The Rough Tumble and Jungle Rumble of the Pit Begins Monday

dempsey v firpoI’m told Kevin Weeks is on the stand Monday. He wrote a book entitled Brutal. He travels around the suburbs pushing the book for sale. It’s very exciting for these suburban housewives to be in the room with a real murderer. Some even come up and dare to stand near him. It gives those who do stories that they can pass down through her children and grandchildren how daring it was to come within an eyelash of a true murderer.

I saw Kevin Weeks testify in the John Connolly federal trial in Boston. He passed briefly over his life with Whitey. The main focus of his testimony was telling how Connolly tipped Whitey off to flee when the indictments came down. Like the two Southie gangsters we heard testify earlier this week, he called Whitey Jim or Jimmy.

Which reminds me, Martorano called him Whitey when he testified, a name he never called him to his face. I attributed that to the prosecution having well rehearsed him on what to say. The guys from Southie who testified, the real tough guys who survived without shooting someone in the back of the head, who couldn’t be hammered into submission by the government, kept their toughness and refused to call Whitey other than Jim.

I watched and listened to Weeks testify. I believed him to be one of the best witnesses I ever saw. Not so much on direct, because then he was answering mostly yes or no for AUSA Durham, pretty much as he will be doing for Fred Wyshak. But on cross-examination.

I once visited a zoo in Spain. It had a huge tiger in one cage. About 100 feet away from the cage they had a donkey ride set up. The donkey would walk in circles. The tiger would never take its eyes off the donkey. It stared and stared at every movement. I was fascinated watching how intently it concentrated.

I bring that up because if you read in my book Don’t Embarrass The Family where I discuss Weeks’s testimony I tell how he never took his eyes off Tracy Miner as she cross-examined him. He followed her every move with his eyes as if he wanted to pounce upon and devour her. It made me recall the Spanish tiger.

Miner’s a good lawyer but Weeks gave her a run for her money. He always answered the way he wanted; he could never be pinned down. He showed a keen mind and a high intellect weighing carefully each question and firing off his answers in a way that defied you to disbelieve him. His keen ability to testify seemed so at odds to the life he led and testified about.

Months or even a year or two later I had a private conversation with a person I won’t identify, as you know I will not disclose things said in private. This person has seen more people testify over the past couple of decades than most other people. The person told me that Weeks was the best witness he ever heard testify.

That person didn’t like or know Weeks any more than I did. I was surprised we had come to the same conclusion. Unless the passing of eleven years has changed him, starting Monday the public will be treated to that type of witness. A treat to the public, a problem for Carney.

If Weeks is on his game, he’ll destroy Whitey unless Carney can destroy him. Weeks is standing next to Whitey in at least five murders, side by side, helping him out with the murder and the burial. One he will testify about, that of Deborah Hussey, will have him telling how Whitey murdered her. This will be something that Whitey will not abide.

Much worse than being an informant is being someone who killed a young woman. We’ve heard he used the “f-u” words toward Morris when Morris said he was an informant; I’m expecting he’ll come out of his seat and go after Weeks unless he uses his great disciplinary powers to keep himself under control. But a roaring turbulent wild-fire like that which took the lives of those 19 brave firefighters this week will be raging inside him. He might not be able to control it. It will be a continuance of the 4th of July fireworks.

Weeks comes on at the perfect time for the prosecutors. They’ve just presented two Southie guys who clearly showed Whitey was the man in charge in Southie. Now Weeks will tell how it was that he was in that position. We’ve heard from Billy Shea the names Halloran and Bucky Barrett, Weeks will tell how they met their demise He will tell how he buried Bucky and others and how he led the cops to them.

Carney will face an immense challenge. Carney has had enough tough cases to be an experienced cross-examiner. Weeks will be the toughest opponent he ever faces. I watched him cross-examine Jimmy Katz, he was all right; cross-examine Joe Tower, didn’t think much of that at all. But neither of those men were make or break type guys since Carney had already conceded the gaming and drugs charges.

