Whitey Bulger trial: Cyanide is ruled in death of would-be prosecution witness
| Boston
The death of a potential witness against James 鈥淲hitey鈥� Bulger trial who had hoped to testify in the mobster's trial this summer was caused by cyanide poisoning, the Massachusetts Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office has concluded in an official autopsy report.听
Prosecutors allege that William Camuti, a longtime friend and associate of Mr. Bulger's, slipped cyanide into a cup of iced coffee he gave to Stephen 鈥淪tippo鈥� Rakes when the two met up at a McDonald鈥檚 parking lot in July.
Mr. Camuti, who allegedly owed Mr. Rakes money and lured him to the meeting where he gave Rakes the poison beverage, then drove听his body around for several hours before finally depositing him in a wooded area in a Boston suburb, prosecutors say.听
Camuti, who according to law enforcement officials previously had admitted to the cyanide poisoning, had previously been attempted murder, misleading police, and unlawful disposition of human remains, connected to his alleged role in Rakes鈥檚 death. 听
MaryBeth Long, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney鈥檚 office, said prosecutors now intend to file additional charges against Camuti based on the official report.听
In September, The Boston Globe reported that Camuti his guilt in Rakes's murder after he attempted to commit suicide.听
The prosecution has a detailed case against Camuti that includes GPS records that place his car in the woods where Rakes鈥檚 body was found. Prosecutors also say they of Camuti inquiring about the purchase of potassium cyanide听in his e-mail account.听
Potassium cyanide is relatively easy to obtain and can be purchased online.听
A judge听ordered Camuti held without bail.
Camuti, the former owner of the Loan Depot, a Boston mortgage lender, was convicted in 1993 of 11 counts of mail fraud, according to the听Globe.听
Authorities said Rakes鈥檚 death was not related to the Bulger case, though it was the kind of occurrence that typified Bulger鈥檚 reign over听South Boston鈥檚 organized crime rings in the 1970s and 1980s.
According to reports, Rakes openly despised Bulger, and blamed him for seizing control of his South Boston liquor store to use as a headquarters for Boston鈥檚 Irish mob in 1984. 听
鈥淭he day I see him [Bulger] in a box, not breathing, will be better,鈥� Rakes told the Associated Press in April.听
Rakes said Bulger forced him to sell his store at gunpoint in front of Rakes鈥檚 two daughters for a fraction of what the store was worth.听
A former Bulger associate, Kevin Weeks,听disputed Rakes鈥檚听account听at Bulger's trial.听According to Mr. Weeks, Rakes was trying to shake down the gangsters, a move听that provoked Bulger, a notoriously short-tempered mobster, to pull his gun, .听
Rakes was set to testify against Bulger to rebut Weeks鈥檚 version of events,听but was removed from the witness list at the last minute for unknown reasons.听
Several days after he was supposed to testify, Rakes met up with Camuti in Waltham, Mass., a Boston suburb, and was killed.
The next day, a jogger found Rakes鈥檚 body in a wooded area of Lincoln,听a nearby suburb, about 30 minutes away from the city.听
According to the AP, Bulger 鈥� who was convicted of crimes ranging from murder to extortion to money laundering 鈥� will effectively get a life in prison sentence when he is sentenced in November in Massachusetts. He听plans to appeal the decision.
Bulger also faces murder charges in Florida and Oklahoma, both death penalty states. 听
