US crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger has pleaded not guilty to the murders of 19 people.
Mr Bulger, 81, appeared with his public defender in US District Court this afternoon.
Relatives of several of the victims came face-to-face with the man accused of a string of horrific killings.
He was captured last month by FBI agents after living on the run for 16 years.
Security was tight outside the court overlooking Boston Harbour, where US Coast Guard boats with machine guns and police boats were positioned.
Mr Bulger is accused of a crime spree spanning into the 1990s that included extortion, money laundering and, at one point, supplying guns to the IRA.
His life was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in 'The Departed', the 2006 crime film directed by Martin Scorsese.
