Karen Read acquitted: Why her murder trial caused such a frenzy
Hundreds of people wearing pink outfits waited with bated breath outside a Massachusetts court on Wednesday to hear the verdict in the Karen Read trial.As Ms Read was found not guilty of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe in January 2022, They erupted in jubilant cheers.A fervent TikTok following and multiple documentaries fuelled the obsession surrounding the true-crime case.Some saw the trial against Ms Read as an example of a flawed criminal justice system. Other trial-watchers, especially women, said they saw themselves in the accused.
Outside court, Ms Read's supporters were often conspicuous by their pink attire - her favourite colour. Each time she came in and out of the building, her adoring fans would extend their index, little finger and thumb - American Sign Language for "I love you". Ms Read and her attorneys would do the same.
Beyond the call to "Free Karen Read" - words many supporters have pressed into T-shirts or painted on signs - those in the crowd seemed to relate to her. "It could be me," said Patti Lima, who decided to start coming to court last week. "I would have done everything she did. Exact same thing."Robin Burns, another women in the crowd, said she brought both her daughters for parts of the two trials. The first proceedings against Ms Read for Mr O'Keefe's death collapsed in July 2024 after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. Ms Read argued she was framed by police. Ms Burns said: "I really believe there's a lot of corruption here and I believe it runs deep. And I've got three girls, and this could be one of my kids."The frenzy stems from Ms Read's circumstances, Shira Diner, a Boston University law lecturer, told the BBC. "The public doesn't have a lot of opportunity to see white women of means being charged with serious crimes and be put through the criminal legal process," she said. Statistically, as few as 10% of homicide offenders in the US are female, according to FBI data.But Prof Diner said there is a more important reason why people are fascinated with the case - because Ms Read has "created a narrative and a story around herself and around her experience that is really impactful and really effective".
Unlike many who face murder charges in the US, Ms Read - a financial analyst - was able to post $50,000 (£37,000) bail to stay out of custody while her trial proceeded."Most people who are charged with second-degree murder are held on a very high bail, and so while their trial is pending, while the case is pending, they can't do 60-Minute interviews and they can't talk to their fans," Prof Diner said. "They can't engage with a narrative in the way she has been able to do, because she was able to post her bail." Eric Schiffer, a public relations expert, told the BBC that Ms Read's story "blends every dopamine trigger - small-town cops, alleged cover-up, influencer sleuths". He noted that her father had thanked "content providers" after her not guilty verdict, underlining the role that ordinary people online, as well as documentarians and podcast hosts, have had on how his daughter was perceived in the public eye."This case proves crisis messaging today isn't about press releases - it's about Reddit flair mods and who controls the subreddit sidebar narrative," said Mr Schiffer, referring to the popular social media forum where a subreddit named JusticeforKarenRead amassed nearly 20,000 members.Mr O'Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside a colleague's suburban home and later pronounced dead.
As the verdict in the second trial was read on Tuesday, screams from the crowd outside could be heard in court. And when Ms Read walked out a free woman, the throng erupted in cheers and signed "I love you" in ASL, and she thanked them for their years of support."I just want to say two things," she said. "Number one is I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team financially, and more importantly emotionally for almost four years."The second thing I want to say is no-one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have, than I have and my team. "
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
31 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Vigil held to remember Minnesota politician and husband shot dead at home
Hundreds of people gathered outside Minnesota's Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker and her husband who were gunned down at their home. As a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra played, Governor Tim Walz wiped away tears and comforted attendees at the gathering for former House speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed early on Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Advertisement Colin Hortman, the Hortmans' son, embraced Mr Walz and laid a photo of his parents on a memorial. The memorial, which sprang up outside the Capitol after the killings, features flowers, American flags, photos and sticky notes with such messages as 'Thank you for always believing in me and in Minnesota' and 'We got this from here. Thank you for everything'. Colin Hortman (right) attends a candlelight vigil for his parents (Nikolas Liepins/AP/PA) The vigil also included a Native American drum circle, a string quartet and the crowd singing Amazing Grace. Around the gathering, there was a heavy police presence, with law enforcement blocking off streets leading up to the Capitol and state troopers standing guard. Advertisement The event did not include any speeches and attendees were instructed not to bring signs of any kind. Vance Boelter, the man charged in federal and state court with killing the Hortmans, is also accused of shooting another Democratic lawmaker, Senator John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home a few miles away in Champlin. They survived