BOSTON, July 31 (UPI) -- Attorneys for Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger did not disclose Wednesday whether he will testify at his trial.
The attorneys gave U.S. District Judge Denise Casper the names of more witnesses, The Boston Globe reported. Bulger said before the trial began he would take the stand, but nothing has been said about it since then.
"That may not be the limit to the defense," Jay W. Carney, a member of Bulger's legal team, told the judge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak urged the judge to order the defense to disclose Bulger's decision. He said prosecutors need to know if they have to prepare to cross-examine the longtime leader of the Winter Hill Gang or for closing arguments.
The prosecution rested last week.
Bulger, 83, who spent years as a fugitive before he was arrested in 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif., is charged with crimes that include a string of murders. Also Wednesday, Casper excused one of his former associates, Patrick Nee, 68, from testifying.
Nee's lawyer, Steven C. Boozang, said his client would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Carney, who said he did not intend to ask anything that could lead to criminal charges, objected.
A number of witnesses, including Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi, a longtime Bulger associate now serving a life sentence, implicated Nee in crimes with Bulger.
