MISTRIAL MA - Professor Karen Read, 43, charged with murdering police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with car, Canton, 14 Apr 2023 #17

[Wishbone]

Sandra Birchmore case is 2nd Norfolk County death probe that feds intervened in​

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy didn't directly answer when asked whether, in light of the Birchmore and Karen Read cases, it was rare for federal and state prosecutors to reach different conclusions on investigations, but experts called it unusual for federal authorities to become involved in a local investigation, especially twice within the same county​

snipped​

The U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts also conducted its own investigation into the highly-controversial Karen Read case, which ended in a mistrial last month. The Norfolk County District Attorney's office alleged that Read killed her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, by hitting him with her SUV, but crash reconstruction experts hired by federal prosecutors came to a different conclusion, a theory that Read's lawyers were able to discuss in front of the jury.
And in the Birchmore case, federal prosecutors came to a different conclusion from their counterparts in Norfolk County, at least initially. Where investigators said soon afterward that there was no foul play involved in Birchmore's death, the federal case outlined in court now alleges she was killed by Matthew Farwell, a detective with the Stoughton Police Department. Farwell is accused of strangling her and staging her apartment to make it appear that she took her own life.

Feds have stepped in on Karen Read, Sandra Birchmore cases. Experts say it's unusual.

Legal experts say it’s unusual for federal authorities to become involved in a local investigation, especially twice within the same county, as has happened in the Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore cases.

www.nbcboston.com

​

​

 

[Charlot123]

I do not think that Sandra Birchmore’s case and John O’Keefe’s murder are connected in a major way. I still feel that there are more “pro”s for “KR did it” than “someone in the Alberts’ house and Chloe did it”, but even this hung jury is better than what is now happening in Delphi.

If there is not enough data to convict, it is better to let the accused go, all the more so that it JOK’s one was obviously not a planned murder and KR is not a serial killer. The case was about a drunk policeman allowing his drunk GF to give him a ride, with dire consequences. All of it testifies to the level of power and disorganization the policemen in Canton are allowed to have under DA Morrissey, that’s all.

But at least, lot of work went into it, and we were privy to the process.

The power of expensive lawyers should not be unlimited, though, and I hope that some other cases, like that of Suzanne Morphew, for example, will have an expected and much-desired outcome.

If KR’s and SB’s cases are connected, and it is JMO, IMHO, MOO and all disclosures, just my Conjecture, it would be through one factor.
The family of Sandra got the money to hire a private medical expert. I question a potential connection there, but after all, SB’s murder is so obvious and the whole situation with these pedophile policemen, nauseating, that it is good. As I said, JMO.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Most of the YouTube lawyers seem to think the appeals court won't overturn the judge's decision because there is no precedent or caselaw in Massachusetts to support overturning it. But several think the court will establish new rules for judges in such situations on a go forward basis. This judge was so unbelievably sloppy all around here.

No time like the present for a precedent setting case! Precedent always begins with one case/appeal. This one is a mighty fine candidate. moo

 

[GoBuckeyes]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1828103260114493744

GodSpeed o’Keefes

Give me a break! KR had every right to any defense strategy or strategies she and her lawyers chose. If they were so emotionally distressed, they could have chosen not to attend said proceedings.

Even the civil case document and statements of "fact" are just plain bizarre. moo omo

 

[jepop]

Well, my position remains that no vehicle ever hit and killed JOK. Said best in Aug 6th post courtesy of @SteveS. Moo. Have brought forward at the end of my post.

Questions about possible similarities in investigations of both Canton cases are finally reported in msm as shown up thread.

Moo follows; ,MA State MEs got things wrong in both cases. SB was not suicide. JOk's arm wounds were never swabbed, researched, investigated per KR ME trial testimony. IOW they were ignored by the relevant ME in JOK's case when it came to manner of death/ circumstances surrounding death. Imoo

What was the dynamic between these 2 diff MA State MEs and the main investigating officers from Canton PD and MSP? Some investigating officers were involved in both cases. Did both MEs do less than competent investigations into MOD on their lonesomes? Were their findings influenced by sub par and/or incompetent /tunnel visioned/corrupt Canton PD and MSP investigators?

