Karen Read trial updates: 'Unavoidable circumstances' derail day 15
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
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Australian journalist shot with nonlethal bullet while reporting on LA protests
Australian journalist shot with nonlethal bullet while reporting on LA protests Show Caption Hide Caption Australian journalist shot with a rubber bullet in Los Angeles Australian journalist from 9News, Lauren Tomasi, was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting from the protests in Los Angeles. An Australian journalist was shot with a rubber bullet by an officer while covering protests in Los Angeles over the weekend, according to her media outlet. Lauren Tomasi, a U.S. national correspondent for Australia's 9News, was shot in the leg by a rubber bullet while reporting on the immigration raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, the network reported. Video captured by 9News shows a nearby armed police officer aiming a weapon at Tomasi before firing, striking the back of her left leg. Tomasi is heard yelling out in pain as the camera pans away. 9News reported that Tomasi is sore but otherwise unharmed from the incident. Only about an hour before, Tomasi had been caught in a group of protesters while covering the raids. Exploding flashbang grenades can be heard as Tomasi conducts a live shot before protesters begin yelling at her and grabbing the camera she is talking into. Live updates: Gov. Newsom challenges Trump on National Guard deployment What is happening in Los Angeles? Thousands of people began to gather in Los Angeles on Friday, June 6 to protest President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operations. Small protests throughout the city have mounted to large demonstrations and some destructive clashes between officers and protesters. Local police and hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the city over the weekend. Authorities declared several of demonstrations on Sunday as "unlawful assemblies" and began firing flash bang and tear gas grenades into large groups of protesters. California's 101 Freeway has been blocked by protesters and several vehicles have been set on fire during the protests. Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have continued to spar on the raids, especially after the president sent National Guard troops to the city. "Let's get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn't need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway − to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded," Newsom said in a X post. "4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess." On the other hand, Trump said in a Truth Social post on June 8 that Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should "apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists." Contributing: John Bacon, Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Defense in Karen Read case accuses special prosecutor of misleading jury about damaged hoodie evidence
Karen Read defense attorney Robert Alessi moved for a mistrial again Monday over special prosecutor Hank Brennan's handling of John O'Keefe's hoodie during cross-examination of a defense expert witness. "Your honor, the defense moves for a mistrial with prejudice Based upon intentional misconduct that just occurred before the court and before the jury," Alessi said. He said the motion came in response to representations Brennan made while questioning Dr. Daniel Wolfe, a crash reconstructionist from a firm called ARCCA. Brennan, while cross-examining Wolfe about damage to O'Keefe's hoodie, showed him the actual piece of clothing, which had a series of holes in the back. Jury Skepticism Of Experts Could Determine Outcome In Karen Read Murder Trial: Former Judge Alessi contended that the holes were created by a criminologist during lab testing and that they did not exist when police took the sweatshirt. Read On The Fox News App Read is accused of killing her boyfriend O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, by clipping him with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die on the ground in a record-setting blizzard. Before jurors arrived, Judge Beverly Cannone heard motions regarding rebuttal testimony and to preclude or limit expert witnesses. WATCH: Karen Read defense moves for a mistrial again She said she would hold an additional evidentiary hearing to determine what Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a Rhode Island forensic pathologist and professor at Brown University, can testify in front of jurors. David Yannetti, one of Read's defense lawyers, told the court that her legal team believes O'Keefe was "placed" on the ground near a flagpole outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts. Laposata is expected to discuss O'Keefe's injuries and how and where he could have suffered them. The home is about 20 miles south of Boston. Read, O'Keefe and others went there for an after-party on Jan. 28, 2022. Dr. Daniel Wolfe, the reconstructionist from a firm called ARCCA, testified last week that damage to Read's SUV is inconsistent with the type of impact that prosecutors allege left O'Keefe dead early the following morning. 'Cannon' Test Boosts Karen Read's Defense, Showing Taillight Damage Consistent With Thrown Bar Glass GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub But on cross-examination, he conceded that flying fragments of a taillight could have been the source of injuries to O'Keefe's face and nose before he suffered a fractured skull from what prosecution experts testified was a backward fall. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter Her defense maintains that her vehicle never struck O'Keefe and that his injuries were caused in some other manner after she left. Read could face life in prison if convicted of the top charge. Jurors deadlocked at her first trial last year on the same article source: Defense in Karen Read case accuses special prosecutor of misleading jury about damaged hoodie evidence
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump calls National Guard to stop anti-immigration protests in LA. What are Florida's protesting laws?
