This week, Jess will wrap up the bonkers ride that was the Roger Wheeler case!
The investigation into the murder of Roger Wheeler highlighted significant corruption within the Boston FBI and the involvement of the Winter Hill Gang, including notorious mobsters like Johnny Martorano, Whitey Bulger, and Stevie Flemmi. In 1994, sealed indictments for racketeering were issued against several gang members, leading to Martorano's arrest for an unrelated horse-racing charge. Upon learning that Bulger and Flemmi were FBI informants, Martorano agreed to cooperate with authorities, which set off a chain reaction of testimonies from other gang members. As the plot unfolded, Martorano and accomplice Joe McDonald meticulously planned Wheeler's murder, ultimately targeting him during a golf game at Southern Hills Country Club, in Tulsa, where Martorano shot Wheeler in a carefully orchestrated hit.
Following the murder, the fallout included the unraveling of the Winter Hill Gang and the exposure of FBI corruption. While several gang members, including Martorano and Flemmi, received deals in exchange for their testimonies, many felt justice was inadequately served, particularly for Wheeler's family. Bulger was ultimately captured in 2011 and sentenced to two life sentences after a trial that revealed his extensive criminal activities. His death in prison in 2018 brought some closure, but many in the community, including Detective Michael Huff, believed the impact of Wheeler's murder had lasting effects on Tulsa, emphasizing the broader implications of organized crime and corruption on society.
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