death warrant when he warned longtime FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that the FBI planned to question the businessman about a murder and he'd probably implicate the two gangsters.

Leaking that information was "like throwing red meat to a lion, it was like waving a red flag in front of a bull," Fred Wyshak, a federal prosecutor from Boston who is assisting in the state murder prosecution told jurors. "He knew what was going to happen.''

Flemmi testified that Connolly never actually told them to kill Callahan, but he said the agent knew that his tip would prompt them to kill the businessman because the agent had leaked information to Bulger and Flemmi in the past that caused them to kill two FBI informants -- one in 1976 and another in 1982.

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A hitman. A gangster’s ex. A weeping disgraced FBI supervisor. The Miami trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the 1982 slaying of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan, has had its share of made-for-TV moments. Here is a synopsis of key testimony so far.

Sept 18: In a chilling display, hit man-turned-government witness John Martorano re-enacted several of the 20 slayings he committed. "Did you look in his eyes?" asked defense attorney Manuel L. Casabielle, referring to Roger Wheeler, a Tulsa businessman killed in 1981. "No," the 67-year-old killer said. "What were you thinking?" asked Casabielle. "I wanted to get away with this," he answered. A year later, Martorano recounted, he killed his good friend Callahan just as swiftly, with a bullet to the back of the head.

Sept. 22: Longtime FBI informant Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi testified that Connolly pocketed $235,000 in payoffs, compromised investigations, and leaked information that led to several murders. After taking a $25,000 kickback that he knew came from drug proceeds in 1983, Flemmi told jurors, Connolly had joked, "Hey, I'm one of the gang."

Flemmi has pleaded guilty to killing eight men and two women between 1974 and 1985 but admitted during Connolly's trial that during Boston's 1960s gang wars he shot Charlestown gang leader Edward "Punchy" McLaughlin. He also said he was involved in 10 other slayings - either participating or cleaning up afterward.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A retired FBI agent testified today that he never took payoffs or gifts from longtime FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger or Stephen "The Rifleman'' Flemmi, but that one time he did accept a Christmas gift from an informant who was a member of the Mafia.

John J. Connolly

Michael J. Buckley, who retired from the FBI five years ago, denied earlier testimony from Flemmi that he was given cash at Christmastime during the 1980s from Bulger and Flemmi. He said he never took any payoffs or gifts from the gangsters or their handler, former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who is on trial for murder.

But Buckley said he was meeting with a Mafia informant in the 1990s when the man's stepdaughter, who was about 5 years old, unexpectedly "handed me this gift box and said, 'This is from me and my Daddy,' "

"I didn't have the heart not to take it from her because the little girl handed it to me and I was showing a sign of trust with the informant,'' said Buckley, adding that a sweater that cost about $30 was tucked inside the box. "I accepted it because she handed it to me and it was a gesture of kindness. I didn't see any other reason behind it. There was no favor. There was no quid pro quo."

Buckley said agents aren't supposed to accept gifts so he later reported it to his superiors.

The defense called Buckley to the stand in an effort to challenge the credibility of Flemmi, one of the prosecution's key witnesses against Connolly, who is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the 1982 slaying of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A judge gave jurors the day off today in the murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. so one of the jurors could attend the funeral of a relative.

John J. Connolly

The trial will resume Tuesday for the 22nd day of testimony. The defense is slated to call several former FBI agents who worked with Connolly to the stand.

Connolly, 68, who retired from the FBI in 1990, is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the 1982 slaying in Florida of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan. Connolly is accused of warning longtime FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that the FBI was seeking Callahan for questioning. It was likely that Callahan would implicate the gangsters in the 1981 slaying of a Tulsa businessman.

Hitman John Martorano testified that at the request of Bulger and Flemmi he lured Callahan to Florida and killed him. Callahan's bullet-riddled body was found Aug. 2, 1982 in the trunk of his Cadillac at Miami International Airport.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A parade of current and former police officers have been called to the stand today in the state murder trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. in an apparent effort by the defense to cast doubt on claims that he leaked information to longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that prompted them to kill several people.

