WEST VIRGINIA – Sean McKinnon, implicated as the alleged “lookout” in the 2018 killing of infamous Boston gangster and FBI informant James “Whitey” Bulger, has been sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to making a false statement to a federal agent. The sentencing took place in a federal court in West Virginia, presided over by Chief District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh.
McKinnon, who has been in custody since 2018, entered a guilty plea to the charge which could have led to a maximum of five years in prison. His indictment detailed his role on the night before Halloween in 2018, when he reportedly acted as a lookout while inmates Fotios Geas and Paul DeCologero carried out the fatal attack on Bulger. Bulger, aged 89 at the time, suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the head shortly after being transferred to the United States Penitentiary Hazleton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia.
The attack, as described by authorities, involved the use of a padlock placed inside a sock to inflict the fatal injuries. The plea agreement revealed that McKinnon misled FBI agents regarding his awareness and discussions about the attack, initially claiming he had no knowledge of the incident and had not discussed the matter with either Geas or DeCologero the morning of Bulger’s death.
This case continues to unfold as it highlights significant issues within the U.S. prison system and the ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding Bulger’s death.