Tensions escalated over the weekend between law enforcement and protesters in Los Angeles speaking out against President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. According to USA TODAY, the protests started small and intensified throughout the weekend, with protesters and federal officials blaming each other for the escalation. In response, Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members on Saturday, June 7, despite the objections of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a statement, the White House said that "violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California," making the deployment necessary. Trump, his border czar Tom Homan and other federal officials have also said they will charge anyone who interfered with the immigration operation. Here's what to know about the LA protests and what Florida's laws for protesting look like. The Los Angeles protests targeted the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration enforcement. Protestors allege the Trump administration's immigration enforcement has violated civil and human rights. The protests began on June 6, following four different search raids around the city. At least 44 people were arrested, and the president of the Service Employees International Union, David Huerta, was arrested for allegedly interfering with federal officers. According to USA TODAY, more than 100 people gathered at the immigration services building and detention center in downtown Los Angeles to protest the raids, with the Los Angeles Police Department declaring it an unlawful assembly and ordering the crowd to disperse. Some protesters threw pieces of broken concrete at the officers, who responded by firing tear gas and pepper spray. They also used flash-bang concussion rounds to disperse the crowd. Larger protests started to break out across the Los Angeles area over the weekend, seeing hundreds of demonstrators gathered at each site. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created in 2003 under the Department of Homeland Security to protect the U.S. from cross-border crime and illegal immigration. ICE enforces the nation's complex Title 8 immigration laws inside the country, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection handles them at the nation's borders. ICE has over 20,000 law enforcement officers and an annual budget of about $8 billion. As for who specifically ICE is deporting, it depends on who you ask. "ICE detains individuals as necessary, including to secure their presence for immigration proceedings and removal from the United States," the agency says on its website. "ICE also detains those who are subject to mandatory detention under U.S. immigration law and those a supervisor has determined are public safety or flight risks." The president, who declared a national border emergency on his first day in office and ordered the U.S. armed forces to repel "forms of invasion," has said his administration will prioritize deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal histories. However, USA TODAY has reported that thousands who have been deported do not have a criminal record. ICE also detained an American citizen in Florida in April of this year for 30 hours. After ICE arrests and processes people or takes them into custody after other law enforcement agencies turn them over, they may detain them while their immigration cases are pending or release them under supervision. "Officials make custody determinations on an individual basis, taking into account all facets of a person's situation, including their immigration history and criminal records. Authorities also consider family ties, humanitarian issues and whether a person may be a flight risk," ICE said. The Trump Administration has since issued executive orders authorizing the expansion of 'expedited removal,' which allows the U.S. to deport someone without a hearing and revoking a ban on ICE arrests in sensitive areas such as hospitals, schools, and churches. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse website, as of June 1, ICE has detained 51,302 people in its facilities. This is the first time that number has surpassed 50,000 since September 2019. The White House has set a goal of removing 1 million people annually. "If we don't get these criminals out of our country, we are not going to have a country any longer," Trump posted on social media on April 21. Florida Statutes 871.015 state that a person may not "knowingly engage in protest activities or knowingly cause protest activities to occur within 500 feet of the property line of a residence, cemetery, funeral home, house of worship, or other location during or within 1 hour before or 1 hour after the conducting of a funeral or burial at that place." It also states that a person who violates this will be charged with a misdemeanor of the first degree. In 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1, an anti-protest law that enhances criminal penalties during specific gatherings and creates new criminal penalties for 'mob intimidation' and damaging or pulling down historic objects. As of 2024, the Florida Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the law does not apply to those present at a protest but don't engage in violent or disorderly conduct. According to the ACLU of Florida, the First Amendment generally prohibits restrictions based on speech content; however, this does not mean that the Constitution completely protects all types of speech in every circumstance. "For example, threatening someone with violence is not protected," the organization writes on its website. "Additionally, government officials are allowed to place certain reasonable, nondiscriminatory, and narrowly drawn 'time, place, and manner' restrictions on the exercise of First Amendment rights. They also note that protesting and picketing must be done in an orderly, non-disruptive fashion so that pedestrians can pass by and entrances to buildings are not blocked. Human Rights Campaign has tips for those participating in a peaceful protest to help ensure their safety and well-being: Properly prepare: Dress for the weather, pack the necessary supplies (cash, water, extra battery, etc), have at least one emergency contact, and plan to share your status throughout the protest. Know the environment: Research the location beforehand and have an offline-accessible map to reference if the service is spotty. Have multiple routes into and out of the protest area. Stay Aware: Maintain '360 situational awareness'— always know what is happening around you. If you see something, say something. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act: The 'OODA Loop' (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) is a helpful framework to stay calm and make decisions during high-stress situations: Observe: Identify the source of danger and your surroundings Orient: Determine where you are and where you need to go Decide: Choose a course of action that minimizes risk Act: Implement your decision and stay aware of changes in the environment DeSantis took to X, formerly Twitter, to quote-tweet a video of the protests. The video shows some protestors on bikes circling a burning car; one of them has a Mexican flag fixed to their bike. "What an upside down world," DeSantis said in his tweet. In another tweet, he condemned news outlets for using the word "protests" over "riots." Homeland Security Investigations (under ICE), along with the Florida Highway Patrol and other Florida and federal law enforcement agencies, conducted one of Florida's largest immigration raids on May 29 at a student housing development construction site in Tallahassee. Immigration agents detained more than 100 people at the construction site, according to reports. In the days after, more than 400 people gathered at the Florida Capitol to protest the raid, including the family members of those detained. ICE in Tallahassee: Over 100 detained in one of Florida's largest raids. What we know Over a week later, several questions remain unanswered about this raid. The warrant for the raid, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick, is still sealed. Contributing: USA TODAY and Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LA protests: When did they start, Florida's own immigration protests