This time it is different. Not only will Weeks be able to bring down Whitey, he may bring down Carney if Carney doesn’t bring down him. This will be a mammoth struggle of titans. No David/Goliath battle here. It is evenly matched. Mohammed Ali vs George Frazier; Dempsey vs Firpo, Joe Louis vs Billy Conn, Hagler vs  Hearns, Mickey Ward vs Arturo Gatti, all combined into one. Hopefully Carney paid attention during training camp.

I know Weeks will be on his game; I hope Carney is ready for the slugfest. Those on the inside know this is the battle of the case. I half expect Judge Denise Casper to step aside for a moment Monday morning and to see Michael Buffer come in through the door behind her to say “Lets Get Ready To Rumble!”

 

 

 

33 Comments

  1. Attorney Carney has been spotted over the weekend in an undisclosed gym perfecting the toughness, style and determination made famous by Danno O’Mahoney and Crusher Casey of Boston and the Irish Free State In the coming week by command of the rules of this ring he intends to show the world what a weak and shallow human being Kevin really is.

  2. Another Matt in Texas….You have an excellent point regarding Weeks. Keeping in mind the fact that Phyllis, I mean Kevin, wrote the book thinking (or at least, hoping) that “Jimmy” would never be caught. There is a perfect storm of ingredients cooking up here. Weeks obvious devotion to “Jimmy.” Weeks obligation to his masters. Weeks prior testimony. Weeks (Phyllis’) book. Weeks devotion to “Pat.” ……..Can’t wait until Monday. Thanks boys.

  3. ive seen afrais of fbi posts in the herald, very similar to the ones here!

  4. We will be watching cousins …across the sea

  5. Weeks has stated on multiple occasions “I hope they never catch him…” If Carney’s on his game he will find out a self serving reasoning behind his hope Jim bulger would never be caught.

    • Jim:

      Right – Carney should show that Weeks didn’t want him captured because he would expose all the lies Weeks has been telling – the most significant one was the story about Connolly coming to the liquor store to tip off Whitey – it just never happened – but the government needed it to bring Connolly under the statute of limitations in the RICO charge.

  6. Dear Doubting Thomas,
    The FBI instilled fear in my brother. They told him gangsters lived near his house. They kept insisting James Flynn killed Brian Halloran. They offered my brother the protection witness program and a credit card. My brother went from being a normal citizen (plumber), to being a state hospital mental patient.
    When James Flynn was arrested, they took my brother from the mental hospital to a grand jury. The FBI wanted him to identify James Flynn as the killer of Brian Halloran. Unlike like the FBI, my brother couldn’t send an innocent man to prison. My brother refused to identify James Flynn as the killer. The FBI was furious!

    • Afraid- is your brother still alive today? Do you have the names of the agents that have terrorized your family? Just for the record it was Bulger, Nee, and who in that car ? Is it true Bulger wore a wig to resemble Jimmy Flynn? Thank you for filling me in about your situation. It is horrifying to the core.

  7. Kevin Weeks is a phony. I grew up in Southie. Weeks had a couple fights, but he did win. The government is using him like Barboza. They know Weeks committed perjury when testifying about the Michael Donahue and Brian Halloran murders. My brother saw those murders. After being hit with the machine gun, Michael Donahue’s car drifted in front of three buildings. Weeks couldn’t see the Michael Donahue and Brian Halloran murders because he was in Anthony’s Pier 4 parking.
    They put a federal seal on my brother’s Boston Police Incident Report. Because what my brother saw was completely different from Weeks’ under-oath testimony.
    The government used Barboza even though knowing he was committing perjury. That cost taxpayers a $100 million dollar settlement. They are doing the same thing with Weeks.
    Weeks isn’t worth two cents. But he’s enjoying freedom while his victims are rotting. Eventually the truth will be known. How much will this government corruption cost the taxpayers?

