crimes and misdemeanors Aug. 2, 2013

Whitey Bulger Witness Who Mysteriously Died Was Murdered Over Something Completely Unrelated

By Dan Amira

Stephen Rakes arrives at the courthouse. The trial of James

Stephen Rakes arrives at the courthouse. The trial of James “Whitey” Bulger continues at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, June 17, 2013. Photo: Jessica Rinaldi /The Boston Globe/Getty

There were a lot of theories about what happened to Stephen Rakes, the potential Whitey Bulger witness who was found dead a couple of weeks ago. Murdered by Bulger associates? Suicide? All the theories were wrong: This afternoon, Middlesex County district attorney Marian Ryan announced that Rakes was killed by cyanide poisoning in a murder that appears completely unconnected to the Bulger case.

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Whitey Bulger Witness Was Killed With Cyanide

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