Hitman Martorano living a quiet life in Milford

FOX UNDERCOVER - Winter Hill hitman John Martorano's testimony has spellbound the region as he has recounted in James "Whitey" Bulger's trial his life of crime, but to Martorano's neighbor in Milford, he's just "John," a quiet older man with two little dogs who keeps to himself.

"Very quiet," said Richard Vayo, who lives in the condo next door to Martorano. "Just says ‘Hi' and that's about it. He doesn't appear to be the type of neighbor that goes around and having coffee with the rest of the neighbors, and that's the way I like it too."

Martorano bought the condo, located just off the green of the first hole of a golf course at the complex, through a realty trust in May 2011 for $202,000, and is up to date on his water and tax bills, town records show. He lives there with a woman and two small dogs, described by Vayo as "yappers."

"I didn't know anything about the man before all this went down, and I certainly don't expect any trouble now," Vayo said.

Martorano's front and center role in Bulger's trial has helped spread the word through Milford, population about 30,000, about perhaps their most infamous resident.

"What do you think, hearing that he lives here?" FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet asked one resident.

"I'd go up and say, ‘How you doing, what's up. I'd like to hear your side of the story.' And then I'd run like hell," the woman replied.

Milford Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin is well aware that Martorano lives there.

"Is he on your radar screen?" Beaudet asked him.

"No more than anyone else that lives in Milford," O'Loughlin said.

Bulger's attorneys tried unsuccessfully to delay the start of the trial after learning that a Mass. State Police trooper believed Martorano was committing crimes after his release from prison. The trooper, Nunzio Orlando, who has since been transferred, accused his boss in the organized crime unit of protecting Martorano from being investigated. Federal prosecutors said in court there was nothing to those allegations.

But O'Loughlin says he isn't aware of anything.

"Does he blend in the community?" Beaudet asked.

"I think so," O'Loughlin said. "I've seen him around town. But aside from that, honestly, I've not received a single adverse comment about him living here that he's done anything wrong."

Martorano did get a citation from Milford police in April 2012 after crashing his son's Cadillac SUV into another car. The woman who was hit tells FOX Undercover she started "screaming expletives" at Martorano, not realizing who he was, because "he pulled right out in front of me."

She says Martorano let her use his cell phone to call her husband since her battery had died.

Cox Media Group