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

[LvsAMystry]

Photos of interior and exterior of the house for anyone interested. The house was sold last April. Pretty good price for a house of this size in Canton.

34 Fairview Rd, Canton, MA 02021 | Zillow

34 Fairview Rd, Canton MA, is a Single Family home that contains 2366 sq ft and was built in 1974.It contains 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.This home last sold for $905,000 in April 2023. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $1,000,800, which has increased by $7,455 in the last 30 days.The...

www.zillow.com

i didn’t realize they’d sold the home. So they got rid of the dog and then sold the home in the months following this incident? Odd.

 

[louvillian08]

Presumably, he only has to go from the car into the house, though? Why would you need a coat? In fact, you might exactly not want to take your coat inside in case you forgot it. New England old-timers work in short sleeves when it’s -20. These cops presumably have a lotta muscle; that’s extra heat.

All these guys were drunk apparently, and not registering realities. Trying to come up with a logical sequence and a rational thinking process for any of this is a fool’s errand IMO, and that’s why both prosecution and defense scenarios sound far-fetched; the theories are based on people who are sober, as far as I can tell. IMO the events in reality likely all evolved in nonsensical fashion.

I mean.. I guess? I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't have a coat but I don't think it's applying an unrealistic degree of rational thinking to wonder if, on a 20 degree night, a man wore a coat on a night he was was walking in between bars. Drunk or not.

It might have changed since May 5th when I made that comment but, at the time, no pictures or videos from the night had been released (besides the early morning car footage) so I was simply curious whether there ever was a coat. Now, at this point, I'm sure if there was a coat that wasn't found with the body or back at KR's house, her lawyers would have been all over that.

 

[ch_13]

I mean.. I guess? I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't have a coat but I don't think it's applying an unrealistic degree of rational thinking to wonder if, on a 20 degree night, a man wore a coat on a night he was was walking in between bars. Drunk or not.

It might have changed since May 5th when I made that comment but, at the time, no pictures or videos from the night had been released (besides the early morning car footage) so I was simply curious whether there ever was a coat. Now, at this point, I'm sure if there was a coat that wasn't found with the body or back at KR's house, her lawyers would have been all over that.

The Today Show report I linked to upthread has video of John and Karen at a bar that evening. He's wearing a hooded sweatshirt, but no coat. Of course his coat could be hanging on a peg somewhere, but I agree that if there was a missing garment it would have been mentioned in all the filings and online discussion.

 

[Hap]

I think one of the saddest things about this is that he was the guardian for two kids. Those kids had already lost their parents, and now this.

Also, KR seems to have a very good lawyer.

 

[ch_13]

The prosecutor's request for a gag order is denied.

Judge denies gag order request in Karen Read case

The judge acknowledged that statements made by Karen Read’s lawyers “are arguably inflammatory," but denied prosecutors' gag order request.

www.boston.com

 

[ch_13]

Last night, channel 25 in Boston aired a piece on this case, including an interview with Karen's parents.

Parents of Karen Read, woman charged in Boston officer’s death: ‘My daughter will be free’

The parents of a woman charged in a Boston Police officer’s death say they’re confident in their daughter’s innocence as her legal fight continues.

www.boston25news.com

 

[Gardenista]

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 19, 2023

Greater Boston blockbuster cases and where they go next: From Karen Read to Brian Walshe

It’s been a crazy year, and the Brian Walshe and Karen Read murder trials aren’t the only cases with shocking headlines. Here is a rundown of cases this year that Herald readers, and in…

www.bostonherald.com

[...]

The case has since been a flurry of filings behind the scenes, with her attorney David Yannetti arguing in court and in motions that the discovery process is too slow. The defense — which now includes both Yannetti and famous defense attorney Alan Jackson — has since floated their own theory: that it was not Read, but homeowner Brian Albert, a fellow Boston cop, and O’Keefe’s longtime friend Jennifer McCabe, also present in the house at that time, as the ones actually culpable in O’Keefe’s death.

Prosecutor Adam Lally has repeatedly called the defense theory “fanciful,” and both Albert and McCabe have lawyered up.

In recent months, the case has become even more dramatic. In May, Read took the unusual step of speaking directly to the public on the courthouse steps to both reassert her innocence — “I tried to save his life” — and to say that the whole case was a coverup, “We know who spearheaded this coverup. You all know.”

In the final week of last month, Judge Cannone denied both a defense motion and a prosecutor motion, which were, respectively, to recuse herself and to place a gag order on attorneys’ public comments.