and are recovering. Boelter's attorneys have declined to comment on the charges. Mrs Hortman had served as the top House Democratic leader since 2017, and six years as speaker, starting in 2019. Advertisement Melissa Hortman was killed on Saturday (Nikolas Liepins/AP/PA) Under a power-sharing deal after the 2024 election left the House tied, her title became speaker emerita and Republican representative Lisa Demuth became speaker. Mr Walz has described her as his closest political ally and 'the most consequential speaker in state history'. The Hortmans were alumni of the University of Minnesota, which held a memorial gathering on the Minneapolis campus. Rebecca Cunningham, the university's president, spoke during the event about the grief and outrage people are grappling with along with questions about how things got to this point. Advertisement 'I don't have the answers to these questions but I know that finding answers starts with the coming together in community as we are today,' she said. Funeral information for the Hortmans has not yet been announced.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Gilgo Beach suspect mutters two words to attorney during critical murder trial hearing on DNA evidence
The Gilgo Beach serial killer suspect muttered the words 'good job' to one of his defense attorneys during the critical murder trial hearing taking place this week. Defense attorney Danielle Coysh was given the high praise by accused murderer Rex Heuermann after she wrapped up her questioning with their expert defense witness Nathaniel Adams, a systems engineer at Ohio-based Forensic Bioinformatic Services, Inc, Newsday reported. Coysh has been an integral part of Heuermann's legal team and has been working alongside lead attorney Michael Brown since Heuermann's arrest in July 2023. At the Frye hearing held at at the Arthur M Cromarty Complex in Riverhead, Long Island the defense and the prosecution continued to spar over the science. The defense challenged the DNA evidence that prosecutors say links Heuermann to six out of the seven murders he has been charged with. During a press conference on Wednesday Brown said the expert witness 'did well' and were not certain at this time if they will produce another witness for the defense at next month's hearing set for July 17. Brown noted that the earliest the case will go to trial is 2026 and pointed out that 'Rex complimented the work of Ms. Coysh on her work today and yesterday.' He spoke about Rex looking forward to his 'day in court.' 'He is very anxious to get to trial, but is a patient man and appreciates that fact that we are dotting our i's and crossing our t's,' he added. Heuermann dressed in a dark suit, white button down shirt and navy tie, listened intently. He studied the screen that was in front of him, as Brown intermittently leaned in to speak to him as the expert witness testified. Though his ex-wife Asa Ellerup, who he was married to for 27 years, and his daughter Victoria Heuermann, 27, did not appear in court on both day of the hearings, Heuermann seemed alert and focused on what his legal team was doing. Sometime after 10.15am Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney's continued his cross-examination of the defense witness on how he came to his conclusion that the IBDGem software was 'unreliable.' The IBDGem software was created by Dr. Richard Green, a professor in biomolecular engineering at the University of California in Santa Cruz since 2010 and co-founder of Astrea Forensics. Part of what the computer software does is create likelihood rations. In April, Green was the prosecution's star witness, and gave comprehensive testimony regarding the technology his lab used to identify the DNA on hairs found on some of the Gilgo Beach victims. According to investigators, hairs found on the victims' bodies were traced back to Heuermann's wife and daughter and a third unnamed individual. Tierney questioned Adams on the amount of notes he produced after analyzing the 28 Terrabytes of data that supported the work of Astrea Lab, and appeared perplexed that only 7 to 8 pages were generated. According to 28 Terrabytes of data is equivalent to 229376 Gigabytes, and is a voluminious amount of data. He also asked Adams why he did not review the IBDGem 2.0 software if it was downloadable and publicly available online. 'It is only about the science and the witness today focused on the computer program aspects of IBDGem,' Coysh told Daily Mail. 'Some of the data is publicly online but not all of it is and there were some materials that the District Attorney's office had, some if it is public and some is proprietary.' She further explained that 'the issue here is if it is generally accepted in the scientific community and that is what it is. We are the first in New York State to address this,' she said. 'In New York Sate the government has the burden to prove that this scientific testimony and evidence is generally accepted in the forensic scientific community so it can be introduced in a New York State of Law. She added: 'It's brand new. 'It is up to Judge Mazzei.' Rex looks straight ahead as his legal team Michael Brown (center) and Danielle Coysh prepare their notes during the Frye hearing on Wednesday During Tuesday's testimony, Tierney appeared to mock Adams and questioned his credibility during the grueling two hour cross-examination and his proficiency in the field. He took apart his 10-page CV asking him why it took nearly 10 years for him to obtain his college degrees. The 38-year-old Adams who has an associate's degree in computer information systems and a bachelor's degree in computer science said he was still working on obtaining his Master's degree and was also working towards his master's thesis. Adams explained that part of the delay in his master thesis was that he changed the topic and that it went beyond just probabilistic genotyping and that he was in the final stage of completion. The DA pointed out that Dr. Green went through the vigorous doctorate program, which Adams agreed, but Tierney seemed amused to some degree that he was judging Green's work. Brown pointed out that their expert witness 'did well. 