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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
A Boston police officer’s body was found two years ago in a snowy
yard. Now his girlfriend goes on trial for murder
By Faith Karimi, CNN
Updated:
11:10 AM EDT, Mon April 29, 2024
Source: CNN
After many months of courtroom showdowns, conspiracy theories and
accusations of a cover-up, the trial in the starts in earnest today.
O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow on January 29, 2022, outside
the home of a fellow Boston police officer in Canton, Massachusetts.
His girlfriend, former finance professor Karen Read, has pleaded not
guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while
intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision.
Residents of Canton and neighboring suburbs have spent months debating
two potential scenarios: Was O’Keefe beaten inside the officer’s
house and tossed outside to die in the snow? Or did his girlfriend
fatally strike him with her black Lexus SUV?
Protesters have accused local authorities of a cover-up to protect the
homeowner and have stormed city council meetings to demand answers.
Some have formed private Facebook pages and frequented blogs to discuss
intricacies of that fateful night, turning what began as a local
homicide case into a national sensation.
Opening statements are underway today in Norfolk County, south of
Boston. The case’s heavy publicity complicates the process of picking
an impartial jury, which may come down to selecting jurors who are
familiar with O’Keefe’s killing or have read about it but have not
formed an opinion, said Daniel Medwed, a criminal law professor at
Northeastern University.
“It’s fair to say a large number of people in Massachusetts know
about this case,” Medwed told CNN. “What happens in these jury
selection processes is that the lawyers will say, ‘Well, given what
you know, can you still be fair’? It’s possible that there could be
12 citizens, residents of this county, who haven’t made up their
mind.”
The case has sharply divided the Boston suburb of 24,000 people and
neighboring towns.
As the trial gets underway at the Norfolk County Superior Court
building in Dedham, Massachusetts, here are the key highlights.
The case comes down to a crucial six-hour window
The case revolves around the six hours before O’Keefe’s body was
discovered that winter night. Surveillance footage captured video of
him and Read on a night out on January 28, 2022 drinking at two Canton
bars and meeting up with friends, including the fellow officer.
Shortly after midnight, the couple climbed into Read’s SUV and drove
to the home of O’Keefe’s colleague on Fairview Road in Canton for
an after-party, court documents show.
Read, 44, has said she dropped off O’Keefe at the Fairview Road
house, then drove to his home because she wasn’t feeling well,
according to court documents. She said she later woke up in the predawn
hours and panicked when she realized he was not home.
She told investigators she then called two female acquaintances and the
three women drove through the streets of Canton in near white-out
conditions, looking for O’Keefe and calling his name, court
documents show.
Read spotted her boyfriend’s body in the front yard of the house,
covered in snow, and rushed to perform CPR on him, court documents
show.
Read and her legal team, including attorneys Alan Jackson and David
Yannetti, have argued their client is being framed. Jackson told CNN
that he believes O’Keefe entered the Fairview Road house that night
and got into an altercation with someone inside.
“I think that confrontation got physical, and he was beaten to a
point of unconsciousness,” Jackson said. “This was a coverup … he
was murdered inside that house and his body placed outside.”
But the prosecution alleges that the couple got into an argument that
led to O’Keefe getting out of the Lexus, after which a drunken Read
struck him with her vehicle and fled, leaving him to die in the snowy
cold.
In case documents and in court, Read’s attorneys have said they
believe one of the two female acquaintances, the homeowner’s
sister-in-law, is part of a cover-up to protect the people inside the
house and frame Read for the crime.
A forensic search of the woman’s phone revealed a Google search for
the phrase, “Ho(w) long to die in cold” hours before O’Keefe was
found, according to court documents.
But the woman has not been charged with a crime and her attorney, Kevin
Reddington, has told local media that allegations of her involvement in
a cover-up are baseless.
Meanwhile, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey has said
allegations that a network of law enforcement agencies conspired to
frame Read are not plausible.
“These people were not part of a conspiracy and certainly did not
commit murder or any crime that night,” Morrissey said. “The idea
that multiple police departments, EMTs, fire personnel, the medical
examiner and prosecuting agencies are joining in … a vast conspiracy
should be seen for what it is — completely contrary to the evidence
and a desperate attempt to reassign guilt.”
The furor over the case has divided the town
The case has been marked by legal wrangling for months. Last week, both
the defense and prosecution filed a flurry of motions over evidence
they want to introduce or exclude from the trial. For example,
prosecutors are seeking to show jurors details from a December 2021
trip the couple took to Aruba, arguing that it shows strains in the
couple’s relationship.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has
launched a federal probe into Read’s arrest and prosecution. In
February, federal officials released some 3,000 pages of documents
about their investigation. Most of the information was withheld from
the public.
And last month, the Massachusetts State Police announced an who is
involved in the case. The agency did not elaborate on whether the
alleged violation is related to the charges against Read.
The investigation was announced the same week Read’s defense team
alleged the trooper did not fully disclose his relationship with key
witnesses in the case. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam
Lally accused the defense of using the relationships to distract from
Read’s alleged guilt,
“It’s a three-card Monte trick. You know, card trick. On the
corner, on the side. Look at all of this. Look at this relationship.
Look at that relationship,” Lally said.
In November, Canton residents voted for an independent investigation
into the police department after a special town meeting that focused on
Read’s case. At the time, Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty told
CNN that investigators found “absolutely no evidence of a cover-up in
the tragic death of John O’Keefe.”
Meanwhile, pretrial hearings have drawn protesters wearing “Free
Karen Read” sweatshirts and carrying placards with similar messages.
In response Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone around
the courthouse to keep protesters away and restrict what they are
wearing.
“No individual may demonstrate in any manner, including carrying
signs or placards, within 200 feet of the courthouse complex during
trial of this case. …. No individuals will be permitted to wear or
exhibit any buttons, photographs, clothing, or insignia relating to …
any trial participant,” the order said.
In ordering the buffer zone, Cannone said there have been documented
cases of protesters shouting at witnesses and confronting family
members outside court.
“There is a substantial risk that the defendant’s right to a fair
trial will be jeopardized if prospective jurors are exposed to the
protests and messages displayed on signs,” Cannone wrote.
Read’s supporters have argued the order their First Amendment rights.
Early Tuesday morning, like they have every time she’s appeared in
court, they gathered in the streets outside the courthouse with their
sweatshirts and placards, shouting, “we’re behind you” and “go
get them” as she arrived. Flanked by her lawyers, Read placed her
hand over her heart in silent acknowledgment.
But this time, the protesters stood behind the barrier mandated by the
judge. “No First Amendment Rights Beyond This Point,” one sign
said.
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