    • afraid- That is a a disturbing story about your brother’s federal seal, I am looking for your old post about that can’t find it.

    • I agree with AfraidofFBI: I never knew WEeks personally, but I’ve heard from several who did that he was a bully; I just was with a Marine from Mission Hill who told me how weeks bullied and beat up some lonely harmless light weight guy who had a few screws use; Weeks is from a very bright and highly accomplished family, well respected, very successful, strongly serving their community; good people, the best. But Kevin chose to be a gangster and chose to hurt people. If I were Carney, I’d start off by asking Weeks as an “enforcer” or “leg breaker” in Jim Bulger’s gang, how many persons did he beat up, bully, threaten, maim, take a weapon to (pistol, bat, club, bottle) and describe the weight and background of each person he bullied, terrified. Then ask him, “What, if any, heavyweights from South Boston, Dorchester, Mission Hill, Charlestown, Roxbury, Brighton-Allston did you fight in a fair fight without a weapon and without goons backing you up. I’d plumb the background, the heart and soul of this man who deserted a good family, parents, siblings, girlfriends, and took up with serial killers and drug pushers. I’d portray him, not as a pseudo-tough guy, but as a craven bully. After that military style undressing, I’d then begin asking the hard questions: Didn’t you lie about Halloran’s murder, about Connolly tipping you off in a closed walk-in freezer that indictments’ were coming down. Wasn’t your whole life a lie and an attempt to cover and protect serial killers and drug dealers? STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT I’VE NEVER BEEN A TRIAL ATTORNEY, THANK GOD, JUST A RESEARCH AND WRITING GUY, MOSTLY INTERESTED IN HEALTH-RELATEMATTERS, LIKE AFRAIDOFFBIL WHO I PERSONALLY KNOW IS NOT AFRAID OF ANYONE OR ANYTHING BUT IS CONCERNCED ABOUT PROTECTING HIS FAMILY FOR BULLIES-FELONS-POWERABUSERS INSIDE GOVERNMENT AND OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT.

      • William:

        Weeks may be all that but he is a killer witness.

        He has two brothers who went to Harvard and were very bright and did well in their lives. They have stuck by their brother Kevin. His whole family has stuck by him.

        Isn’t it strange we don’t read books like: “The Brothers Weeks: How they Corrupted Boston for 25 Years,” or have the brothers dragged before Congressional committees to find out why they didn’t stop their brother from his life of crime or turn him in to the prosecutors; of have not had a Boston Globe/Jeff Jacoby article telling us to shun the brothers.

        No one would think of attributing to Weeks’s brothers Kevin sins. It is universally recognized one brother is not responsible for another. It is so well recognized that a brother who actively works to help and hide his brother as an accessory after the fact of murder is not liable for those actions under Massachusetts law.

        There is one exception to this universal understanding. It is one promulgated by the prosecution in this case, the Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Professor Torture and their ilk who suggest Billy Bulger is responsible for Whitey.

        That they could sell such a lie speaks millions as to what the Boston Media Blusterers are all about.

    • Afraid:

      Weeks may be a phony but he’s an effective witness. His perjury has already cost the government hundreds of millions since he supported the civil law suits. If he was found to have lied by 100 judges Whitey would not get a cent since Whitey is a POOF.

  8. Another Matthew in Texas

    Weeks appears to me to be the one most genuinely affected by the belief of Bulger being an informant. According to his own words, he was prepared to take his time in full and began doing so before he was convinced by another peer to turn. Even after that he does seem in his interviews still fond of his mentor.

    If he is starting to doubt Bulger being an informant, as some of us do, this could create a great deal of conflict for him. I am not suggesting he is going to change his statements or anything that dramatic but MTC mentioned “if Weeks is on his game”. If he has conflict now or doubt regarding what he had believed about a person he claimed to love, I think that may add another level of complexity to this testimony and may keep him from being as effective. Furthermore, there is probably a huge difference for him between sitting close to “some guy” Connolly than sitting next to his mentor, Jim Bulger.

