Regretful James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Letter Offers Students Advice On Making Crime Pay, Praises Brother


James “Whitey” Bulger, convicted murderer and Boston mob figure, has shown a new regretful side of himself in a letter to three high school students. The students wrote to Bulger after choosing him as the subject of a National History Day competition on the subject of leaders, The Boston Globe reports. Other students chose more obvious representations of leadership – presidents and other famous figures from history, but the girls decided that choosing Bulger would make their entry distinct, according to The Globe.

The students, Brittany Tainsh, Michaela Arguin, and Mollykate Rodenbush, weren’t expecting a reply from Whitey, with Arguin telling CBS Local radio station WBZ Newsradio 1030 that she was surprised that they heard back at all.

“The part that’s cool about the letter is not that we got a response from this crazy man Whitey, but it was just that he actually responded to us at all, because he doesn’t really respond to a lot of people even though a lot of people think he likes the attention.”

In the letter, 85-year-old Bulger, now incarcerated for life at USP Coleman in Florida, told the girls that he’s far from proud of what he’s done – in fact he feels like he’s wasted his life.

“My life was wasted and spent foolishly, brought shame + suffering on my parents and siblings and will end soon.”

The Globe also reports how the letter contains an uncharacteristic quality from Whitey Bulger, black humor. His advice for those who want to make crime pay?

“Advice is a cheap commodity some seek it from me about crime — I know only one thing for sure — If you want to make crime pay — ‘Go to Law School.'”

Whitey also used the letter to praise his brother, William Bulger, President of the Massachusets Senate from 1978 to 1996. In the correspondence, the gangster calls his brother “a better man than I.”

The letter gives a revealing glimpse into the psyche of one of the most infamous gangland figures of recent American history, offering the world an insight into Bulger’s thoughts. The Globe reveals that at one point, he tells the girls that they shouldn’t be writing to people like him, saying that “we are society’s lower, best forgotten, not looked to for advice on ‘Leadership.'”

It’s not surprising then, that there is no mention of the upcoming movie based on Bulger, Black Mass. The movie, starring Johnny Depp as Whitey and due to release in September, has attracted criticism from the family of one of Bulger’s alleged victims.

Another regretful statement made by Bulger in the letter is that he took “the wrong road,” but just how sincere his regret is has been questioned by Patricia Donahue, whose husband was killed by Bulger. She told the Globe“I don’t believe he’s changed at all,” adding “I’m sure he doesn’t have any remorse about anyone he’s hurt or killed.”

Do you remember Bulger’s reign as a South Boston mob boss? Do you believe the letter shows true regret from “Whitey”?

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

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