These above are my questions emerging from msm reporting on both cases together and my opinion on how JOK was NOT killed.

MISTRIAL - MA - Professor Karen Read, 43, charged with murdering police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with car, Canton, 14 Apr 2023 #17

www.websleuths.com

 

[Curiousobserver]

The problem is that the FBI did not prove he wasn't hit by a vehicle, they can't scientifically do that. Their conclusion was that they didn't think his injuries and the damage to the are were consistent with each other and they couldn't reconcile the two with the limited experiments and analysis they did. This is very different.

The FBI guys couldn't figure out how it happened, they didn't prove it couldn't have happened.

The evidence he was hit by the vehicle are the broken tail light pieces at the scene with his DNA on them. Until you prove they were planted by a corrupt police officer(s), the most likely explanation for those is they are related to the injuries on the dead guy whose DNA they match.

 

[jepop]

The problem is that the FBI did not prove he wasn't hit by a vehicle, they can't scientifically do that. Their conclusion was that they didn't think his injuries and the damage to the are were consistent with each other and they couldn't reconcile the two with the limited experiments and analysis they did. This is very different.

The FBI guys couldn't figure out how it happened, they didn't prove it couldn't have happened.

The evidence he was hit by the vehicle are the broken tail light pieces at the scene with his DNA on them. Until you prove they were planted by a corrupt police officer(s), the most likely explanation for those is they are related to the injuries on the dead guy whose DNA they match.

I don't recall any testimony at trial or evidence presented at trial demonstrating tail light shards uncovered on the lawn had JOK 's dna on them, imo the shards on the lawn were not even tested for his DNA or if they were none was found. You'll need to please show time stamped testimony to back up this assertion otherwise your statement appears misinformative.IMO

Re the shards uncovered on the lawn also Lally presented no witness saying they had found either JOk's blood or skin on those shards moo but I watched that testimony carefully. Also happy to be proved wrong about this with a time stamped video from trial testimony showing otherwise. Moo

 

[ch_13]

The evidence he was hit by the vehicle are the broken tail light pieces at the scene with his DNA on them. Until you prove they were planted by a corrupt police officer(s), the most likely explanation for those is they are related to the injuries on the dead guy whose DNA they match.

snipped.

And, yet...There were those shards of glass which mysteriously appeared on Karen's bumper and also at the scene. But none of those glass pieces were matched to John's drinking glass. Who put them there? Not John and not Karen. There's no other reasonable explanation other than they were planted, probably by Proctor.

And if the glass pieces were planted, then is it so hard to believe the taillight shards were? The so-called DNA evidence is really sketchy. It's touch DNA. Yet, supposedly those same taillight pieces cut huge gashes in his arms, yet no blood or skin was found on them. Plus, there's no way those taillight pieces made tiny pinprick holes in his jersey. That's just not the way a broken piece of polycarbonate would damage a piece of cotton cloth.

 

[jepop]

snipped.

And, yet...There were those shards of glass which mysteriously appeared on Karen's bumper and also at the scene. But none of those glass pieces were matched to John's drinking glass. Who put them there? Not John and not Karen. There's no other reasonable explanation other than they were planted, probably by Proctor.

And if the glass pieces were planted, then is it so hard to believe the taillight shards were? The so-called DNA evidence is really sketchy. It's touch DNA. Yet, supposedly those same taillight pieces cut huge gashes in his arms, yet no blood or skin was found on them. Plus, there's no way those taillight pieces made tiny pinprick holes in his jersey. That's just not the way a broken piece of polycarbonate would damage a piece of cotton cloth.

Bradford at around 3 hours 52 mins. NOt the pieces recovered from lawn, just an extraction of epithelial cells from tail light housing area of busted light. To be clear NO JOK DNA evidence at trial re JOK DNA on the lawn pieces and as stated before, also no blood and no skin. OP is misinformed.

 

[Seattle1]

Give me a break! KR had every right to any defense strategy or strategies she and her lawyers chose. If they were so emotionally distressed, they could have chosen not to attend said proceedings.

Even the civil case document and statements of "fact" are just plain bizarre. moo omo

Nothing make me cringe more than Civil pleadings that are drafted to butter both sides of the bread for a money grab!