Read is due back in court at 2 p.m. on Sept. 15 for a hearing on a renewed motion to compel discovery.

[...]

 

[DrQ]

IMHO Once again we will have to wait for the facts and evidence to be fully released. I can see this situation happening multiple ways. Not that people shouldn't have a fun night out drinking but there are times when it can end up deadly. The HOW of this one is confusing. One to watch.

 

[weepingangel]

Here's what we learned from the 'Nightline' segment on Karen Read

Karen Read opened up on "Nightline" about her relationship with John O'Keefe and shared her version of events from the night he died.

www.boston.com

 

[cocomod]

In my honest opinion, at this point in time I can see the defense having enough to cause reasonable doubt with a jury. I think the prosecution acted waaaaaay swift in charging her especially given the totality of the circumstances. I am very interested in how this will play out in court. She does have a very good and convincing attorney. If true that there is a personal connection with the judge, this will be grounds for an appeal in the future as well (IF she were to be convicted). Very interesting case to me.

 

[ch_13]

In my honest opinion, at this point in time I can see the defense having enough to cause reasonable doubt with a jury. I think the prosecution acted waaaaaay swift in charging her especially given the totality of the circumstances. I am very interested in how this will play out in court. She does have a very good and convincing attorney. If true that there is a personal connection with the judge, this will be grounds for an appeal in the future as well (IF she were to be convicted). Very interesting case to me.

This case has so much intrigue: small town politics, accusations of police corruption, a 'journalist' entwining himself into the case, and so much more.

Nevertheless, despite all the twists and turns, I think it may come down to dueling prosecution and defense experts. Specifically:

1. Did John's injuries come because he was hit by a car or from some other cause?
2. Did the party guest google 'ho[w] long to die in cold' in the middle of the night or did she google it the next morning?
3. Does the Apple Health data show John inside the house prior to his death?

If a defense expert can cast doubt on the prosecution's version of events for any of the above items, I think a jury will have to find reasonable doubt.

 

[ch_13]

The DA made a video statement last week:

The district attorney whose office is prosecuting the case of Karen Read, the woman charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, issued a rare statement out of court Friday addressing speculation about the case and defending the investigation.

"The harassment of witnesses in the murder prosecution of Karen Read is absolutely baseless. It should be an outrage to any decent person, and it needs to stop," District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a video statement he said was the first of its kind he's made in 12 years leading the office.

DA hits out at ‘baseless' witness harassment around Karen Read case

The district attorney whose office is prosecuting the case of Karen Read, the woman charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, issued a rare statement out of court Friday addressing speculation about the case and defending the investigation.

www.nbcboston.com

And then yesterday CourtTV did a long 45 minute story going through much of the evidence.

Dog Bite or Car Accident? Experts Analyze Forensics in Karen Read Case

Karen Read is accused of running over her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, in January 2022 and leaving him to die in the snow.

www.courttv.com

They had several forensic experts on. The experts were generally supportive of the prosecution's case and they didn't believe that the arm wounds were caused by an animal. However, they did raise questions about John's head wounds, the Apple Health data and the 2:30 AM google search.

 

[arielilane]

Court erupts with cheers in #KarenRead's motion hearing after her defense made its rebuttal against claims over DNA evidence and a car near where Boston police officer John O'Keefe was found dead. Read is accused of his murder.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1702796934829023427

Outbursts in the courtroom from supporters of #KarenRead as she enters for an evidentiary hearing. Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend #JohnOKeefe, a Boston police officer, with her car and leaving him in the snow to die.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1702728412438085852

Murder trial date set for Karen Read

UPDATE: Karen Read, who is charged in the death of her boyfriend, police officer John O'Keefe, will go to trial on March 12.

www.courttv.com

Last updated 7:08 AM, September 15, 2023


DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — A Massachusetts woman accused in the death of her police officer boyfriend was back in court Friday for a motions hearing.

Karen Read, 41, is charged in the January 2022 death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. Prosecutors say Read backed her car into O’Keefe, leaving him to die in a snowstorm.

Read maintains she last saw O’Keefe when she dropped him off outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer, Brian Albert. O’Keefe’s body was found in a pile of snow outside Albert’s home at 34 Fairview Road.

56 pieces of evidence

Defense attorney Elizabeth Little, addressing outstanding evidence she has yet to recieve, told the court that her client was arraigned a year and a half ago, yet the defense has not been able to view evidence the Commonwealth has had in its possession for 21 months.