Two officers testified about encounters with Bulger associate Edward "Brian" Halloran, indicating that he was being targeted long before he was gunned down by Bulger in a drive-by shooting on Boston's waterfront in May 1982.

Boston Police Detective Timothy Lynch told the Florida jury that he responded to a call of shots fired near a union hall on Freeport Street in Dorchester on June 6, 1981, and found Halloran sitting in a parking lot uninjured in his Cadillac -- its rear window shattered by bullets.

Lynch said he didn't know who Halloran was at the time, but later discovered he was a known criminal, with a history of loansharking and extortion.

"It's not unusual for someone who commits those violent crimes to have someone try to shoot at them, right?" asked Miami-Dade assistant state attorney Michael Von Zamft during cross-examination. "No sir,'' said Lynch.

Retired Quincy Police Detective David Schofield testified that he investigated a report that a gun was fired at Halloran's condo on Willard Street in Quincy in April 1981. He said he found a bullet mark on the building.

Schofield testified that Halloran told him he suspected that a loanshark victim, whose leg he had broken, may have fired the shot at his apartment.

Flemmi, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders, testified earlier that Bulger killed Halloran after Connolly warned him and Bulger that Halloran had become an FBI informant and was cooperating against them. Halloran started cooperating with the FBI in January 1982 and told investigators that Bulger, Flemmi, and Boston business consultant John B. Callahan had orchestrated the 1981 slaying of a legitimate Tulsa businessman who suspected them of skimming from his company.

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(Dominic Chavez/Globe Staff/file 2007)

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- The world knows him as James "Whitey" Bulger, featured on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list alongside Osama bin Laden. But today Bulger's longtime girlfriend, 67-year-old Teresa Stanley told a Florida jury that during her 30 years of living with the South Boston gangster she called him by another name: Charlie.

Family photograph shows Teresa Stanley with James "Whitey" Bulger.

"I referred to him as Charlie, actually, but sometimes called him Jimmy," said Stanley, an attractive woman with short, snow-white hair, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, as she sat in the witness box at the murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. "That was the name he gave. It was sort of a nickname."

Stanley, who was subpoenaed to testify by the defense, recounted leaving Boston abruptly just before Christmas 1994 on a whirlwind cross-country trek that marked the beginning of Bulger's life on the run.

She recounted that she was Christmas shopping at Neiman Marcus in Boston's Copley Square when Bulger told her it was time to go. "He just said we were going to go away on a little trip,'' Stanley said.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- He infiltrated the Mafia for six years as an undercover FBI agent. He wrote a book about it that was turned into a 1997 movie, "Donnie Brasco," starring Johnny Depp. His photo is all over the Internet, most recently on a blog promoting his alleged efforts to solve the 1990 theft of $300 million worth of artwork from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

But today, Joseph D. Pistone, refused to take the witness stand at the state murder trial of his longtime friend, former FBI Agent John J. Connolly Jr., because the judge rejected his request for an order prohibiting the media from filming or photographing him as he testified.

Pistone, who was slated to testify for the defense, made it as far as the Miami-Dade county courthouse. He wore large brown-tinted sunglasses as he ate lunch with Connolly's lawyers in a busy cafeteria on the first floor.

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(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

Federal Judge Edward Harrington testified today in Miami.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A federal judge from Boston told a jury today that retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr.'s crime fighting efforts against organized crime in the 1980s helped decimate the New England Mafia.

John J. Connolly

"It was without parallel,'' said US District Senior Judge Edward F. Harrington, who was the first defense witness in Connolly's state murder trial.

"Well, John Connolly had great ability and he had a certain flair that attracted a confidence and trust with underworld figures,'' said Harrington, who served as US Attorney in Massachusetts from 1977 to 1981. "And he had several top-echelon underworld figures that he handled who provided the federal government with enormous and critical intelligence which was the basis for successful prosecutions."

Connolly's relationship with two of those informants, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, is at the heart of his murder trial in Florida.

