Benji Ditchman, aka, the Vileful Man, finally appears. He tells us he’s in a special prison somewhere that’s for person’s like him; witnesses who made deals to turn in their fellow criminals to help themselves. He said he’s prohibited from telling where it is but judging from his pasty complexion he’s not in warm climate. He told us he pleaded guilty in Florida and Oklahoma and is doing life sentences imposed by those states.
He also got sentenced in the Boston federal court to life and to 30 years after life. He said he entered those pleas to avoid the death penalty. I couldn’t help smiling at that. He’s 79 now and he’s still clinging to his empty life. What was it he said to a young Debbie Davis before he strangled her? I believe he told her “you’re going to a better place.” If it was so good, why is he so reluctant to join her?
He’s been in prison for 17 years. He expects to never get out. I wish I could believe that would be the case but I really have my doubts. The witness who just got off the stand Dirty Dave Lindholm said when he testified against Alfred Trenkler he didn’t expect any consideration from the government for his testimony; after Trenkler was safely convicted Trenkler changed his mind and sought the help. It left a sour taste in my mouth, as one of those deals that’s understood but not reduced to writing. So I remain skeptical that Flemmi will serve his full sentence.
Flemmi admitted murdering ten people by answering yes to the names mentioned by Wyshak. He’s leaning back in the chair; says he’s deaf in one year as a result of a war injury. He’s changed his testimony about when he became an informant saying that Whitey introduced him to FBI Agents Condon and Connolly in late ’74 or ’75. That’s nonsense. Agent Condon worked with him to bring him back from Canada to get rid of the a murder and blowing up an attorney’s car case. He admits he was an FBI informant in the ’60s but pretends at some point he stopped – but we didn’t get into that. Hopefully Carney will on cross-examination.
He then says what Bulger was like in the relationship was overbearing and forceful. Wyshak then says, “more than you.” He said yes. He’s getting ready for his lament – I think there was a song to this effect back in the years Benji was running wild – its words were ‘you made me do it, I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to do it, you made me do it, and all the time I knew it, I didn’t want to do it.” The only purpose for the “overbearing and forceful” question is to present Vileful Man as having his will overcome by Whitey.
Wyshak’s anxiously spreading that story – that’s why he’s indicted Whitey for the murders of the two women when the only guy who had to motive to murder them is on the stand – Benji didn’t want to do it but Whitey made him.
Benji by the was is wearing a jacket of prison pee-green with an open collar cotton prison issue shirt with matching color. I’d have thought they’d have wanted to dress him up better; Murderman even when in prison came to court dressed to the nines.
I’m sort of wondering why Flemmi is testifying at all. Whitey never did anything to him so why doesn’t he just tell the prosecutors to leave him alone. He’s made his deals; he’s never going to hit the street again; so you just gotta wonder what could the government be holding over his head? It couldn’t be — no they wouldn’t dare be pulling that — or would they. I told you that I’m not convinced there’s no side deal here – like in Dirty Dave’s case – where there is nothing in writing but there a tacit understanding that’s what will happen when the lights go down low.
Flemmi did his best to keep Whitey out of the Underworld Hall of Fame by saying he, Whitey and Connolly met frequently and Whitey was always giving information to Connolly.He did it hundreds of times. He’d give Whitey information and he’d pass it on to the FBI. He never met Connolly without Whitey being there and when they met Whitey would do all the talking.
Tomorrow we will get into the nitty-gritty of the murders. He’ll diminish his and the Murderman’s roles and highlight Whitey’s — as you know of particular interest will be when he puts it on Whitey for the murder of the two women.
We have to keep in mind that Wyshak has to make Benji less vile than Bulger because you never want to deal from the top to get lesser criminals. In actuality,Whitey is in the minor leagues when it comes to murder when compared to the Vileful Man but truth doesn’t matter now, it is just perception.
Matt,
Your windmill picture – the windmills of Toledo – Don Quixote.
*blink*
We can hope…
*blink*
Matt et al.,
Yesterday’s experience of following a collection of news peoples’ Twitters and your lead-in and updates rivaled the Hamlet I saw in Pawtucket at The Gamm Theater: Breathtaking. Deadly. Poignant. Hilarious.
When GBH’s Brendan Lynch twitted – Carney is killing in the overflow room – when asking David Lindholm, ex-shrimp boat mover of vast quantities of marijuana, if he still lived with his mother, well, it was, well, Shakespearean.
