Hank Brennan, defense lawyer for James "Whitey" Bulger, continued his virtuoso cross-examination of Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi Tuesday, maneuvering Flemmi into fits of anger, confusion, and self-inflicted embarrassment.
Brennan successfully portrayed Bulger's 79-year-old former partner in crime as a befuddled liar, a murderer, and a pedophile, though Flemmi objected, through bouts of confusion.
"I'm not a pedophile," Flemmi shot back at Brennan, motioning toward Bulger. "You want a pedophile, look at that table over there."
Brennan continued the disturbing line of questioning into Flemmi's sexual relationship with his stepdaughter, Deborah Hussey, which he maintains was consensual. Brennan repeatedly described it as molestation.
Several times, Flemmi blurted out statements without having been asked a question, leading to Judge Denise Casper repeatedly admonishing him.
"Mr. Brennan, I didn't kill her,' Flemmi volunteered at one quiet moment, arguing against Brennan's contention that Flemmi, not Bulger, had strangled Deborah Hussey.
Flemmi seemed to portray himself as an innocent bystander in Hussey's murder, though he admitted reluctantly agreeing to the murder, driving her to the house where she was killed, and burying her in the basement.
"Mr. Brennan, the murder could have been prevented with one word on Jim Bulger's part," Flemmi said. "Four little letters, p-a-s-s, and I would've been so happy."
Rather than directly answering some questions, Flemmi instead argued that Bulger was guilty of similar indiscretions.
"Bulger had a young girlfriend, 16, that he took down to Mexico," Flemmi said. "That's a violation of the Mann Act."
Brennan's questions about that murder highlighted inconsistencies in Flemmi's previous testimony as to whether Hussey and another alleged Bulger victim, Debra Davis, had been strangled with a rope, or by hand.
"That's what I thought," Flemmi said, after much confusion.
Flemmi said several times that the murders of Hussey and Davis left him in a dazed state. He recalled shouting, "Let her pray," after the murder of Davis.
'That was a reaction on my part,' he said. 'I was in a semi-traumatic state.'
After a direct examination by Wyshak that was damaging to Bulger, if low-key in comparison, the cross has been devastating to Flemmi as a witness and as a human being.
Read more about Flemmi's testimony here.