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Karen Read retrial begins with tense first day, heated hearing in murder case
Karen Learn’s moved in on the loss of life of her Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe nearly instantly began on Tuesday with anticipated fireworks – and so they went on after Decide Cannone despatched jury members dwelling with a heated listening to on late discovery coverage.
Painted each side completely different versions From occasions whereas they delivered their opening statements to the jury, however after the panel had left for the day, Cannone known as for a brand new listening to on Friday and accused the protection of violating one in all her orders on mutual discovery.
Lawyer Alan Jackson opened with a problem for the Coronary heart of the Prosecutor’s Coronary heart: that O
“On this case, the proof will decide three factors above all the opposite,” he mentioned. “There was no collision with John O’Keefe. There was no collision. There was no collision.”
Lawyer Alan Jackson points his opening assertion within the second homicide technique of Karen Learn within the Norfolk Superior Court docket on Tuesday 22 April 2025 in Dedham, Mass. (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald through AP, Pool)
Particular Public Prosecutor Hank Brennan informed one other story in his personal opening assertion, minutes earlier, and informed Jury members, reportedly drunk and indignant, intentionally hit the fuel and O’Keefe rammed with the rear bumper, then left him on the bottom, the place he was later discovered with critical head accidents and hypothermia.
Each instances might lower whether or not a couple of protection specialists can testify about their conclusions.
After jury members had left, the events argued in a heated movement about whether or not the professional’s witness to the ARCCA crash re-constructive firm ought to be allowed.
Decide Beverly J. Cannone creates potential jury members whereas the jury choice continues for the homicide function voltage of Karen learn in Norfolk Superior Court docket, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe Through AP, Pool)
Two specialists from the corporate testified throughout the first check and disputed the model of the prosecution of occasions.
Brennan mentioned the choose that public prosecutors have turn out to be conscious of extra conclusions from the specialists – new data that his workforce wouldn’t have time to arrange himself adequately as a result of disclosure weren’t made.
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Lawyer Robert Alessi mentioned it was the Brennan workforce that brought about delays in discovery by revising his personal professional disclosures in March, with a couple of weeks to go earlier than Learn’s enter began with jury choice on 1 April.
John O’Keefe depicted on an undated picture. O’Keefe died on January 29, 2022. His girlfriend, Karen Learn, was accused of beating him along with her Lexus SUV and the fleeing of the stage. (Courtesy of Karen Learn)
“Throughout an earlier listening to I discovered a violation of the mutual discovery obligations of the protection,” mentioned Cannone. “It was clear to me, and I found that it was intentional. This appears to me to be opposite to what you may have argued, Mr Alessi, that this can be a totally different violation of my order and the mutual discovery violations. We’ve got to determine this out earlier than you can name these witnesses.”
To realize that, she ordered a listening to listening to with the ArcCA specialists on Friday morning. Jury members is not going to be current all day.
Grace Edwards, a provincial provincial lawyer who adopted the case, mentioned that the listening to left its ground on the finish of the day.
“They nonetheless do not have the SallyPort video,” she mentioned, referring to Learn’s protection and police strike pictures from the day her SUV was first seized. “They performed the video. This feels laborious.”
Particular public prosecutor Hank Brennan provides his opening argument together with his cell phone within the second homicide technique of Karen Learn within the Norfolk Superior Court docket on Tuesday 22 April 2025 in Dedham, Mass. (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald through AP, Pool)
Brennan had beforehand requested Cannone to exclude the ARCCA workforce and predicted Edwards that the anticipated new witness that may convey Arcca may very well be problematic for the Commonwealth.
“She hardly allowed this to begin with. She will be able to’t be proud of this,” says Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector who adopted the case. “Very dangerous information for the protection.”
Learn it appeared to disagree, smiling when she met reporters outdoors on steps of the courthouse.
“I really feel nice,” she mentioned. “Right this moment it went properly. We’ve got ready laborious and I’m simply happy with my workforce.”
Karen Learn returns to the court docket after lunch break along with her lawyer Robert Alessi throughout her trial on the Norfolk Superior Court docket, Tuesday 22 April 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photograph/Charles Krupa)
When requested why Jackson didn’t begin his opening assertion, as colleague protection adviser David Yannetti did final yr and jury members informed them she was “framed”, she replied, “we do not like repetitions.”
The primary to take the stands was the witness to Commonwealth Timothy Nutall, a paramedic who checked O’Keefe when an ambulance arrived on the scene round 6 am on January 29, 2022.
He testified that whereas First Responders tried to provide O’Keefe CPR, Learn mentioned, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him.”
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However at Cross Train, Jackson was shortly questioned the reminiscence of Nutall and observed that throughout the first technique of Learn final yr he testified that Learn solely mentioned the expression twice.
He additionally confronted Nutall together with his personal testimony about what O’Keefe was sporting – which turned out to be unsuitable when he testified about it final yr. He then performed Dashcam video of paramedics on the scene once more and requested him to stroll by means of it and level out the place his witness was not in keeping with what was on the display screen.
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Nutall generally appeared uncomfortable, when Jackson repeatedly questioned his reminiscence, his earlier witness and his timeline of occasions. However he insisted that he learn learn: “I hit him” repeatedly.
Canton Hearth Division Paramedicus Timothy Nutall exhibits how you can do a carotispuls within the second homicide technique of Karen Learn within the Norfolk Superior Court docket on Tuesday 22 April 2025 in Dedham, Mass. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald through AP, Pool)
The second witness was Kerry Roberts, a good friend of O’Keefe’s whose son was as previous as his adopted cousin. Though she grew up with the sufferer, she mentioned they had been getting nearer after he had adopted his sister’s orphans after a household tragedy.
Roberts was one of many individuals who had been known as on the morning of O’Keefe’s loss of life.
She mentioned she is studying and Jennifer McCabe whereas they had been in search of him that morning. After they first looked for his home and obtained empty, they went to the home of Albert-where McCabe and different associates and acquaintances had gone an after-party the evening earlier than.
Karen Read and John O’Keefe: Inside Evolution of Boston Murder Mystery since July Mistrial
Karen Las depicted in a reserving picture after her arrest in connection along with her Boston Police Officer -Pal, John O’Keefe, in 2022. (Massachusetts State Police)
“Once we approached the home, Karen now shouts from the again seat:” There he’s! There he’s! Let me get the f out of this automobile, “kick the again door to get out,” Roberts testified.
Visibility was dangerous, she mentioned, and he or she could not see O’Keefe till learn went to 1 Body -sized “hill” On the entrance garden.
Decide Cannone despatched jury members dwelling the day after that witness. Roberts is predicted to return to De Standaard on Wednesday morning.
Authorities found John O’Keefe outdoors a canton, Massachusetts, at dwelling within the morning on January 29, 2021. (Boston Police Division)
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Course of It’s anticipated that it’ll take six to eight weeks after greater than two weeks to put a jury.
Learn can endure a most of life in jail if they’re convicted of prime prices, second -degree homicide.