A jury in the northeastern U.S. city of Boston has found former crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger guilty on charges of murder and racketeering, following a two-month high-profile trial.
The 83-year-old Bulger was charged with committing or ordering 19 murders in the 1970s and 1980s while running the so-called "Winter Hill" crime gang.
He was found guilty of 31 charges and 11 murders. He faces a court sentence of life in prison.
Bulger pled "not guilty" to 32 separate criminal charges, although his lawyers acknowledged their client was an "organized criminal," drug dealer, extortionist and loan shark.
Several former friends and gang members testified against Bulger during the trial.
Bulger was one of the nation's most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994, and was captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
Family members of Bulger's victims have long waited for verdicts on the killings, and about a half dozen survivors have been a regular presence in the courtroom.
The 83-year-old Bulger was charged with committing or ordering 19 murders in the 1970s and 1980s while running the so-called "Winter Hill" crime gang.
He was found guilty of 31 charges and 11 murders. He faces a court sentence of life in prison.
Bulger pled "not guilty" to 32 separate criminal charges, although his lawyers acknowledged their client was an "organized criminal," drug dealer, extortionist and loan shark.
Several former friends and gang members testified against Bulger during the trial.
Bulger was one of the nation's most wanted fugitives after fleeing Boston in 1994, and was captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
Family members of Bulger's victims have long waited for verdicts on the killings, and about a half dozen survivors have been a regular presence in the courtroom.
