Former Protégé of Bulger Recounts 1982 Double Murder, and Its Code Words

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

Brian Halloran had a head so big he was known as Balloonhead to South Boston hoodlums like Kevin Weeks. So when Mr. Halloran got up to leave a restaurant one day in 1982 — and the alleged crime boss James (Whitey) Bulger sat in a souped-up 1975 Chevy Malibu outside waiting to kill him — Mr. Weeks and Mr. Bulger had a code.

“The balloon is rising,” Mr. Weeks said over a walkie-talkie to Mr. Bulger. Then, as their target headed outside, “the balloon is in the air.”

With that, Mr. Bulger sped toward the blue Datsun that contained Mr. Halloran and Michael Donahue, a friend giving him a ride. Mr. Bulger screamed “Brian!” and fired.

The bullets killed Mr. Donahue. But Mr. Halloran survived the fusillade and got out of the Datsun, Mr. Weeks testified on Monday in Federal District Court in Boston.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/us/former-protege-of-bulger-recounts-1982-double-murder-and-its-code-words.html

[MADem]

1. Vivid testimony...

Mr. Weeks drew a few laughs when he insisted, with what seemed sincere umbrage, that when he and Mr. Bulger pressured a South Boston liquor store owner to sell his business for less than what he wanted, it was really an effort to avoid being cheated by the owner. “It wasn’t your regular extortion,” he said.

He "extorted" the guy by dandling the guy's very young daughter on his knee, and letting her play with his gun. The message was clear: Pay this price or I kill the kid!

[JohnnyRingo]

2. The kind of testimony from which movies are made.

This is a real "wise guys" story. I had to read it twice to understand what was going on.

Thanx for posting.