[A] Montpelier man has been placed in solitary confinement following the death of Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger in a West Virginia prison last month, the New York Times reported Monday.
Sean McKinnon, 32, was convicted of stealing 12 handguns from a R&L Archery in Barre and trading them to a Connecticut drug dealer for heroin. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 2016.
McKinnon was one of four inmates transferred to solitary confinement Oct. 30, the same day that Bulger was found beaten in his cell. Prison workers told the Times that McKinnon’s cellmate, Fotios Geas — a mafia hit man from West Springfield, Mass., serving time for murder — was believed to be one of the inmates who killed Bulger.
It’s unclear why McKinnon and the other three inmates were moved to solitary confinement. The Times reported it’s uncertain if McKinnon is suspected of killing Bulger, planning or covering up the beating, or if he had been moved to solitary confinement as a precaution.
McKinnon’s mother, Cheryl, declined to speak with a reporter when reached Tuesday.
Geas’ lawyer, Daniel Kelly, told the Times that his client had not crossed paths with Bulger. But Kelly has said that Geas “has a particular distaste for people who cooperated with law enforcement,” the Times reported. McKinnon had recently become Geas’ cellmate before the murder occurred.
Bulger was found Oct. 30, the morning after being transferred to Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia. He had been on the run for 16 years before being sentenced to life in prison in 2013.
The 89-year-old Bulger used a wheelchair and suffered from heart problems, the Times reported. At least two inmates were caught on camera rolling him into the corner of his cell after he was savagely beaten with a padlock in a sock.
McKinnon’s arrest came after stole a Jeep from a Capital City region dealership in March 2016 and then robbed R&L Archery. He traded the guns for heroin in Hartford, Connecticut, authorities said. Police said they found 45 bags of heroin, pry bars, a shotgun and ammunition when searching his home.
McKinnon told police after his arrest that it was not the first time he had traded guns for drugs with the dealer in Connecticut.
