FOXNews.com: 'THEY HUNTED PEOPLE'Prosecutor Calls Bulger 'Vicious, Violent' in Closing

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'THEY HUNTED PEOPLE'Prosecutor Calls Bulger 'Vicious, Violent' in Closing Aug 5th 2013, 18:26 BOSTON –  The final chapter in the long and colorful saga of accused longtime Boston gang boss James "Whitey" Bulger is being written in a courtroom today, where prosecutors are laying out their closing arguments in the racketeering trial of "one of the most vicious, violent and calculating criminals ever to walk the streets of Boston." Bulger, 83, who spent nearly two decades on the run before an episode of "America's Most Wanted" led to his capture, is accused of leading the murderous Winter Hill Gang in the 1970s and '80s before dropping out of sight in 1994 ahead of a 32-count indictment. During nearly eight weeks of testimony in U.S. District Court, jurors have heard chilling testimony about 19 killings in which Bulger was allegedly involved as well as several other crimes. "This is not about a Robin Hood story about a man who keeps angel dust and heroin out of South Boston." - Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak Early Monday, Bulger, who was captured with his longtime girlfriend living in Santa Monica, Calif., wore a long-sleeve, gray sweater and spectacles, scribbling notes as he sat next to his attorneys. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak, who hunted the one-time FBI informant for years, was expected to take nearly three hours to sum up their case, followed by Bulger's team's summation and finally, a 30-minute rebuttal from prosecutors. Wyshak focused on debunking the idea that Bulger was some sort of modern -day Robin Hood. "This is not about a Robin Hood story about a man who keeps angel dust and heroin out of South Boston," Wyshak said. The prosecutor noted that evidence against Bulger came from his former cronies, including admitted hitman John Martorano and Bulger's former partner, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Both men implicated Bulger in multiple murders, some of which took place even after Bulger began secretly working with the FBI. "It does not matter that Mr. Bulger was an FBI informant when he put the gun to Arthur Barrett's head and pulled the trigger,'' Wyshak said. "Whether he was an informant or not, he's guilty of murder." Barrett was murdered in July 1983, allegedly for loot he'd taken during a 1980 bank heist. Wyshak, who used charts to demonstrate the Winter Hill Gang hierarchy, said the gang grew out of a street war that left Boston's streets bloody. "The reason this racketeering organization was so successful [was because] these men were survivors of a gang war in the 1960's during which 60 people died," he said. "These men were the victors. They were feared. They were armed to the teeth. They were like a paramilitary organization. They had stolen vehicles and back-up cars to crash into police.  They used walkie talkies. They hunted their prey. They hunted people.  They were the scariest people walking the streets of Boston. "There were two gangs in Boston," Wyshak told the rapt jury. "The Mafia and the Winter Hill. And they coordinated." Defense lawyers J.W. Carney Jr. and Hank Brennan will split the defense closing argument. During the trial, they spent much of their time trying to rebut a claim from numerous prosecution witnesses that Bulger was a longtime FBI informant who ratted on the rival Mafia and people in his own gang. The defense also focused on attempting to rebut allegations that Bulger strangled two young women. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Tuesday after receiving instructions on the law from the judge. Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig, pleaded guilty last year to charges related to helping him stay on the run for more than a decade and was sentenced to eight years in prison. She tried to have her sentenced reduced, saying people who claim their relatives were killed by Bulger shouldn't have been allowed to speak at her sentencing, but an appeals court panel found no basis to change the sentence. Fox News' Andrew Fone and Molly Line contributed to this report.

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