Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Jury awards man $33 million over wrongful conviction after trial where ‘Whitey’ Bulger loomed large
Jury finds Fred Weichel was innocent of 1980 slaying that sent him to prison for nearly 36 years.
In a swift and decisive verdict, a Suffolk Superior Court civil jury found Tuesday that Frederick Weichel proved he was innocent of a 1980 slaying in Braintree and ordered the state to pay him $33 million in compensation for the nearly 36 years he spent in prison. By state law, the award will be capped at $1 million, though a judge will rule on whetherWeichel is entitled to additional money for lawyers’ fees and other costs. Weichelalso has a separate civil lawsuit pending in federal court for his wrongful conviction for the murder of 25-year-old Robert LaMonica.
The jury of four men and six women deliberated for just over two hours before reaching its verdict, after 11 days of testimony — some of it focusing on whether notorious South Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger worked behind the scenes to protect LaMonica’s true killer while Weichel was falsely accused. Jurors were asked to decide three specific questions: Did Weichel prove by clear and convincing evidence that he was innocent of LaMonica’s murder; that he was not an accessory after the fact; and that he was not engaged in witness intimidation related to the slaying. The jurors ruled in favor of Weichel on all questions.
Advertisement:
“I feel great and I can finally hear people say Fred Weichel is innocent, completely innocent by a jury,” Weichel, now 70, of South Boston, said as he stood in the hallway outside the courtroom with his lawyers after the verdict was announced. “It’s good to feel the truth, it’s taken a long time.”
Finish the story at BostonGlobe.com.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com