Stephen Rakes, Whitey Bulger Witness, Was Poisoned By Man Who Acted Alone, DA Says

AP WOBURN, Mass. (AP) — Authorities say a Massachusetts man is charged with attempted murder for allegedly poisoning the iced coffee of a man who had hoped to testify at James "Whitey" Bulger's trial. A jogger found Stephen Rakes' body July 17 in the woods in the Boston suburb of Lincoln. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan says the investigation indicated 69-year-old William Camuti of Sudbury owed Rakes money and acted alone. A murder charge has not been filed because the medical examiner is still waiting on test results. Prosecutors say Rakes and his former wife were forced to sell Bulger their South Boston liquor store in 1984 to use as a headquarters for his gang. Rakes had looked forward to testifying but learned the day before his body was found that prosecutors wouldn't call him.