Bulger’s Late Girlfriend Had Secrets To Share With FBI

10:53

August 21, 2012

Tourists James “Whitey” Bulger and his then-girlfriend, Teresa Stanley, pose for a picture at a shop outside Alcatraz prison in the early 1990s. (Stanley photo obtained by WBUR’s David Boeri)

The one-time girlfriend of reputed mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, Teresa Stanley, was laid to rest on Tuesday. Stanley died Thursday of lung cancer at 71 years old.

Stanley met Bulger when she was just 26 years old. They ended up spending 30 years together. But the couple parted company right as Bulger's life was beginning a new chapter: his life on the lam. That chapter lasted 16 years, ending last summer when the FBI got a tip that Bulger and his other long-time girlfriend Catherine Greig were living in Santa Monica, California.

WBUR's senior reporter David Boeri says there's a good chance that Bulger's life as a fugitive could have been a lot shorter if the FBI had just paid a visit to Teresa Stanley, who was living just down the road in South Boston.

Guest:

David Boeri, WBUR senior reporter

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WBUR: Bulger’s Late Girlfriend Had Secrets To Share With FBI

This segment aired on August 21, 2012.

Whitey Bulger