The 68-year-old Connolly, who retired from the FBI in 1990 after 22 years, is accused of murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the 1982 slaying of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan. Connolly is accused of warning Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan was being sought for questioning by the FBI and would likely implicate the gangsters in the 1981 slaying of a Tulsa businessman.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

After calling 19 witnesses -- including a trio of killers and a disgraced FBI supervisor -- over the past month, the prosecution rested its case today 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 will start calling witnesses Tuesday, when jurors return to the Miami-Dade courthouse after a five-day break. The defense has about 30 witnesses on its list, but it's unclear whether all of them will be called. Those scheduled to take the stand next week include US District Court Senior Judge Edward F. Harrington, a former federal prosecutor who worked with Connolly on organized crime cases; former US Attorney Donald K. Stern, who prosecuted Bulger and Flemmi; and a number of retired FBI agents.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Retired FBI supervisor John Morris wept today on the witness stand at the murder trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., when asked to describe their relationship when both were respected colleagues in the FBI's Boston office in the 1970s.

John Connolly

"He was my best friend,'' said Morris, a 63-year-old white-haired man dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and gray tie. "He was like an older brother. ... I trusted him. I respected him. I trusted him with my life.''

Pulling a white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbing his eyes, Morris said, "I admired him ... he had qualities I didn't have. He was mentally tough. He was physically tough. He was from Boston. He knew the streets. He was charismatic."

The high praise from Morris, an admittedly corrupt former agent whose testimony helped send Connolly to prison for racketeering in 2002, drew no reaction from Connolly. His face remained expressionless as he looked at the former supervisor who went from friend to enemy.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A former defense attorney testified today in the murder trial of John J. Connolly Jr. that the former FBI agent had provided helpful information after Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi was charged with racketeering in 1995.

Testifying by video, Kenneth J. Fishman said that Connolly provided internal FBI reports and information that could be used to discredit other agents in the defense of Flemmi.

"He said they were for my eyes only,'' said Fishman, referring to reports that Connolly had filed with the FBI detailing information provided to him by Flemmi and fellow informant, James "Whitey" Bulger.

Fishman, who is now a Massachusetts Superior Court judge, said he met with Connolly four or five times at Boston restaurants and traded a number of telephone calls with the agent between December 1996 and 1997 while preparing a defense for Flemmi. The goal was to get the case against Flemmi dismissed on the grounds that the FBI had promised him and Bulger immunity from prosecution for their crimes because they were informants.

"I asked him whether he could provide the name of supervisors who authorized their continued involvement in criminal activity in exchange for their information,'' Fishman said.

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(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool)

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Notorious gangster and longtime FBI informant Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi boasted to a Florida jury today that he and his sidekick James "Whitey" Bulger were so powerful in the 1980s that even the Mafia didn't want to tangle with them.

John J. Connolly

"The Mafia didn't want to get involved with us,'' the 74-year-old gray-haired gangster said. "I'll tell you we were a formidable group.They didn't put us out of business that's for sure."

Flemmi is testifying for the third day in the state trial of his former handler, retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who is accused of murder and first degree murder in the 1982 slaying of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan.

Connolly, 68, who retired from the FBI in 1990 after 22 years, is accused of warning Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan was being sought for questioning by the FBI and would likely implicate them in the 1981 slaying of Roger Wheeler, a Tulsa businessman who owned World Jai Alai, a sports gambling operation with frontons in Florida and Connecticut.

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Stephen Flemmi on the stand yesterday at the trial of John J. Connolly Jr. (AP File Photo)

By Shelly Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Longtime FBI informant Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi told a Florida jury today that his former handler, retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., warned him and his sidekick, James "Whitey" Bulger, that a Boston business consultant who could implicate them in murder "wouldn't hold up" if questioned by the FBI.

That tip was enough to seal the fate of the businessman, John B. Callahan, according to Flemmi.

Within a week, Bulger summoned hitman John Martorano to a meeting at a New York City hotel and told him that he had to kill his good friend, Callahan, Flemmi said.

"He told him, Johnny, this information came from John Connolly," said Flemmi, adding that he and Bulger wanted Martorano to know that the tip was good. Bulger, who did all the talking during the meeting, according to Flemmi, warned the hitman, "You gotta make a decision here, You going to kill this guy or are you going to take the chance of going to prison for the rest of your life?"

