The 81-year-old alleged killer and mob boss returned to Boston after his arrest in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Bulger is accused of at least 19 murders and a laundry list of crimes, including things like extortion, robbery and other racketeering.
The hearing lasted 10 minutes. Bulger was relaxed as the judge ordered him to remain in custody while he waits for trial. Bulger only answered yes or no to questions.
One of the murders that Bulger is accused of is Michael Donahue. His son was 8 years old at the time. The widow and son of the victim talked to reporters.
"They've been swearing a lot of things over the years," said Tom Donahue, the victim's son. "If the FBI did their job a long time ago, we wouldn't be here. My father would be alive."
Patricia Donahue, the victim's wife, said she was sick to her stomach when she heard about Bulger's arrest.
"We've been living all these years hurting, like all the other families, while he's living a great lifestyle. My husband is dead, while he's out there having a great time," she said.
Bulger's brother, former Massachusetts State Senator William Bulger, was in court and spoke to reporters for the first time since the arrest.
When asked if he was emotional, he said, "Well, no, it's an unusual experience."
In Santa Monica, a few people stopped by the apartment where Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig used to live, while a tour bus added the apartment to the itinerary. The couple posed as a married couple, with the alias Charles and Carol Glasko
Bob Cox, a retired Massachusetts state police detective, said he worked the Bulger case in the 90s. Cox thinks Bulger could bring down several federal and state agents if he talks. An FBI agent helped Bulger escape arrest 16 years ago.
"They infiltrated the mafia, that's what they were trained to do. They crossed the line, a couple of them," he said.
Catalina Schlank lives in the apartment building and knew the couple the entire 15 years they lived there. She socialized with the woman she thought was the wife. Schlank said Greig had told her that her husband stayed inside most of the day because of depression.
She described Bulger as "simpatico."
Their cover was blown after the FBI in L.A. began investigating a tip that stemmed from a new public service announcement showing Greig and Bulger. According to ABC News, agents lured the 81-year-old mob boss out of his apartment by calling to say his storage unit may have been broken into.
Authorities seized $800,000 from Bulger's Santa Monica apartment Thursday, some stuffed in the apartment walls, as well as fake IDs. They also found more than 30 weapons, some hidden in hollowed history books, and 100 rounds of ammunition.
