BOSTON — A man convicted of a 1980 murder is asking a Massachusetts court to order a new trial, claiming he has new evidence that gangster James “Whitey” Bulger helped frame him.

Frederick Weichel has spent 32 years in prison, filing unsuccessful appeals of his conviction in the killing of Robert LaMonica, a Braintree man who was shot outside his apartment.

Now, new lawyers say they have found evidence that shows Weichel was wrongfully convicted.

Weichel’s lawyers told The Boston Globe that a federal prosecutor recently revealed that Bulger partner Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi said he was present when Bulger told an FBI agent who could have given Weichel an alibi, “don’t get involved.”

A spokesman for the Norfolk district attorney’s office said prosecutors are reviewing Weichel’s motion for a new trial.


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