'You don't have to have a Phd and you don't have to have Master's degree in order to to explain the analysis and evaluation 'What the prosecution has lacked any verification or validation of this product and this potential science that the Astrea folks wants to introduce. 'None of their witnesses were able to introduce any evidence about validation and verification and our witness confirmed and corroborated that it is not there.' He added, 'Quite frankly there is no general acceptance in the realm community of the scientific community and hopefully the judge agrees with that.' Brown said in part, that 'the biggest thing that the prosecution wants to do is generate this likelihood ratio and throw that in front of a jury.' The pointed out that during Green's testimony, 'he didn't even know the name of his own program' and also took note that his lab Astrea Labs is 'not a certifiable lab.' 'How can they (the prosecution) claim it is generally acceptable in the scientific community. You can't,' he said. When Brown was asked what his game plan is if the evidence is ruled admissable and if the whole genome sequencing is precluded, his response it that they will 'take it one step at a time.' 'He has maintained his innocence from day one. He wants his trial and is looking forward to his trial and we are going to keep going , Brown said. Rex Heuermann's family members are speaking out in the new Peacock docuseries 'We are going to suppress evidence that is unconstitutionally obtained or illegal until we get to to the point to try the case,' he said. The documentary reveals never-before-heard admissions from Heuermann's family and of a man accused of living a double life. In a bombshell twist, Victoria admits to producers that she believes her father 'most likely' committed the murders though her mother steadfastly defends her ex-husband's innocence. She came to her own conclusion after she reviewed the facts that were available on the case and what was explained to her. She shared the revelation with producers, a week before the series launch. Though she did not speak about in the documentary, it was revealed in a statement at the end of the final episode. Heuermann has been charged with the murders of seven women during a two-decade reign of horror from 1993 to 2011. All the victims were sex workers who vanished before their remains were found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach as well as other remote spots on Long Island. Since his arrest, prosecutors have unveiled a trove of evidence, including hairs allegedly belonging to Heuermann and his family members found on some of the victims, cellphone data allegedly placing him in contact with them, and a chilling 'planning document' in which he allegedly outlines his killings in detail. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Fears that a serial killer or killers were operating on Long Island began in May 2010 when 24-year-old sex worker Shannan Gilbert disappeared in strange circumstances one night. During a search for Gilbert that December, officers found the body of Melissa Barthelemy, 22, in the marshes by Gilgo Beach. Valerie Mack (left) disappeared in 2000 and parts of her body were discovered in Long Island that November. Jessica Taylor (right) vanished in 2003 with some of her remains being found in Manorville that year Sandra Costilla (left) was murdered in 1993, making her the earliest known victim. Karen Vergata's (right) remains were identified in 2023. Heuermann has not been charged in connection to her death Within days, three more bodies - Amber Costello, 27, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, and Megan Waterman, 22 - had been found. They became known as the Gilgo Four. Over the following months, the remains of seven other victims were found. Earlier this year, Tanya Denise Jackson, 26, also known as Peaches, and her two-year-old daughter Tatiana Marie Dykes were identified this year. Their deaths have not been linked to Heuermann.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
North Shields rapist threatened to kill girl if she reported him
A man who raped a teenage girl and then threatened to kill her if she told anyone has been jailed for 10 years and five Rycroft, 43, sexually assaulted the girl after he had been drinking on a day out in the centre of Newcastle, the city's crown court victim said she constantly felt "disgusted" and her life had been from North Shields, admitted offences including rape and sexual assault. The girl told police Rycroft said he would kill her if she told anyone what he had done after she pushed him off her, prosecutor Anne Richardson a statement read to the court, the girl said the rape changed her life forever and she still felt "disgusted" by it. She said she had had many sleepless nights and flashbacks while the pain Rycroft had caused her would be with her for the rest of her life. Victim's bravery praised Rycroft initially denied any wrongdoing but changed his pleas part way through the court girl said she was "happy" he did so but it was "strange" she felt that way, adding: "That isn't the sort of thing a normal [girl my age] should be happy about."She also said she had feared for her life due to Rycroft's threat to kill Gavin Doig praised the girl's bravery for fighting Rycroft off and "for the way she is doing her very best to carry on with her life".Rycroft must also sign the sex offenders register for life and an order was made banning him from being alone with girls under the age of 18 indefinitely. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
