The death of James "Whitey" Bulger sent a shock wave throughout Boston, leaving many feeling as if justice had finally served.
Bulger was found unresponsive by prison staff around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, just a day after being transferred to Hazelton Prison in West Virginia. A resuscitation attempt was made, but the notorious mobster was later pronounced dead.
>>MORE: James 'Whitey' Bulger dead after transfer to prison in West Virginia
The cause of his death was not confirmed, but the Associated Press reported the death was being investigated as a homicide.
"The guy that did this, I would go put money in his canteen account," Tommy Donahue said on Boston 25 News. "I know what kind of person he probably is and I know he's probably a bad person, but I'd go put money in his canteen for helping my family move on."
>>MORE: Reports: 'Whitey' Bulger brutally beaten to death in WV prison
Donahue's father Michael was at a bar in Boston's Seaport District in May of 1982 when his neighbor Brian Halloran asked him for a ride home to Dorchester.
"They went outside the bar and they got in the car," Donahue said. "As they continued to pull out, Whitey Bulger and a couple of his colleagues pulled up next to him and shot and killed them both."
Donahue and his brothers lost a father, while Patricia Donahue lost a husband.
"He ruined my life, definitely," Patricia Donahue said. "I could never forgive him for that."
Tommy Donahue said, after the torment he and his family have gone through, he hopes the death was anything but painless.
>>MORE: WV prison where 'Whitey' Bulger died was known for being 'very violent'
"I hope he suffered, of course I hope he suffered," Donahue said. "My family has been suffering for over 36 years."
Steven Davis's sister Debra was brutally strangled, allegedly at the hands of Bulger and his partner, Steve Flemmi. However, at the conclusion of Bulger's trial in 2013, the jury issued a "no finding' in Debra Davis's death.
Now, Steven Davis said this news feels as close to justice as possible.
"I hope it was a brutal murder, instead of a natural cause," Davis said. "I hope all the families and everyone else are looking at this as a positive and a close for them."
Bulger's brother, former Senate president William Bulger, slipped into his house while ignoring questions from Boston 25 News reporter Bob Ward, as West Virginia investigators continue to examine how Bulger's death occurred.
Bobby Long, one of the Massachusetts State Police troopers on the team doing surveillance on Bulger at the Lancaster Street Garage in the 1980's, recalled his time following the mobster, and called him "the scariest, probably, criminal I ever came across."
"For me, it was like the case would never go away," Long said. "This is kinda like a final chapter, closing the book"
Cox Media Group