For example, generally, anticipated claims for pain and suffering are covered in the non-economic category for "Loss of Companionship." IMO, by making a claim for emotional distress, citing KR changing her defense strategy as the basis here, the Plaintiffs have positioned the party to also straddle the fence for Punitive damages (i.e., punish the defendant) which are uncommon in MA -- especially without a criminal conviction.

However, knowing they can pause this suit at anytime for the criminal case, the Plaintiffs timely filed the WDC, and will be in the position to massage and manipulate (the sympathy of the jurors) the dollars between the overlapping claims for both pain and suffering and emotional distress.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your stance, experienced Civil Attorneys understand the multiplier and per diem calcs used by Underwriters to settle such cases for the least exposure and greatest economic benefit for each. MOO

Here is a summary of the key categories:

• Loss of financial support — This includes income the deceased would have likely earned in the future, as well as the value of household services they provided, such as child care or home maintenance.
• Loss of companionship — This encompasses the emotional pain and suffering endured by the beneficiaries due to the loss of companionship, guidance and love from the deceased.
• Loss of decedent’s society — This compensates for the loss of the deceased’s companionship, protection and enjoyment of life.
• Medical and funeral expenses — Reimbursement for reasonable medical bills incurred before death and the costs associated with the funeral and burial.

Punitive damages are uncommon in MA:

Punitive damages put the focus on the person or organization that is responsible for the accident or death. They are similar to a fine. The court will impose the damages on the responsible party based on conduct that led to the accident or death. By doing so, the court seeks to deter others from acting the same way. Punitive damages in MA are uncommon--especially if no criminal conviction. Most likely because they are not insurable, MOO.

 

[Seattle1]

Standing and Wrongful Death Lawsuit in MA:

Under Massachusetts law, only the administrator or executor of the deceased’s estate has standing to file a wrongful death claim. An executor or administrator has a number of obligations and responsibilities regarding the deceased’s estate, including paying any outstanding debts, ensuring beneficiaries receive their inheritance under the terms of the will, and finalizing the estate’s affairs. In this specific case, I think it's fair to assume that JOK had a will, and that he nominated his brother POK to serve as the executor.

Please take note that pursuant to MA law, given JOK had no surviving spouse, his children will receive the whole of any economic portion of a presumed Wrongful Death award, in equal shares. In other words, JOK's parents and siblings will not benefit from the lawsuit because there are surviving children.

^^rsbm

https://twitter.com/x/status/1828103649052311768

^^^^^^^^^^^UPADATE & IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Reading from attached pages 1 and 2 above by reporter Kristina Rex from the subject Wrongful Death Claim dated 8/26/24, it's now confirmed that JOK did NOT legally adopt his minor niece and nephew (Kaylee and Patrick) who'd resided with the decedent for eight years prior to his death.

In other words, for relevant standing, legally, K & P are only JOK's surviving niece and nephew, and not his children. (In my initial post, I incorrectly believed JOK adopted the minors as his legal children which would have excluded his parents and siblings from any presumed award from the suit).

Pursuant to MA law, given JOF had no surviving children, his parents and siblings are in-fact Plaintiffs to the wrongful death suit, and claims to any economic portion of a presumed Wrongful Death award by his surviving niece and nephew, are as beneficiaries of the estate of JOK's sibling, Kristen, their mother. (Kristen is identified in the suit as JOK's sister, and the daughter of each their parents).

This is further made clear on page one where JOK's mother Margaret (MOK) is separately named a Plaintiff as the grandparent and guardian for the niece and not for both of the minor children. MOO

ETA: attach image

 

[Seattle1]

The problem is that the FBI did not prove he wasn't hit by a vehicle, they can't scientifically do that. Their conclusion was that they didn't think his injuries and the damage to the are were consistent with each other and they couldn't reconcile the two with the limited experiments and analysis they did. This is very different.

The FBI guys couldn't figure out how it happened, they didn't prove it couldn't have happened.

The evidence he was hit by the vehicle are the broken tail light pieces at the scene with his DNA on them. Until you prove they were planted by a corrupt police officer(s), the most likely explanation for those is they are related to the injuries on the dead guy whose DNA they match.

