A man who spent the last 32 years in prison for a crime he claims he did not do has found an ally in the notorious convicted gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, The Boston Globe reported Monday.
The man, Fred Weichel, was convicted in 1981 for shooting and killing a man the year before. Eyewitness testimony placed Weichel leaving the scene of the crime in a car. Weichel, 62, has maintained he is innocent and is currently fighting to have his conviction overturned, The Boston Globe reported.
Bulger, who is currently serving two life sentences for his role in 11 murders, said he has personal knowledge in the murder Weichel was convicted of and that a friend of Weichel's is the real murderer.
"I will not reveal his name- can't do that against my standards- can only hope he would be brave enough to come forth," Bulger, 84, wrote in a series of letters from jail in the fall of 2013.
Bulger wrote a total of eight letters while he was incarcerated at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. The letters were sent to Weichel's defense attorneys to support their motion to have the conviction overturned, The Boston Globe reported.
The man Weichel was convicted of killing was 25-year-old Robert LaMonica, an employee for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. He was shot dead outside his Braintree apartment in the pre-dawn hours of May 31, 1980.
Bulger claims before that he had a conversation with a young boxer who was Weichel's "pal." The boxer told the gangster he was in trouble because the friend of a man he beat up wanted revenge against him, Bulger wrote. The friend was LaMonica.
Bulger advised the boxer to kill the friend.
"I you don't get him first I'd say he will get you- he's dangerous- so again kill him and it's over," Bulger wrote, according to newspaper. "Never repeat this conversation to anyone- my only warning- you know what will happen if you do- he understood."
It is not yet clear if Bulger's information will be considered for Weichel's case.
Defense attorney Michel D. Ricciuti told The Boston Globe they have not answered Bulger's request to be interviewed on Weichel's behalf.
