BOSTON – The lead attorney for James "Whitey" Bulger (BUHL'-jur) has asked to delay the start of his trial, saying the stress of trying to prepare in time to defend the former Boston mobster in November has taken a toll on his health.
J.W. Carney Jr. told a magistrate judge Tuesday that it will be "impossible" for him to read hundreds of thousands of documents turned over by prosecutors by November.
Carney says the stress of preparing for the trial of Bulger — accused of participating in 19 murders — has been "enormous."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly says he believes the 82-year-old Bulger is trying to avoid trial.
Bulger, the former leader of the Winter Hill Gang, was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., last year after 16 years on the run.
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