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Bulger deserves to be forgotten: Column

James Alan Fox
FBI Special Agent Mary Prang sets up a "wanted" poster overstamped "captured" for James "Whitey" Bulger in Los Angeles on June 23, 2011.
  • Many folks locally were disappointed that the Bulger trial was not televised.
  • Several top-selling books have been published chronicling James Bulger%27s lawlessness.
  • Having a Hollywood luminary playing the role of the gangster would blur the line between fame and infamy.

One by one, the court clerk read aloud the verdicts on the multitude of charges against the former Boston mob boss, James Joseph Bulger, Jr. As expected, the 83-year-old defendant was found guilty of murder, extortion, racketeering, money laundering, drug trafficking and various weapons violations.

For us here in Massachusetts, it will certainly be a relief to have this protracted saga over and done. No more news reports about possible sightings of the long-time fugitive. No more police motorcades and helicopter escorts transporting Bulger from his local holding cell to court or some medical appointment. No more satellite trucks parked outside the federal courthouse soliciting opinions from experts and ordinary spectators alike about the notorious defendant. No more special treatment afforded this especially undeserving man.

Many folks locally were disappointed that the Bulger trial was not televised. Although some may have been denied the cathartic pleasure of closely watching the court proceedings, such minute-by-minute live coverage would only have broadened Bulger's stage. His profanity-laced outbursts toward witnesses and the bench could then have been heard around the world, not just inside the confines of the courtroom.

It is time to close this long and often painful chapter of Massachusetts history. Having lived in the Boston area for nearly all of my six decades, I welcome having the Bulger name drop from the city's collective consciousness and daily discourse. For many years, this corner of the globe was ruled by two brothers with contrasting spheres of influence. Bill Bulger served several terms as president of the Massachusetts Senate and then as president of the University of Massachusetts, while James terrorized the region as the much-feared kingpin of the notorious Winter Hill Gang.

Several top-selling books have been published chronicling James Bulger's lawlessness, and with the trial concluded, likely more will be forthcoming. It is useful and important for his dreadful crimes and despicable character to be exposed so as to dispel any notion of benevolence. I would prefer, however, that he was not constantly referred to by his nickname as if he were the good pal living next door.

While the written word does little to sensationalize Bulger's exploits, the line should be drawn with big-screen movies, at least two of which are planned. Hollywood already capitalized on the gangleader's life with the 2006 film The Departed, which featured Jack Nicholson as a Boston mob kingpin loosely based on Bulger's persona. The movie earned four Oscars and nearly $290 million in global ticket sales. At least, however, Bulger himself was not specifically named or portrayed in the fictional story.

Having some Hollywood luminary playing the role of the gangster now would only blur the critical distinction between fame and infamy. Few people today would know of Depression-era outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, for example, were it not for the romance-infused performances of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Bulger surely does not merit similar cinematic prominence, at least not now while the emotional scars of so many people impacted by his crime spree remain fresh.

The families of Bulger's victims are incensed, and rightly so. Not only has Bulger taken their loved one, but he has enjoyed the limelight as well. The excessive attention give an unremorseful crook adds insult to injury for these people.

Now that the verdict is in, all that remains is the sentencing hearing scheduled for November, when these families will have the opportunity in open court to describe the pain and suffering that James Bulger has caused them. The proceedings will then conclude when the judge formally orders Bulger to spend the rest of his days confined to a prison cell.

Given the federal jurisdiction over the case, Bulger will be shipped off to some far away location -- possibly the "supermax" facility in Florence, Colo. There he will remain hopefully in relative obscurity, that is, of course, until the day when the Boston newspapers print his obituary.

James Alan Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University and co-author of The Will to Kill. He is a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors.

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