Amazingly, although it had both Bulger cars in hand, the bureau never attempted to fingerprint either until the state police requested the car and got it five years later. Having been assured that there was nothing to find, the state police found a Band-Aid with Bulger’s fingerprint, his DNA (which had never been obtained before), and a handbill for an Irish festival in Texas that had long since passed.
By the way, the Globe’s Shelley Murphy has previously reported on the earlier parts of the above story, and last year, I reported the bureau’s many investigative errors. While it’s true that TV-news stories may be here today, then gone to Venus, Howie shouldn’t have missed the news clips.
Reporters realize that columnists have latitude that they don’t. What comes to mind here is Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley: “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My head’s already made up.”
___
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David Boeri: dboeri@hearst.com
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