Victim's kin petition judge, back maximum sentence for Connolly

FACING 30 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON John Connolly was found guilty of second-degree murder for his role in the killing of John Callahan.

The widow and two children of slain Boston business consultant John B. Callahan will urge a Florida judge tomorrow to consider their years of suffering and loss when he sentences former FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. for his role in the 1982 murder.

"After 26 years, I still cry over my father's murder and my family's loss," wrote Callahan's daughter, Kathleen, 43,in a victim impact statement to be read in court at Connolly's sentencing tomorrow, which was shared with the Globe by her mother. "Since his murder, I learned that my dad was a brilliant, funny, and faithful man, yet I only knew him from the perspective of a child. One of my life's greatest regrets is not having a relationship with him as an adult."

Patrick Callahan, who was 14 when his father was killed, wrote in his victim impact statement, "Without my father's inspiration, guidance, discipline, and what he was able to provide for the family, life as I knew it was out the window."

Callahan's widow, Mary, said that she and her children had decided it was too difficult, emotionally and financially, to attend Connolly's eight-week trial in Miami, which ended last month with his conviction for second degree murder. But all three of them will be in court for the former agent's sentencing, she said.

"It's important that we, as victims, get our voices heard," said Mary Callahan, who was battling multiple sclerosis when her 45-year-old husband was shot to death in Florida, leaving her the sole supporter of their teenage children. "You never get over it."

Connolly, 68, was found guilty on Nov. 6 of second-degree murder for leaking information to longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that prompted them to hire a hitman to kill Callahan, the former president of World Jai Alai who fraternized with gangsters.

During the trial, Flemmi, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders, testified that Connolly warned him and Bulger that the FBI planned to question Callahan. Connolly told them Callahan "wouldn't hold up" and would probably implicate the gangsters in the 1981 killing of World Jai Alai owner Roger Wheeler, Flemmi testified.

John Martorano, a hitman turned government witness, testified that he lured Callahan to Florida and killed him at the urging of Bulger and Flemmi. Callahan's bullet-riddled body was found in the trunk of his car at Miami International Airport on Aug. 2, 1982.

Prosecutors said Connolly faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison for his conviction of second-degree murder with a firearm. But defense lawyers said they will argue that the judge has the authority to sentence Connolly to less time.

"We can in good faith say he shouldn't get more than John Martorano got," said Manuel L. Casabielle, a lawyer in Miami who represents Connolly, referring to a deal that allowed Martorano to walk free after serving 12 years for killing 20 people.

The defense has submitted a number of letters supporters of Connolly wrote to the judge.

Connolly, who retired from the FBI in 1990, is serving a 10-year prison term for his 2002 federal racketeering conviction for helping Bulger, one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted, evade capture and for protecting him and Flemmi from prosecution.

Though Connolly was charged only with Callahan's murder in Florida, prosecutors were allowed to present additional evidence to try to prove that the former agent was corrupt.

Flemmi testified that he and Bulger killed two others - nightclub owner Richard Castucci in 1976 and gang associate Edward "Brian" Halloran in 1982 - because Connolly warned them that they were FBI informants who had cooperated against them or their friends.

Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Michael Von Zamft said he will seek a stiff sentence, adding, "The position of the state attorney is that a corrupt law enforcement official deserves to serve as maximum punishment as allowed because they take advantage of the public trust and they violate it."

Mary Callahan said her family supports the prosecution's call for the maximum penalty, which would mean Connolly would spend his life in prison.