Bulger defense still not saying whether Whitey will testify

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- James "Whitey" Bulger's defense team, once again, avoided answering whether or not their client will take the stand in his own defense at his racketeering trial Wednesday.

Before testimony started for the day Wednesday, prosecutors argued that they had a right to know whether or not Bulger would testify. But after the defense spent a full day with just two witnesses, attorney J.W. Carney said he was behind schedule and still didn't know if Bulger would testify.

Carney also said he wasn't sure that he'd be able to finish with eight other defense witnesses by the end of Thursday. The defense had previously said they planned to get through their witnesses by mid-week.

Meanwhile, the jury heard from two former FBI special agents who worked in Boston in the late 70s and early 80s.

James Crawford testified that Debra Davis' mother, Olga, came to the FBI believing that Bulger's partner, Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi, had killed her daughter. Flemmi had testified that Bulger was the one who strangled Davis.

Crawford also said he received a tip from someone close to Flemmi that it was "The Rifleman" who was planning to kill informant Brian Halloran.

Former FBI supervisor Fred Davis said when he arrived at the Boston FBI office the culture was one of "paranoia." Davis said that several agents suspected Agent John Connolly of leaking information.

Davis also said that if he had the power, he would have closed Bulger's informant file, claiming it was "worthless" and didn't have anything in it.

Bulger maintains that he was never an FBI informant.

Cox Media Group