Federal Judge Tosses Suit From Bulger Victims

A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a nearly $10 million lawsuit brought against the government by the family of a South Boston man slain by James "Whitey" Bulger and his crew in 1974.

The suit alleged that former FBI agent John Connolly Jr. knew for decades that Bulger killed Paul McGonagle Sr. and dumped his body in Dorchester, but didn't alert the family.

McGonagle's 77-year-old widow and her sons sought $9.8 million for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The family claimed that they agonized over McGonagle's disappearance until a government witness revealed his Tenean Beach grave in 2000.

Although he sympathized with the family, Judge Dennis Saylor IV wrote Tuesday that the government had no legal duty to report what they knew about McGonagle's whereabouts.