The entrance and exit of “the monster” during the break…
The tweets of the inexplicable appearance as well as the pall and edginess of the news that Rakes was dead.
The entertainment factor of the Carney and Lindholm Show leading to a final twelve minutes with the monster match ending with the obligatory m***erf***er.
And the monster looks at Whitey’s response and says,
Really?
Firefly:
Sometimes the show in the media exceeds what is seen from the media overflow room. I watched Whitey closely at the end of the trial and saw he staring at Benji but there was no interchange of words. I have to say the imagination of some in the media is quite fertile.
Carney’s remark to Dirty Dave was so appropriate because he looked so much like a guy who was living at home all his life. What made it better was that Dirty Dave missed it and went on to explain his mother lived in Milton and inherited the condo.
Let’s see what today brings.
Sorry cont”d – ………. Flemmi said “really” as he was lead away . I will go ahead and guess that it was a response to whitey saying “I ain’t no f—-ing rat” or something to that effect. The green jumpsuit varies according to state and he had brown garb on last time he was on the stand in Florida, so who knows….. Matt, what do you feel really happened to Stippo? My guess is suicide with no obvious signs of trauma but wow huh? He was going to testify and then I heard the prosecution decided not to call him as witness. Maybe he couldn’t take that fact? The plot thickens…….
Is the jury sequestered to where they won’t hear about Stippo?
Jeff:
No it is not sequested. We pretend (there’s a lot of pretense in the law) the jury can go home and come back everyday and have no idea what is going on in the media about this case.
SJM:
Probably died of a heart attack. I’m told his car was found in Lincoln. From my interaction with him he wasn’t the type of guy who would commit suicide. Perhaps all that was important to him in life was to testify and when he found out he couldn’t he felt totally humiliated — it’s hard to tell what goes on inside a person but if he did kill himself, then every person you know is capable of doing it because you would never in a million years think he would do it. He didn’t have his ID and keys – why? You are right, the plot does thicken as we await the toxicology reports.
I find this guy’s nickname a bit disrespectful & rather uncalled for. Sewage ditches serve the community & make the world a more pleasant place to live. Even the excrement they contain enriches the soil. They don’t deserve the association with that thing taking the stand & stealing our oxygen.
I have no doubt he’s gotten a nice housing deal on top of his undeserved life sentences for continuing to snitch on the associates of his that he failed to murder.
He knows where other serial killer snitches like Sammy Gravano & Gaspipe Casso wound up after screwing up their sweetheart deals. Club Fed beats Colorado Supermax.
But why wasn’t Murderman forced to choose between death row & live behind bars? Couldn’t this piece of trash have put enough murder cases on him to flip him without any promise of freedom?
Jeff:
I understand how you feel and it is probably not right of me to insult the Japanese sewerage system. Next time I’m in Japan I shall stand before an open benji ditch and say “gomen nasai.”
Murderman should have had the same deal as Benji – but remember Benji might have a side deal that will let him out. That may happen after the government thinks we’ve forgotten about the case.
Most of the reports only heard inaudible “banter” between the two men while it was apparent that
My prayers go out to the family and friends of Steve Rakes. I used to see Steve down L-Street often. I never really talked with him, but he seemed like a very nice man, quiet, dignified, kept his own counsel, seemed to be very well liked and had a circle of friends and acquaintances who seemed to have known him well over the lifetime. May he rest in peace. My condolences go out to my friend John P., who was his longtime friend, and who posts here under another name, and my condolences are offered to the Rakes’ family. I’m sorry for your loss.
William:
Thanks for your post. My feelings are similar although I did get a chance to talk with him and enjoyed it. I even introduced him to my grandkids up outside of Sullivan’s at Castle Island.
Very interesting that the John connolly dateline w/ flemmi’s fla testimony’s been deleted off of YouTube…
Jim:
Nothing surprises me with this case
If Flemmi’s clothing was prison issued by the BOP green designates a prisoner in a Federal Prison Camp aka Club Fed.
Much different then real prison, no bars, outside jobs, limited rules. They’re only supposed to be for non-violent offenders but then again the Federales do whatever they want.
Matt,
I read that there was a tense moment of exchange b/w benji and whitey. Fact or fiction?