logo
Karen Read trial updates: 'Unavoidable circumstances' derail day 15

Karen Read trial updates: 'Unavoidable circumstances' derail day 15

Yahoo13-05-2025

Witness testimony in the second murder trial of Karen Read will not occur on May 13 as expected, a court spokesperson announced.
The trial of the Massachusetts woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead was expected to enter its 15th day, but "unavoidable circumstances" paused the court proceedings, Jennifer Donahue, a spokesperson for Massachusetts state courts, said in an email without providing additional details.
Prosecutors were expected to call their next witness after Massachusetts State Trooper Yuri Bukhenik wrapped up his testimony on May 12 following three days on the stand. He told the court that her broken taillight led police to suspect 45-year-old Read of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Office John O'Keefe, with her Lexus.
Additionally, Bukhenik, a witness for the prosecution, said he was told by first responders at the scene that Read had said "I hit him," referring to O'Keefe. This alleged admission, along with the taillight, went on to "form the case" police had put together against Read, Bukhenik said.
Prosecutors say Read deliberately hit O'Keefe, 46, outside the home of a fellow cop and left him for dead in a drunken rage. Read's lawyers say she was framed for O'Keefe's murder and, in opening statements, said the investigation was riddled with error, bias, incompetence and deceit.
Her first trial in 2024 ended in a hung jury.
In response to Bukheinik's testimony, Read's defense attorney launched a tense cross-examination and grilled Bukhenik about the integrity of his investigation and his former subordinate, Michael Proctor, who sent crude text messages during the case and was fired in March for unrelated reasons.
Read's case in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, has turned into a yearslong whodunnit legal saga that has captivated true-crime fans across the country, spurring an array of podcasts, movies, and television shows.
Her trial has drawn supporters from both sides of the case and led Judge Beverly Cannone to issue an order barring people from demonstrating within 200 feet of the courthouse.
The first full day of testimony began April 23. Cannone estimated the trial could last between six and eight weeks. It's unclear how many additional witnesses will testify.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Michael Loria and N'dea Yancey-Bragg
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karen Read trial: Day 15 plans derailed by sudden postponement

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'With a Vengeance' by Riley Sager is a tense mystery on a train: Review
'With a Vengeance' by Riley Sager is a tense mystery on a train: Review

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

'With a Vengeance' by Riley Sager is a tense mystery on a train: Review

'With a Vengeance' by Riley Sager is a tense mystery on a train: Review Justice is best served cold — after a luxury overnight train ride, of course. That's the premise of "With A Vengeance" (Dutton, ★★★ out of four), the newest novel from bestselling author Riley Sager. It's is a locked-room mystery that takes us back to 1954 as a trap is being set. Anna Matheson's plan was simple, and she has put all her energy — and money — into every last detail. Get the people responsible for her family's downfall during the war onto a train where there's no escape, confront them and find out why they did what they did and then deliver them right to authorities waiting at the train's destination. But her meticulous plans are, well, derailed shortly after the train departs Philadelphia. Anna has managed, through anonymous invitations (and mild threats), to lure the six people who were behind destroying her family onto the luxe, and suspiciously empty, Phoenix train for a nonstop overnight ride bound for Chicago. More: USA TODAY's best-selling booklist She's prepared for this moment, prepared to face them all with what she's uncovered about their crimes, but she's unprepared for what comes after. Anna might want justice, but someone on the train apparently wants them dead and is killing Anna's captives, one by one. Now, she is in a literal race against the clock to not only figure out who's behind the murders, but also help protect the people she despises so they can be alive to face the justice they deserve. Sager's novel, which takes readers through each of the 13 hours from the train's departure to its arrival, brings easy comparisons to Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" and "And Then There Were None." But there's also familiarity from Sager's previous novels: the panicky main character making messy moves, hints of romance past and present, uncovered family secrets and many twists. The journey through "Vengeance" almost loses its way along the tracks setting up some of those twists. Like real train trips, initial excitement can wane as the adventure gets underway and you settle in for the ride. Will it remain fun, or will the repetition rock you to sleep? There's plenty, though, to capture a reader's interest along the way. The tension between the characters, the tightness of the quarters on the train are visceral and sharp. You might not understand why Anna makes some of her choices, but you can understand her grief for the loss of her family and her desperation for closure and justice. That along with the story's short timeframe factor add to the urge to find out what happens next as the mystery deepens and the action escalates. More: Celebrate Pride Month with one of these 10 new books, from romance to nonfiction And Anna is surrounded by characters with more interesting backstories than her own: Her Aunt Retta, glimpsed through flashbacks, who had little patience for weakness, or her late beloved brother, Tommy, the kind and charming youth who joined the military and the war effort both seem worthy of novels of their own. "Vengeance" is not merely the final destination — the answers to whodunit or how — but the whole journey: observing the passing scenery, the setting, the passengers and seeing where the ride takes you.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' eerie favorite TV show revealed at trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' eerie favorite TV show revealed at trial