    Great post, looking forward to the score card.

    • Another:

      Weeks will have no information on the informant issue. He had no idea of the relationship between Whitey and Connolly other than that there was one. His knowledge should go toward the idea that Whitey was not an informant because in the rip off of the liquor store from Stippo Whitey told him “thank God for Zip” (Connolly)

      Weeks was never prepared to do time. He used Whitey’s alleged status as an informant to justify his actions, he also used Martorano’s flipping. Within a couple of weeks in jail he was ready to spill his guts

      Weeks won’t waver because he hates prison. As he said half-jokingly during his testimony in Boston on Connolly he would have admitted being involved in assassinating JFK if he could out of prison. He has to stick to his lies only this time he has to do it in front of a guy who knows he is lying. When Weeks weighs his love for Whitey with his self-love, there is no contest.

      Absolutely the difference between Connolly, who he hardly knew, and Whitey may have a bearing. That’s why we have to see how it plays out.

      • Another Matthew in Texas

        My basic sentiment still holds but I will concede the details, I think I may have read too many globe books. As a personal choice, I don’t buy books where the proceeds go to killers so I can’t say I bought brutal or hit man. However, it seems large portions of brutal are scattered through other books.

        As you may expect, I learn more from this site and the community here and I am still trying to wash out the old story in my head.

  9. This is the one I have been waiting to read about. This should be quite the show down!

  10. It sounds like we may get to see Mr. Weeks perform showing the personality, character and sang froid that the defendant must have spotted somewhere out on the peninsula so many years ago . Does Attorney Carney know how to take out a bully? The defendant knows that the bigger they are the harder they fall and no matter how tough you think you are there is always somebody tougher.

    • Very true about there’s always someone tougher; when we grew up we knew there was someone equally or more tough than our toughest on every city block in every city neighborhood and there were just as tough kids in the suburbs, but fewer of them. The bigger they are, the harder they hit, too. Generally, the good big man (heavyweight) beats the good small man (e.g. middleweight) every day, but there are upsets and exceptions.

    • Hopalong:

      That’s what makes the match-up so exciting. J.W.Carney is supposed to be one of the best at the top of his game. He’s had several days to get in training. When Wyshak sits down after direct, the bell will ring. Although, Whitey may throw in a couple of hooks, think of big time wrestling, prior to Carney getting in the ring when Weeks starts talking of the murders especially if he gets into Whitey getting sexual pleasure out of murder.

  11. Doubting Thomas

    Matt- Did the media dub Kevin ”2 weeks” Carr Lehr Cullen murphy etc.?

  12. Was lucky enough to go to the First Mickey WARD/ Arturo GATTI fight down @ Mohegan Sun …. Easily The BEST fight I’ve ever seen and I’ve been to a few ! Matt, if WEEKS vs. CARNEY is all that, I can’t wait to read your ringside scorecard next week !