I disagree with OP's conclusion given the defense has no burden of proof here. IMO, FBI provided reasonable doubt that given the totality of the evidence, the CW failed to show that JOK was struck by a vehicle. The CW holds this burden, not the FBI. And if/when KR is recharged as indicted, I hope the defense will drop this alternate claim of planted evidence and let the science speak loudly for itself. JMO

 

[weepingangel]

Two deaths in one Massachusetts town cast doubt on the relationship between police and prosecutors

The Massachusetts model of state police working alongside prosecutors on high-profile crimes, instead of an independent investigative agency, is compromising cases, experts said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

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[ch_13]

In the "blizzard blackout case", an impaired driver, Karen Read, accidentally ran over her BF, Boston cop John O'Keefe, while unloading him in front of a Canton LEO's house. Festivities incide prevented anyone noticing the incident till dawn. MOO, the cases are visibly unconnected, but the precedent of SB's case explains public mistrust we saw in KR's trial.

RSBM. This was posted in another thread, but I hope you'll forgive me if I respond to it here, as this has to do with the KR trial.

As I'm sure you're aware, the state's theory of the case was not that KR "accidentally" ran over JK, but rather than she backed into him on purpose at a high-rate of speed. They could have just charged her with manslaughter, but they chose to make it a murder case, even though they had very little evidence of intent.

As for links between the KR and SB, here are some obvious ones:

• Many of the same agencies were involved including Canton PD, MSP, Norfolk District Attorney's Office, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• Many of the same cops were involved, and both cases involved misdeeds by a LEO
• When the LEO misdeeds were uncovered, the commonwealth just quietly sat on the evidence and did nothing until it became public knowledge and they were forced to act.
• An incomplete investigation was done which missed obvious physical evidence indicating the scene wasn't what it initially appeared
• Both cases involved missed tech evidence that would have inculpated a police officer had it been discovered
• Even as new evidence came to light indicating that the cases were more complicated than originally thought, the commonwealth refused to reexamine them.
• The FBI /US Attorney is investigating both cases because they believe that public integrity has been compromised

I'm sure there is much more, which will be revealed in the weeks and months to come.

But one thing in particular I'd like to point out. In SB's case, the ME ignored the broken hyoid bone and physical description of the crime scene which were indicative of a murder. In the KR case, the ME claims that there were no signs of a physical fight (ignoring the various wounds to JK's hands and face) and have refused to admit that the scratches on his arm were caused by an animal. Although at trial, they simply refused to give any explanation.

I think we can look at the autopsy photos and the holes in JO's jersey and our eyes tell us what should have been obvious to the ME, just as the circumstances and manner of SB's death should have been obvious and yet the ME got it wrong.

 

[ch_13]

Two deaths in one Massachusetts town cast doubt on the relationship between police and prosecutors

The Massachusetts model of state police working alongside prosecutors on high-profile crimes, instead of an independent investigative agency, is compromising cases, experts said.

www.nbcnews.com

From the article:
In Massachusetts, detectives with the state police are assigned to district attorneys’ offices, which can lead to the bungling of cases, Nolan said.

One question I've had about the system in Massachusetts is who actually directs the police officers when they investigate a case? Is it someone higher-up in the MSP or is it the county DA?

Is Morrissey the one who determines that an investigation should move down certain avenues and others should be ignored? If so, then Yannetti's claim that he is under federal investigation starts to make a lot of sense.

 

[Curiousobserver]

snipped.

And, yet...There were those shards of glass which mysteriously appeared on Karen's bumper and also at the scene. But none of those glass pieces were matched to John's drinking glass. Who put them there? Not John and not Karen. There's no other reasonable explanation other than they were planted, probably by Proctor.

And if the glass pieces were planted, then is it so hard to believe the taillight shards were? The so-called DNA evidence is really sketchy. It's touch DNA. Yet, supposedly those same taillight pieces cut huge gashes in his arms, yet no blood or skin was found on them. Plus, there's no way those taillight pieces made tiny pinprick holes in his jersey. That's just not the way a broken piece of polycarbonate would damage a piece of cotton cloth.