According to Little, there are 56 items of physical evidence that the defense has not been able to inspect or test, including tail light pieces and the clothing O’Keefe was wearing when he died.

Little told Judge Beverly Cannon that the Commonwealth has been pushing back on her requests for evidence by stating that lab protocols and procedures are keeping them from accessing the evidence, and that the items were still undergoing testing. She took the opportunity to remind the Commonwealth that discovery is mandatory, and that withholding those items is in defiance of the law. She asked the court to intervene. [...]

bbm

[...] The hearing wrapped as the judge and attorneys agreed on upcoming dates for hearings: A pretrial conference report is due on Nov. 3, non-evidentiary motions must be filed by Nov. 16, a pretrial hearing was set for Dec. 8, evidentiary motions must be filed by Jan. 5, a final pretrial conference was set for Feb. 26, and trial was scheduled for March 12.

 

[ch_13]

This Boston.com article is probably the best summing up of the latest defense contentions that were discussed in today's hearings

Trial date set for Karen Read in controversial Canton murder case

In a marathon hearing Friday, the judge in Karen Read's murder case heard several motions and set a trial date for next March.

www.boston.com

A few excerpts:

[T]he defense team accused prosecutors of withholding several items of evidence, including samples taken from O’Keefe’s clothing and body, as well as pieces of a broken taillight reportedly found at the scene.
...
[D]ate-marked evidence bags suggested investigators conducted at least five undocumented searches at Albert’s home and reportedly recovered pieces of a taillight. “We don’t have a police report for any of those. No notes, no reports, no photographs of where those taillight pieces were found in the yard,”
...
[About] a hair prosecutors said was recovered from Read’s bumper. Defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that “the history of that hair is somewhat tortured,” asserting that testing on the hair showed “no human DNA detected. So after … 19 months or so of saying this was a human hair on the back of that bumper, turns out it’s not hair, and DNA testing indicated it was not a hair, and now the commonwealth seems to be in some sort of triage mode to try to figure out how they made a mistake,”
...
[A] snowplow driver who allegedly cleared Fairview Road the day O’Keefe died and told investigators that he did not see a body outside Albert’s home when he passed by early that morning. “The plow driver’s testimony should end this case. To put it simply, no body at 2:30 a.m. means Karen Read is innocent.”

 

[arielilane]

I remember this case when first reported, but forgot about it. Read this thread last night playing catch-up and there's a lot to digest. It's a challenging and interesting case. Probably best for me to wait to hear the evidence presented in a court of law. Yesterdays' hearing different - I don't recall ever seeing a show of support for an alleged murderer accused of killing a police officer. moo

 

[JerseyGirl]

Murder trial date set for Karen Read in death of Officer John O'Keefe

Karen Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, who she is accused of hitting with her vehicle after a night of drinking.

www.wcvb.com

As a result of Friday's proceedings, the case is now scheduled to go to trial on March 12, 2024. Attorneys argued over numerous motions filed in the case, including about evidence and bail, but decisions on those issues were not issued by the judge.

 

[Chelly]

I wonder how many police officers were party guests.

 

[HarmonyE.]

...
[A] snowplow driver who allegedly cleared Fairview Road the day O’Keefe died and told investigators that he did not see a body outside Albert’s home when he passed by early that morning. “The plow driver’s testimony should end this case. To put it simply, no body at 2:30 a.m. means Karen Read is innocent.”

This snowplow driver alone should guarantee an acquittal. He went by the house twice, hours after Reed supposedly left O'Keefe for dead. He's adamant he would have seen a body near the side of the road and the snow hadn't yet started to pile up. On the second pass, he says there was a vehicle parked on the road right where the body was found hours later, and it wasn't Read's Lexus.

 

[ch_13]

This snowplow driver alone should guarantee an acquittal. He went by the house twice, hours after Reed supposedly left O'Keefe for dead. He's adamant he would have seen a body near the side of the road and the snow hadn't yet started to pile up. On the second pass, he says there was a vehicle parked on the road right where the body was found hours later, and it wasn't Read's Lexus.

There's so much strangeness in the investigation regarding this snowplow driver too. According to defense filings, the original report from the state police claimed that the street was plowed by an outside contractor and the GPS on the truck was broken.

But apparently none of that is true. The plow driver works for the city of Canton and his GPS was functional. And although the driver spoke with Karen Read's private investigator in February 2022, the state police didn't bother to interview him until last month, over a year and a half since John's death.

Furthermore, the plow driver was not only interviewed by Read's PI, but the FBI has also questioned him, presumably in conjunction with a federal grand jury investigation.