Karen Learn, the Massachusetts lady accused of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe, is not going to testify in her second trial, which may head to jury deliberations by Friday.
As in her first trial — which resulted in a mistrial — Learn has opted to not testify. Talking exterior the courtroom on Tuesday, she mentioned, “They’ve heard my voice. They’ve heard a variety of me,” referring to recorded interviews already performed for jurors.
Protection attorneys confirmed they’ve known as their remaining witness, and shutting arguments may start this week.
Expenses and alternate idea
Karen Read, 45, faces expenses of second-degree homicide, vehicular manslaughter whereas intoxicated, and leaving the scene of a collision leading to loss of life. Prosecutors allege she struck O’Keefe along with her SUV in a drunken rage and left him to die within the snow on Jan. 29, 2022, exterior a house in Canton, Massachusetts.
Her protection, nonetheless, argues that Learn is being framed in a police-led cover-up. They declare O’Keefe was assaulted throughout a home celebration, bitten by a canine, and dumped exterior throughout a blizzard.
Crash consultants problem collision idea
Dr. Daniel Wolfe, a crash reconstruction knowledgeable from ARCCA who beforehand testified for the prosecution, mentioned in court docket on Monday that injury to Learn’s Lexus and O’Keefe’s clothes have been “inconsistent with a car strike.”
He described crash exams utilizing dummy arms and full-body dummies dressed like O’Keefe, and mentioned the proof doesn’t assist the prosecution’s declare of a automobile collision.
His colleague, biomechanist Dr. Andrew Rentschler, briefly testified on Tuesday and is predicted to increase on his evaluation of O’Keefe’s accidents Wednesday.
Pathologist rejects hypothermia discovering
Forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, testifying for the protection, disputed the official post-mortem which listed hypothermia as a contributing consider O’Keefe’s loss of life. She advised the jury: “The physique didn’t have any hypothermia.”
As an alternative, she attributed the reason for loss of life solely to blunt pressure trauma, claiming inner mind swelling and stress on the mind stem have been deadly. She additional acknowledged: “Some accidents are very a lot in keeping with an animal chunk.”
Although the decide barred her from instantly testifying about canine chunk wounds, she mentioned the accidents could possibly be in keeping with claws or tooth, suggesting an assault previous to loss of life.
Contradicting the prosecution’s medical knowledgeable
Laposata’s testimony instantly challenges earlier statements by Dr. Aizik Wolf, a mind surgeon who advised jurors that O’Keefe’s cranium fracture confirmed “traditional” indicators of a backward fall. Wolf attributed the deadly damage to O’Keefe falling and hitting the again of his head on stable floor.
However Laposata disagreed, saying the wound patterns don’t match that situation. She famous that the grass the place O’Keefe was discovered didn’t look like disturbed in a manner in keeping with a fall, saying:
“You’ll are inclined to see grass within the wound, or an irregular crisscross sample of the flattened grass. And that is not what we now have right here.”
Case may go to jury this week
Choose Beverly Cannone, who presided over the primary trial as properly, mentioned the jury may start deliberations as quickly as Friday. With the protection anticipated to relaxation after Rentschler’s continued testimony on Wednesday, closing statements from each side are probably imminent.
Background and fallout
The high-profile case has gripped Massachusetts and drawn nationwide consideration attributable to its mix of alleged police corruption, forensic controversy, and conflicting knowledgeable testimony.
Learn maintains she is harmless, repeatedly stating her perception that she has been focused unfairly. As deliberations strategy, the jury will weigh not solely whether or not she brought on O’Keefe’s loss of life, but in addition whether or not the broader narrative supplied by her protection raises affordable doubt.
