BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Former FBI agent John Connolly, known for his connection to James "Whitey" Bulger, was approved Wednesday for early medical release from a Florida prison.
Connolly, the Boston-based FBI handler of mobster Whitey Bulger of Somerville, was serving a 40-year sentence in Florida on charges of second-degree murder stemming from the 1982 killing of John Callahan, the former president of World Jai Alai.
Connolly had previously served ten years in federal prison for alerting Bulger of informants in the ranks of the infamous Winter Hill Gang, racketeering, and accepting bribes.
According to WBZ-TV, the medical release was approved Wednesday morning after a short hearing with the Florida Commission on Offender Review.
The panel voted 2-1 to approve early release for Connolly, who is 80 years old and has cancer.
Connolly and Bulger's relationship was the inspiration behind Martin Scorsese's 2006 Oscar-award winning movie The Departed.
Bulger was captured in 2011 at the age of 81 and charged on 32 counts including racketeering, money laundering, and complicity in 19 murders. He was murdered in 2018 by inmates within hours of being transferred to a federal prison in West Virginia.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Leling said his office agrees with the sentiments of John Callahan's family "that Connolly should be permitted to die at home with his friends and family."
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Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Getty Images)