Among the various fireworks at the newest listening to within the case of Karen Read, charged with killing her boyfriend John O’Keefe final 12 months, is the protection’s declare that the investigation is so troubled that the federal authorities has opened up a case to look into it.
“It’s been reported that federal authorities have now gotten involved in the circumstances surrounding this case and have impaneled a grand jury, federal grand jury, to investigate some of these circumstances,” protection lawyer Alan Jackson mentioned in Norfolk Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.
“But Karen Read should not have to wait for the feds to figure out which heads should roll.”
A day later, the feds didn’t have a lot to say to make clear the matter. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s workplace mentioned: “We do not confirm or deny investigations.” The FBI had the identical reply, “as a matter of longstanding policy.”
The case has led to vital public consideration — from each side — which stuffed the second-floor courtroom in Dedham to standing room solely.
The first set are those that consider Read has been made a “scapegoat,” within the phrases of protection lawyer David Yannetti, by a prosecutor who “has hid evidence, manipulated evidence, stalled, delayed, obfuscated.” Many of those folks yelled out their help on the courthouse steps as Read walked down together with her attorneys and members of the family at her aspect.
The different aspect are those that, as prosecutor Adam Lally argues, consider the complete protection idea is a “fanciful” conspiracy and that their discovery requests are “the epitome of a fishing expedition” and that Read is responsible. Many of those sported Boston Police Department-branded clothes and “Justice for JJ” — JJ being O’Keefe’s initials — pins.
Following the listening to, the Herald reported largely on proof the protection is requesting relating to O’Keefe’s wounds — which the protection has lengthy argued couldn’t have been attributable to Read backing into him together with her SUV throughout a 3-point.
In specific, they wished animal management data for Chloe, the German Shepherd owned by Boston Police Sgt. Det. Brian Albert, who owned the house at 34 Fairview Road the place O’Keefe was killed, in addition to hint proof that might put the canine as a member of the assault they are saying killed O’Keefe.
But that’s not all they wished. The protection painted an image of a discovery course of they are saying has been something however useful or clear, with Yannetti calling the commonwealth’s discovery work “outrageous” in feedback to media following the listening to.
“For 15 months, this has been a quest for the truth conducted by one party, in this case, the defense,” he mentioned. “We have made substantial progress in this case to the point where anybody familiar with this case knows that Karen Reed is innocent.”
That proof is required, they are saying, to show their model of occasions: which is that O’Keefe was overwhelmed to dying within the dwelling — they are saying Apple Health information signifies he was strolling round in the home — after which his physique was dragged to the entrance yard the place by the following morning native responders discovered it “cold to the touch,” in keeping with prosecutor filings.
But additionally they are requesting proof to wreck the prosecution’s model of occasions. The prosecution contends that the couple have been out consuming in downtown Canton, the place O’Keefe lives, once they met up with acquaintances at Waterfall Bar and Grill and have been then invited to Albert’s home.
The prosecution contends that no person on the gathering noticed O’Keefe are available in and that Read struck O’Keefe together with her automobile, leaving him to die within the chilly and snow, and {that a} busted passenger-side tail gentle — and presumably a hair matter pattern from the passenger rear door that had not been examined by the Wednesday listening to — factors to this model of occasions.
But the protection argues that Read’s tail gentle was not busted when she dropped O’Keefe off — she didn’t keep, they are saying, as a result of she has many well being points and was not feeling nicely — and that if they’d unedited footage from the Canton Public Library safety cameras they’d be capable to show this.
Yannetti mentioned that the footage they obtained from the library has an important two-minute hole from 12:37 to 12:39 a.m., a time once they say their consumer would have been driving previous on her method again to O’Keefe’s dwelling on Meadows Avenue.
Prosecutor Lally mentioned “I would have a large issue with that” on the protection’s rivalry that every one the proof factors to Read’s innocence. As for the protection not receiving proof, he mentioned that he has personally reached out to expedite testing and launch and that the video they obtained from the library is similar video he obtained.
But protection attorneys will not be simply concentrating on Lally’s prosecution, however police investigators and specifically State police Trooper Michael Proctor, who they repeatedly characterize as “conflicted” and say has familial connections with these current within the dwelling. More particularly, connections with home-owner Brian Albert and Jennifer McCabe, Albert’s sister-in-law, who they are saying looked for “ho[w] long to die in cold” hours earlier than O’Keefe’s physique was discovered.
The president of State Police Association of Massachusetts, the union for troopers, got here out to throw his help behind Proctor and the investigation.
“This case is actively going on. Our homicide detectives here in Massachusetts are arguably the best in the country. Our solve rate is indicative of that,” SPAM President Patrick McNamara mentioned exterior the courthouse Wednesday. “The association supports our members across the commonwealth and the facts of this case will speak for itself.”
Both Albert and McCabe have retained attorneys who have been current within the courtroom Wednesday.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”