Watch: closing arguments in karen read's murder trial

Crime THE PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE MADE THEIR CLOSING PITCHES TUESDAY BEFORE THE JURY BEGAN ITS DELIBERATIONS TO DECIDE KAREN READ’S FATE.  By Abby Patkin updated on June 25, 2024 3 minutes

to read _Livestream via NBC10 Boston._ Before closing arguments began, Judge Beverly Cannone told the jury that a juror had been removed. “You may notice that one of your fellow jurors is

not sitting with us today,” she said. “I can assure you that that is because of an issue that is just personal to that juror and has nothing to do with any concern of any of you. So please

disregard that.” ------------------------- After more than eight weeks of testimony, the Karen Read murder trial is finally coming to an end as prosecutors and defense attorneys deliver

their closing arguments. Advertisement: The defense rested Monday after presenting their last three witnesses: A retired forensic pathologist and two crash reconstructionists originally

retained as part of a federal probe into Read’s case.  The 44-year-old is accused of striking her boyfriend — Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe — with her SUV while dropping him off at a

house party in Canton shortly after midnight on Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors allege she was driving drunk following a night of bar hopping and backed into O’Keefe intentionally.  However,

lawyers for the Mansfield woman say she was framed in a vast conspiracy among law enforcement and witnesses. They allege O’Keefe walked into the afterparty and was beaten, attacked by the

homeowner’s dog, and thrown outside in the snow.  Advertisement: During a brief charging conference Monday, Assistant District Attorney Laura McLaughlin said Read’s actions point to a

consciousness of guilt. She specifically cited Read’s decision to move her car to her parents’ home on Jan. 29, as well as questions surrounding missing Ring home surveillance footage from

O’Keefe’s house in Canton. However, defense attorney David Yannetti said the notion Read had something to do with the missing Ring footage was a “red herring.” “This is the one case, I think

a very rare case, where there’s much more consciousness of guilt evidence with regard to the commonwealth’s own witnesses than there is with regard to the defendant in a criminal case,” he

argued. Also on Monday, Dr. Frank Sheridan, the former chief medical examiner for California’s San Bernardino County, testified that O’Keefe’s injuries could be consistent with a physical

altercation and that the wounds on his arm may have come from an animal attack.  “I’m not 100% sure about this, but my initial reaction when I saw this photograph was that it was probably an

animal — most likely, I would say, a dog,” Sheridan said, referring to a photo of scratches on O’Keefe’s right arm. Advertisement: ARCCA crash reconstructionist Daniel Wolfe, meanwhile,

testified that the damage to Read’s taillight was inconsistent with striking a human head or arm.  Wolfe further said that a person would not be propelled if they were struck only on their

arm. Massachusetts State Police Trooper Joseph Paul, the state’s crash analyst, previously testified that O’Keefe was projected several feet following the alleged collision with Read’s SUV.

  Wolfe’s colleague, biomechanical engineer and accident reconstructionist Andrew Rentschler, testified that O’Keefe’s head injuries were not consistent with having been struck by a vehicle

at 24 mph. In his crash analysis, Paul said Read accelerated in reverse and reached a top speed of about 24 mph.  According to Rentschler, there is not enough evidence to find the specific

cause of O’Keefe’s fatal head injuries.  “Certainly, it’s not consistent with getting hit by the car and ending up where he did, even if the ground is somehow hard enough to cause that type

of an injury,” Rentschler said.  Judge Beverly Cannone said the prosecution and defense will each get an hour for their closing arguments before jurors begin their deliberations. ABBY PATKIN

Staff Writer Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between. She has been covering the Karen Read murder

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