    • Best fights: Ward v. Gatti; Hearns v. Hagler; Roberto “Hands of Stone=Mano di Pietro ?) Duran v. Sugar Ray Leonard (Montreal ’76 Duran’s hands were faster than Leonard’s) Leonard v. Hearns was a great bout which showed Leonard’s courage); all fifty wins of the Pazmanian Devil, Vinny Paz (Pazienza) (most courageous fighter ever: took on Jones at 168: Jones was natural light heavyweight; Vinny went from welter to super-middleweight) lost to Jones but wasn’t afraid of anyone; came back from broken neck; Bareros (the Mexican) who demolished the undefeated British Muslim Prince Hassid; Manuel Barreros (sp) was a classic boxer, no show, and he punched the daylights out of the showboat The Prince; and Galway/Dorchester’s Sean Mannion’s upset victory over #2 fighter in the world, and his heroic 12 round loss to Mike Mclellan (sp) perhaps the best junior middleweight ever; and most fights of local legends Tony Veranis, Eddie Connors (v. Tony DeMarco) Kenny Butler, Tommy Atardo (sparred with Macho Camacho); Tommy McNeilly (undefeated heavyweight until he took up sparring with John Barleycorn —lost in five (?) to Floyd Patterson; the Brookline Fire Fighter Paul Pender who beat Sugar Ray Robinson twice (Robinson was the greatest ever and was old when he lost to Pender; as was Tyson (over the hill) losing to Kevin the Irish kid from Dorchester/Southie/Ireland, as was Walcott, et al, the Mongoose, who lost to Marciano (hardest puncher, about 188lbs); best ever I’ve read about and seen on film Joe Louis (the greatest with Ali) v. Billy Conn, the lightheavyweight from Pittsburgh (?) who was ahead of Joe on all three cards after 12 rounds; Billy said to his corner who advised him to stay away from Louis’s punching power “If I can’t knock out this bum, I’m not Irish.” Billy Conn was Irish and it was he who got too close to Joe in the 13th Round and was flattened, knocked out cold. One last local great and a good friend whose helped tens of thousands of persons over his long distinguished career: Newton’s pride and joy: Joe DeNucci, whose son played football at Boston College on the same team as Rocky Marciano’s nephew. keep on punching!

      • William:

        Good comment. I know you know your boxing.

      • William,

        Good comment. I certainly remember Paz: Providence’s own local boxing legend. I’ve seen youtube highlights of that fight with Jones (who might be the best ever pure talent boxing ever saw).

        I’m an MMA guy myself. I hear Anderson Silva (greatest MMA fighter alive) wants to do a boxing match with Roy Jones.

        • Doubting Thomas

          Roy jones was unreal but his chin is suspect..never was early in career because not a person could land it on the button ..that all changed with Antonio Tarver..I
          also wonder about mayweather’s chin but I digress

      • William, great comment. As a kid in the early 70’s, I used to box with Tommy Attardo over at the McKeon Post on Saturday mornings, His Dad and brothers, Cliff McDonald, and the DeLuca brothers (one is now police chief of Duxbury, I think) were the instructors. Every year at the end of the season, we would move across the street for “The Big Night” at Florian Hall (across from the future burial ground), and selected kids would be matched up for a string of bouts in a real ring, with lights, and a cheering crowd. I was picked once and lost to my best friend’s cousin. Those were the days. I think Tommy’s brother Dave(Duckie)should be recognized as an accomplished boxer in his own right, and very good man. Oh, and let’s not forget James J. Braddock, one of the best boxing comeback stories ever. Thanks, enjoy your weekend.

  13. Kevin also talked about how the last time he saw whitey, that he could kind of tell this may be the last time he saw him because whitey seemed detached somehow. He also said that whitey told Kevin that if anything happened to blame it all on him ( whitey ) so I will be curious as to how whitey reacts to Kevin testify against him. Will he look at him and will he have any outburst as he did when Morris was on the stand.

  14. You couldn’t be more correct. This will be the biggest battle of the case. I saw weeks speak at a local college because I am amazed by this whole whitey case and how it all went down over the years. I also read brutal as Kevin seemed to be the closest person to Whitey so I was very interested in what he had to say. When I saw him speak at a college in my area he seemed to have not lost anything as far as being extremely calm, poised and his concentration was like none i’ve ever seen in my whole life. And your right about the answers he gives or responses as being responses and answers that dare you to defy them as not being truthful. Something about how he answers questions just seem so truthful and he never changes as far as poise and has no tells as far as looking away or stammering. It’s like he has no emotion what so ever and has ice water running through his veins. I’ve never seen anyone like Kevin Weeks and I would give anything to see him on the stand and answer the questions he will be asked. It truly will be an amazing thing to witness from a court and or trial standpoint. I am extremly curious as to what you are going to write about when its over.

  15. I prefer Bruce Buffer of the UFC: iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s Time!!!