U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Whitey Bulger Appeal

The Supreme Court has turned away James “Whitey” Bulger’s appeal of his racketeering convictions and life sentence.

The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place Bulger’s convictions for playing a role in 11 murders and many other crimes.

Bulger is believed connected to the death of a Tulsa businessman, Roger Wheeler in 1981.  Wheeler was murdered at Tulsa's Southern Hills Country Club.

The 87-year-old Bulger was a fugitive for 17 years until his arrest in 2011. A jury convicted him in 2013.

8/18/2016 Related Story: Man Tied To 1981 Tulsa Murder Appeals Conviction To Supreme Court

Bulger argued that the judge at his trial should have let him tell the jury that a now-dead federal prosecutor had granted him immunity from prosecution. The judge said Bulger hadn’t offered hard evidence that such an agreement existed.

Bulger also contended that federal prosecutors failed to disclose “promises, rewards and inducements” made to John Martorano, a hit man who testified against the Boston gangster at his trial.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.