The post was that there is no evidence that he was hit by a car and the FBI proved it didn't occur.

Both of those are false- there is evidence he made contact with the tail light- his DNA was found in the tail light extract. There is evidence it happened in front of that house; multiple different police officers witnessed finding the tail light pieces under the snow. There is evidence from the FBI that it would take a lot of force to do this. There is also evidence the pieces were not planted: no law enforcement officer's DNA was found in the DNA profiles.

Law enforcement officers always have the ability to plant evidence since they are always the ones collecting it and storing it. Asserting that it is possible law enforcement planted evidence without any evidence that they did is not reasonable doubt, otherwise it would be impossible to convict anyone of anything. That is essentially what the defense did.

 

[ch_13]

no law enforcement officer's DNA was found in the DNA profiles.

rsbm. I don't know what this means. Are you suggesting that they investigated the taillight pieces for LEO DNA? As far as I know this was not done, and I don't recall any testimony to that effect. Can you provide a link?

Law enforcement officers always have the ability to plant evidence since they are always the ones collecting it and storing it. Asserting that it is possible law enforcement planted evidence without any evidence that they did is not reasonable doubt, otherwise it would be impossible to convict anyone of anything. That is essentially what the defense did.

There is really no other explanation for how matching glass pieces that were found both at the scene and on KR's bumper. The glass was not the same as what John was carrying.

I recall that you and I had this discussion previously, where you insisted that the glass could not be determined to be from the same source until I pointed you back at the testimony to show that the glass shards matched both physically and in chemical composition. I'm not going to rehash all that, but I will point you to our previous discussion:

MA - Professor Karen Read, 43, charged with murdering police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with car, Canton, 14 Apr 2023 #9

Well how do they know that when they don't know how he was facing or what position he was in when struck? Because they just do ok? It's giving...just trust me vibes

www.websleuths.com

MA - Professor Karen Read, 43, charged with murdering police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with car, Canton, 14 Apr 2023 #9

The amount of Trooper Paul speculation was crazy, and there were a bunch of times he had one of his graphs or charts or him talking about accidents and I didn't notice him factor in the snow or ice, who cares about pedal pressure maybe she was slipping on snow or ice I do not think this is...

www.websleuths.com

If there's another explanation for how this same piece of glass came to two different locations without it being planted, I am all ears.

 

[Seattle1]

Two deaths in one Massachusetts town cast doubt on the relationship between police and prosecutors

The Massachusetts model of state police working alongside prosecutors on high-profile crimes, instead of an independent investigative agency, is compromising cases, experts said.

www.nbcnews.com

From the article:
In Massachusetts, detectives with the state police are assigned to district attorneys’ offices, which can lead to the bungling of cases, Nolan said.

One question I've had about the system in Massachusetts is who actually directs the police officers when they investigate a case? Is it someone higher-up in the MSP or is it the county DA?

Is Morrissey the one who determines that an investigation should move down certain avenues and others should be ignored? If so, then Yannetti's claim that he is under federal investigation starts to make a lot of sense.

IMO, the problem I see with the MA system where the MSP provides Investigators to the DA's office is how it appears to operate like a longtime marriage including benefits such as spousal privilege between the parties. If the intent is to somehow serve as an in independent or impartial body to the CW, the system clearly fails that test.

While the MSP (see link) cites that it also encompasses many specialized units that perform various functions throughout the Commonwealth and assist with partner law enforcement agencies in the interest of public safety, I'm not reading that the State Police Detective Units (SPDU) gets housed in the DA's office!

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/specialized-units

For comparison, I offer the following for how my own State District Attorney's Office engages Investigators:

Generally, candidates have the same training as sworn peace keeping officers but work for the DA's Office. The DA's Investigators are responsible for assisting the elected DA in preparing cases for hearings and trials, interviewing witnesses, etc., and being the bridge to the criminal investigation.

More importantly, the results of an Investigator's work are usually protected by the "work product privilege". This means that the information from the investigation is not available to other parties.

The jurisdictions for our District Attorneys are broken down by County Judicial Districts which would be the same for the DA's Investigator-- unlike a Statewide Police Investigator in MA.

MOO

 

[jepop]

Dbm