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' eerie favorite TV show revealed at trial

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' eerie favorite TV show revealed at trial Show Caption Hide Caption Witness Jane 'shocked' when she heard of Cassie's 2023 Diddy lawsuit Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend who goes by Jane testified that she was shocked when she learned of Cassie Ventura Fine's bombshell 2023 lawsuit. An alleged victim of Sean "Diddy" Combs is revealing the embattled mogul's favorite TV show is a true crime franchise. Combs' ex-girlfriend "Jane," testifying under a pseudonym in Combs' federal sex-crimes trial, revealed the eerie TV show Combs allegedly counts as his favorite in court on Tuesday, June 10. Under cross-examination, Jane said that she "endured" nights in hotels with escorts because she wanted to spend time with Combs – bathing him, rubbing his feet, cuddling with him and watching his favorite TV show, "Dateline," until he fell asleep. "I felt loved by him because we experienced these things together," Jane said on the stand. USA TODAY reached out to reps for "Dateline" for comment. When questioned by Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos, Jane also testified that she still loves Combs to this day. Lester Holt bids farewell to 'Nightly News' after almost a decade: 'Been quite a ride' "Dateline" features main host Lester Holt, the former host of "NBC Nightly News," and correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Blayne Alexander, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. The show also features Kate Snow, Craig Melvin and Meredith Vieira. The popular show also streams on Peacock.

Karen Read trial live updates: Defense expected to call final witness
Karen Read trial live updates: Defense expected to call final witness

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Karen Read trial live updates: Defense expected to call final witness

Karen Read trial live updates: Defense expected to call final witness Show Caption Hide Caption Karen Read's second murder trial begins with new jury Karen Read is starting her second trial after being prosecuted for the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, last year. Karen Read's second murder trial continued Tuesday with testimony from a defense expert who says John O'Keefe likely smashed his skull during a fall backward. Elizabeth Laposata, a forensic pathologist and former medical examiner, retook the stand to explain what she believes caused O'Keefe's head, brain and face injuries. Prosecutors say Read, 45, backed into O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV in a fit of jealousy after a night of drinking and then left him to die in the snow outside the home of another cop. Her defense team has maintained that Read was framed for the crime by people inside the house, who they say beat O'Keefe, let a dog attack him and then dropped his body on the front lawn. They've argued that police purposefully bungled the investigation into O'Keefe's death. This is Read's second trial, after her first ended in July 2024 in a hung jury. Lawyer Alan Jackson, one of Read's defense attornies, said Monday he expects to also call biomechanist Andrew Rentschler Tuesday as the eleventh and final defense witness. Questioning Rentschler should take about three hours, Jackson told Judge Beverly Cannone. The prosecution also intends to call several witnesses to rebut the defense's arguments. Elizabeth Laposata is a clinical associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University's Warren Alpert School of Medicine. Judge Beverly Cannone previously ruled Laposata was unqualified to testify about whether markings found on O'Keefe's arm are consistent with dog bite wounds, but can discuss what she believed caused O'Keefe's injuries. On Tuesday, Cannone said Laposata could testify that O'Keefe's injuries were consistent with animal bites she has seen throughout her career. Cannone's ruling came after the prosecution tried to prevent Laposata from testifying, arguing she did not have the proper expertise. Laposata is expected to support the defense's argument that O'Keefe did not die in the cold by explaining how his body did not suffer from hypothermia. Read's defense team previously presented testimony from Marie Russell, an emergency physician and former forensic pathologist, who told jurors she believed surface-level gashes found on O'Keefe's arm came from canine claws and teeth. They have suggested a German Shepard, which lived at 34 Fairview, attacked O'Keefe. Jury instructions filed by Read's lawyers suggest the Massachusetts woman may not testify in the retrial. They include a section informing the jury of Read's Fifth Amendment right not to testify, telling them they 'may not hold that against her.' Christopher Dearborn, a law professor at Suffolk University in Boston who has followed the case closely, said the instructions are likely a 'harbinger' that Read's attorneys are not going to call her to the stand, though he noted they could change their mind. 'Frankly, I don't think it would make a lot of sense to call her at this point,' Dearborn said, noting the number of public statements Read has made that could be used against her. The court has already heard from Read in the trial through clips prosecutors played of interviews in which she questioned whether she 'clipped' O'Keefe and admitted to driving while inebriated. Dearborn told USA TODAY there are two schools of thought around whether to include a section on a defendant's right not to testify in jury instructions. Some defense lawyers don't include the section because they don't want to "draw a bull's eye" around the fact the defendant didn't testify and cause jurors to "speculate," Dearborn said. Other times, he said, it is the "elephant in the room," and the specific instructions telling the jury they can't hold the defendant's lack of testimony against them are necessary. CourtTV has been covering the case against Read and the criminal investigation since early 2022, when O'Keefe's body was found outside a Massachusetts home. You can watch CourtTV's live feed of the Read trial proceedings from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Proceedings begin at 9 a.m. ET.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store