Later, Flemmi underwent an aggressive cross-examination by Manuel L. Casabielle, Connolly's lawyer, who sought to raise questions about Flemmi's credibility.

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(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, Pool)

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi told a jury here today that former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. pocketed about $235,000 in bribes over the years and once joked, "Hey, I'm one of the gang.''

John J. Connolly

Flemmi testified that he and James "Whitey" Bulger gave Connolly about $5,000 each year when he went on vacation and $10,000 at Christmas time -- money that came from the profits of their crimes. The gangsters also doled out cash during the holidays to a handful of other agents in the FBI's Boston office, Flemmi said, none of whom have ever been charged.

Connolly raised his eyebrows in apparent disbelief as he stared at the man who had been his informant for years. The former FBI agent is already serving 10 years in prison for racketeering and is now on trial for murder.

Flemmi testified that they also paid Connolly kickbacks, ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, on several of their major drug scores. However, Bulger decided to reduce Connolly's payoffs because he was concerned that the agent was attracting attention with his careless flamboyance.

"One time we gave him money he went and bought a boat," Flemmi said. "Jim Bulger was upset about that. He had to sell the boat. I mean FBI agents weren't making much money back in those days. He was the best dressed agent in the office and people would start looking at him. That was a concern.''

Asked to identify Connolly, Flemmi gestured to the 68-year-old agent sitting next to his lawyers and described him as "a good looking gentleman, nice haircut. I know him very well."

Connolly stood up as Flemmi pointed him out for the jury, staring at Flemmi, unflinching and serious.

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(Drug Enforcement Agency)

This surveillance photograph taken in 1989 by the Drug Enforcement Agency shows Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi (left) and James "Whitey" Bulger walking near Castle Island in South Boston.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Most of the criminals that hung out at a Somerville auto body shop in the mid 1970s were hard-partying thugs. All except two men -- James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi -- who were physical fitness buffs and shunned alcohol and cigarettes.

For the first time today, Flemmi publicly described how he and Bulger forged a partnership that made them Boston's most powerful gangsters. They did this, Flemmi testified, while secretly working as FBI informants.

Flemmi described his relationship with Bulger during the murder trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly. As members of the Winter Hill Gang, Flemmi said he and Bulger "kind of hit it off together because we both identified with each other's activities."

"The rest of the guys were kind of party-type guys,'' Flemmi said of the gang at the garage. "We liked to party also, we weren't square, but we weren't extreme.''

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- The former head of the Massachusetts State Police told a Florida jury today that investigators "had sleepless nights" after cutting a deal with a confessed hitman, but insisted it had to be done to solve numerous murders and uncover corruption by former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. and other law enforcement officers.

"I don't feel good about it now,'' said Thomas J. Foley, referring to the deal that allowed John Martorano to go free last year after serving just 12 years for 20 murders. But, he said, the deal was necessary because without it, "we wouldn't have solved those homicides. We wouldn't have brought closure to those families'' or rooted out corruption.

"If John Connolly and the FBI had done their job, we wouldn't have been in that situation," he later added.

The testimony comes on the fifth day of Connolly's trial on state murder charges that carry a possible life sentence. Connolly, 68, is accused of leaking sensitive information to his longtime informants, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, that prompted them to arrange the murder of Boston business consultant John B. Callahan. Martorano, who carried out the murder, is a key witness in the case.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe staff

MIAMI -- Confessed hitman John Martorano gave a jury a blow-by-blow description of a murder this afternoon during blistering cross-examination in the trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr.

John Martorano

"Can you show the jury where you shot him?" asked defense attorney Manuel Casabielle as he leaned toward the witness box.

Martorano rubbed the back of the lawyer's head to show where he fired the bullets that killed the man he called his friend, Boston business consultant John B. Callahan.

"Did you look in his eyes when you shot him in the head?" Casabielle persisted.

"No,'' Martorano said without emotion.

"How did you feel?'' Casabielle asked, noting that Martorano had claimed to be Callahan's friend.

"I felt lousy,'' Martorano said. "I didn't want to kill a guy that I cared enough [about] to kill a guy for a year before.''

