"I feel like I've been choked off," Whitey Bulger said in court today, announcing that he will not testify on his own behalf.
"As far as I'm concerned, I didn't get a fair trial. This is a sham," the 83-year-old reputed mobster elaborated to Judge Denise Casper.
"You're a coward," yelled Pat Donohue, widow of alleged Bulger murder victim Michael Donahue, sitting in the Boston federal courtroom.
"Do what you want with me," Bulger reportedly said before being cut off by the judge and asked to confirm that he will not testify. "That's my answer."
After the defense rested, the Judge announced that she would grant both the prosecution and the defense equal time to deliver their closing arguments starting next week. Prosecutor Fred Wysak asked for three hours and 15 minutes for closing. Jury deliberations will begin Tuesday.
In a surprising twist, Bulger offered today in court to hand over $822,000 found in the walls of his California apartment to the families of two murder victims.
Bulger faces 32 counts of racketeering, extortion, money laundering and firearms possession, and allegations that he participated in 19 murders. Bulger fled Boston in 1994 and remained in hiding until he was captured in 2011 in California.
Read the full transcript of Bulger's speech in court
