BREAKING NEWS
The connection between Boston mobster James Whitey Bulger and Roger Wheeler
Aerial view of the scene at Southern Hills Country Club where Roger Wheeler was murdered May 27, 1981 in Tulsa.
Photographer: KJRH
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 06/23/2011
TULSA - Tulsan Roger Wheeler was one of 19 victims in which Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger is believed to have played a part in the murder.
Wheeler was the former chairman of Telex Corp. and the owner of World Jai Alai, a gambling enterprise from which Bulger and fellow gangster Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had been skimming money.
Wheeler discovered the thefts which threatened to unravel Bulger's skimming operation.
According to a 2001 Golf Digest article, Wheeler had a routine every Wednesday that included a round of golf with buddies, followed by a drink of Scotch and a chocolate chip shake.
Bulger and his crew were aware of Wheeler's mid-week routine.
On Wednesday May 27, 1981, Wheeler was shot between the eyes in his car in the parking lot of Southern Hills Country Club. He was 55-years-old and the father of five.
The killer would later be identified as Winter Hill Gang hitman John Martorano. In March 2001, Martorano confessed to nearly 20 murders, including Wheeler's. He was sentenced to 15 years, but served only six and was released in 2007.
In the spring of 1982, Bulger and Flemmi gunned down a former henchman in broad daylight on a South Boston street to prevent him from telling about the Wheeler murder.
Flemmi pled guilty in March of 2001 to his role in Roger Wheeler's murder among many others. He is currently serving a life sentence.
Bulger was arrested Wednesday night in Santa Monica, California after 16 years on the run.
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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