Martorano, 67, is free thanks to a plea deal after serving just 12 years and two months for killing 20 people, including Callahan. He is a key witness for the government in the murder case against Connolly. The former FBI agent is accused of leaking information to James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that prompted them to arrange the 1982 slaying of Callahan in Miami.

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By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI – The Boston guys – three investigators and a federal prosecutor – have moved into efficiency apartments along the shores of Miami Beach, settling in for the long haul that is expected in the prosecution of former FBI agent John Connolly on murder charges.

But that doesn’t mean the foursome has time for a round of golf or any pleasures of the sea. “We’ve been going 24/7,’’ says Fred Wyshak, the Boston federal prosecutor working with Dade County prosecutors trying Connolly in the 1982 murder of businessman John Callahan.

“We haven’t had a minute to get our toes in the sand or in the water,’’ Wyshak says.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- John Martorano, a hitman who has confessed to 20 killings, admitted today in a Miami court that one of his victims was John Callahan. He also testified that former FBI agent John Connolly had provided information that led to Callahan's death.

John Martorano

Martorano said he had been summoned to a meeting in New York in 1982 with the leaders of his Boston gang, James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, and there he was ordered to kill Callahan, a Boston businessman who had been his friend.

At the meeting, Martorano said, Bulger told him that Connolly had warned the gang that the FBI planned to pressure Callahan for information about an earlier slaying. Bulger told Martorano that the message from Connolly was that Callahan was "going to fold and we're all going to end up in jail for the rest of our lives if he doesn't hold up."

Connolly is accused of leaking information about Callahan to his longtime informants, Bulger and Flemmi. Prosecutors are trying Connolly on a murder charge because they allege that his tip led to the slaying of Callahan, whose bullet-riddled body was found in the trunk of his Cadillac at Miami International Airport.

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By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI – Former FBI agent John Connolly’s wife, Liz, has made her debut at her husband’s trial for murder, arriving on the third day in time to hear Whitey Bulger’s principal hit man accuse her husband of helping the Bulger gang to commit murder.

“John’s innocent,’’ Liz Connolly said in the hallway during a break, dismissing the gruesome account by John Martorano of the 1982 murder of John Callahan. Martorano testified Connolly tipped off the Bulger gang that Callahan might implicate them and had to be killed “or we’re all going to jail.’’

“I have to support him,’’ she said about her husband, explaining her arrival in Miami from Boston.

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By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI – There's been a full moon over Miami this week, but the only view John Connolly has had these past few years is of his own fallen star. Home for the former FBI agent is the windowless "strict security" unit of a sprawling prison out by the airport. It's where he's been held since his indictment on state murder charges three years ago, and where he spends about 23 hours a day in a cell the size of a walk-in closet.

Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center

Connolly sleeps on a concrete bed with its 5-inch mattress, washes up at the combo sink/toilet, and sits for hours at a time at a tiny desk where he keeps a photo of his sons. Meals on plastic trays arrive through a slot in the gray steel door, and every 30 minutes a guard swings by, day and night, to check on him and other inmates in the special unit.

Officially, John Connolly’s address is cell K-8113 in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Fifteen miles away is Miami Beach, where cruise ships dot the horizon and vacationers from around the world cavort along the sandy beach by day and in the bars at night. It's a scene Connolly himself would once have relished, he the longtime popular Boston FBI agent who moved about his hometown with flair and fun.

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(Family photograph)

John B. Callahan with his children, Kathleen and Patrick, on Easter in 1971.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

Boston business consultant John B. Callahan was found dead on Aug. 2, 1982, his bullet-riddled body stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac in a parking lot at Miami International Airport. The 45-year-old had served as president of World Jai Alai, a sports betting operation with frontons in Connecticut and Florida. Authorities immediately suspected his slaying was linked to James "Whitey" Bulger's Winter Hill gang.

Callahan was a married father of two who lived in Winchester and had an office on Commercial Wharf in Boston. He grew up in Medford, earned a business degree at Boston College, and worked at two of Boston's largest accounting firms -- Ernst & Ernst and Arthur Andersen & Co. -- and as a consultant to the First National Bank of Boston.

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(Pool Photo)

Judge Blake gestured today as he talked to the jury.

