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Prosecutors: Whitey Bulger Trial Could Last All Summer

BOSTON (CBS/AP) - The new judge assigned to preside over the trial of reputed Boston mobster Whitey Bulger says it will begin in June as scheduled.

Prosecutors: Whitey Bulger Trial Could Last All Summer

Prosecutors told the judge Tuesday they expect the trial to last all summer and possibly through mid-September and they plan to call about 50 witnesses.

Bulger's lawyer J.W. Carney also wants shorter days in the courtroom during the trial due to Bulger's health issues and the fact that he will have to travel back and forth from the jail in Plymouth to South Boston each day.

Carney says he plans to ask new Judge Denise Casper to reconsider a ruling by the previous judge in the case. That judge found that Bulger could not bring up at trial his claim that he received immunity for future crimes from a federal prosecutor.

Bulger's lawyers also asked the judge to order prosecutors to turn over the name of an informant they say could help discredit an important witness.

The 83-year-old Bulger is accused of playing a role in 19 killings.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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