James Patrick Bulger

James Patrick Bulger was born March 16, 1990 in Liverpool, England. On February 12, 1993 he was kidnapped by two older children, 10-year-old Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, at the New Strand Shopping Centre. The two boys appeared to be looking for the perfect target when police checked nearby security camera footage.

Thompson and Venables took Bulger over 2 miles away, near the Liverpool Canal and began a ruthless attack on the child. The boys began kicking the two year old and throwing rocks at him. One boy put paint in Bulger’s eye and the other put batteries in his body. The boys then dropped a 22-pound bar on his head, which the coroner believes finally killed him.

After the gruesome murder, the two boys dragged Bulger’s body onto nearby railroad tracks, hoping to make his death look like an accident. Bulger’s body was eventually hit by a passing train. His body was found two days later. After viewing the local security footage, the boys were quickly arrested and sentenced to prison.

Both Venables and Thompson were released in 2001 because they were deemed to no longer be a threat. This caused mass hysteria and outrage within the community. Both were told that if they violated any laws again that they would be sent to prison for life. Venables was sent back to prison in 2010 for undisclosed reasons, but was released in 2013.