By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI -- “Welcome back!” booms the judge to the jury. “How ya doin’?’’’

It’s morning, and this is the second day of the murder trial of defrocked FBI star John J. Connolly, and the presiding Judge Stanford Blake sounds like a standup comic behind an open mike.

When he yells a greeting from his bench to a gaggle of reporters covering the trial he cracks, “Please, if you notice I’ve fallen asleep during testimony, just say I’m deep in thought.’’

When he jousts with the stone-serious Fred Wyshak, the Boston federal prosecutor on loan to the locals, about sartorial choices Wyshak’s made for this road trip, Blake says that since becoming a judge 14 years ago he can no longer afford the fancy suits.

In fact, the judge says, “I sew pant legs to the bottom of my robe and wear gym shorts underneath.’’

Blake’s courtroom style is folksy and loose – a real contrast to the kind of pinched formality most visiting Bostonians are used to seeing in court. It’s an informality that’s left some of Connolly’s friends and supporters scratching their heads – I mean this is a murder trial and Connolly’s life, in effect, is hanging in the balance. If convicted, Connolly’s going to spend the rest of his days behind bars.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Secret FBI informant files introduced today at the murder trial of John J. Connolly showed that when he was a Boston FBI agent he filed reports indicating that gangster James “Whitey” Bulger blamed the Mafia -- and then a crew from Charlestown -- for a 1982 slaying that authorities now believe Bulger committed himself.

Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, Bulger’s one-time lieutenant, has told authorities that Bulger killed Edward “Brian” Halloran after being warned by Connolly that he was cooperating with the FBI. Bulger believed that Halloran could implicate him, Flemmi, and others in the May 1981 slaying of Roger Wheeler, a Tulsa millionaire. Flemmi, who is now serving a life sentence for 10 murders, is expected to testify next week.

The once-secret FBI reports were introduced by James Marra, a special agent for the Justice Department's Inspector General's office who was on the witness stand for much of the day. In the Florida case, Connolly is accused of giving another tip to Bulger and Flemmi that he allegedly knew would lead to the 1982 murder of Boston businessman John B. Callahan.

Prosecutors have said that Connolly was a corrupt agent who recruited Bulger as an informant and then became "just another member" of Bulger's gang, while working inside the FBI.

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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.

(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.

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By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI – Fred Wyshak, holder of the law enforcement equivalent of a PhD in Whitey’s World, gave jurors a 90-minute primer on three decades of Boston’s underworld in his opening argument against ex-FBI agent John Connolly.

The question was whether the crash course was too much information for jurors.

Wyshak juggled posters – one a timeline and others featuring photographs of the prime-time players in the epic saga – as he sought to provide background on Whitey and the Boston FBI. He introduced a slew of names, dates, and a host of other gangland murders, crimes and misdemeanors from the Whitey years. Richard Castucci. Brian Halloran. Roger Wheeler. Michael Donahue.

Who are these people? (Answer: all were murdered by Whitey and his gang). The history lesson went on and on and you had to wonder whether the jury was overwhelmed by it all. They could have used a line-up card, a Who’s Who. You also had to wonder what they thought of our beloved Boston after hearing exclusively about its dark underbelly.

The graying Boston fed has been designated a special assistant state’s attorney for the purposes of prosecuting Connolly in the 1982 slaying of John Callahan. Dressed in a dark blue suit, his opening statement illustrated the scope and complexity of the story of Whitey and John Connolly’s FBI.

It was a reminder that the Callahan murder is no simple case. No murder case is, but this one is about so much more than a single, specific act. And Wyshak went far beyond the facts surrounding the 1982 slaying to offer a Cliff Notes version of several decades of Boston history. He talked about Connolly growing up in Southie, and his ties to Billy Bulger. Wyshak talked about so many relationships from Boston’s subcultures of crime, politics, and law enforcement, covering so many years that even he, the expert, at times misspoke a name or date. It’s a huge canvas he sought to portray.

Dick Lehr, a journalism instructor at Boston University and former Globe reporter, is co-author of "Black Mass,'' a definitive book on Whitey Bulger's mob and its infiltration of the FBI.

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By Shelley Murphy and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- The witness list for the murder trial of former FBI agent John J. Connolly is not for the faint hearted.

The prosecution's key testimony will be provided by: Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, 74, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders; John Martorano, a 67-year-old former hitman who served 12 years in prison for killing 20 people and is now free; Kevin J. Weeks, 52, a gangster-turned-author who admitted assisting Bulger in five murders; and former FBI supervisor John Morris, 63, who admitted pocketing $7,000 in bribes and received immunity from prosecution.

The only name missing is James "Whitey" Bulger, the ringleader who fled Boston in 1995 after Connolly told him an indictment was imminent. The FBI is offering $2 million for information leading to the capture of Bulger, an award second only to one offered for Osama bin Laden on the agency's 10 Most Wanted List.

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Boston businessman John B. Callahan lived a double life, a prosecutor told a jury here today. By day, he worked as an accountant and consultant, but by night, the Winchester resident spent too much time in nightclubs and ran with mobsters.

John J. Connolly

"Like too many legitimate businessmen who like hanging around with gangsters, often they get in over their heads," prosecutor Fred M. Wyshak said in his opening statement. "And that's what happened to John Callahan.

"It cost him his life."

On Aug. 2, 1982, the body of the 45-year-old father of two was found riddled with bullets and stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac in a parking lot at Miami International Airport. Wyshak told the jury today that the brutal slaying was the fault of another man who led a double life: FBI agent John J. Connolly.

Connolly listened intently from a table with his three lawyers and took scrupulous notes as Wyshak spent 90 minutes laying out the evidence against him in his murder trial. Connolly looked trim in his dark suit coat, white shirt, and maroon tie, but his silver hair was a stark reminder of how long it had been since he was a rising star with the FBI in the 1980s.

On his way into court this morning, Connolly greeted reporters and said, "I'm innocent."

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By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Former FBI agent John J. Connolly shuffled into a courtroom here this morning in a red prison jumpsuit, his wrists and ankles shackled. Connolly greeted the media, who had made the trip from New England and beyond for his long-awaited murder trial, with a "Hi" as court officers escorted him to a holding area.

"I'm innocent," Connolly told reporters, adding that he was ready for the trial.

The silver-haired 68-year-old will change into a suit and return to the courtroom in Miami-Dade County Court, where opening statements are expected later this morning. Connolly, once a star in the FBI's Boston office, is accused of giving a tip to two gangsters that he allegedly knew would lead to the 1982 murder of John B. Callahan.

Prosecutors contend that Callahan planned to expose the orchestration of a Tulsa businessman's murder by James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. The body of the 45-year-old Boston business consultant was found riddled with bullets and stuffed in the trunk of his Cadillac on Aug. 3, 1982, in a parking lot at Miami International Airport.

Connolly, who is currently serving 10 years for federal racketeering, faces life in prison if convicted of the state murder charge. The trial could take two months.

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By Dick Lehr, Globe Correspondent

MIAMI -- The clear night sky, full moon and all, is giving way to a day forecasters have promised will be hot and sun-filled, and in a matter of hours the broken star of the Boston FBI goes on trial for murder in a downtown county courthouse.

John J. Connolly Jr. -- how the mighty have fallen.

We already know Connolly's a gangster. That's been proven time and again, in court hearings, civil actions, and at his own racketeering trial in 2002. Connolly, a homegrown Boston FBI agent, turned corrupt protector of all things Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi.

But murderer?

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(Wilfredo Lee/AP)

A former lawman in handcuffs -- Connolly at a hearing in Miami last week.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

After four days of jury selection, a jury was chosen today in the Miami murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr.

The panel of 12 jurors and four alternates is scheduled to hear opening statements Monday in the case of Connolly, who is accused of plotting with longtime FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi to kill Boston business consultant John B. Callahan in 1982.

The 68-year-old former agent is charged in state court with first-degree murder, which carries a life sentence, and conspiracy to commit murder, which carries up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors allege that Connolly told Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan was a "weak link,'' who was being sought for questioning by the FBI and would likely implicate the gangsters in the 1981 slaying of a Tulsa businessman.

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