'Cannon' test boosts Karen Read's defense, showing taillight damage consistent with thrown bar glass
Karen Read's legal team is nearing the end of the case for her defense with crash reconstruction expert Dr. Daniel Wolfe called to the stand Friday.
It was the 28th day of her retrial on murder and other charges in the death of her former boyfriend, a 46-year-old Boston police officer named John O'Keefe.
Wolfe is the director of accident reconstruction at a firm called ARCCA.
On the witness stand Friday, he said ARCCA designed a specialized "cannon" to simulate throwing a cocktail glass at Read's taillight and determined that similar damage could have been caused if someone threw the glass at around 31 mph and 37 mph.
"From the 37 mile per hour test, we are getting damage that's generally consistent, and by that I mentioned we have portions of the outer lens missing, the underlying diffuser," he said.
"There was also some fracturing on the backside of the assembly. So again we observed damage that was generally consistent with that of the subject taillight."
Wolfe said he gave an opinion that the damage Read's SUV was generally consistent with someone throwing that drinking glass at at least 37 mph.
In another ARCCA test, the reconstructionists wanted to see if an impact between the taillight and the back of O'Keefe's head could've caused his skull fracture.
Wolfe said he tested at 15 mph. Damage to the test taillight was significantly more than Read's taillight at that speed – but it didn't generate enough force to cause a skull fracture.
Prosecutors accused Read, 45, of hitting O'Keefe with her 2021 Lexus SUV and driving away as he died on the ground with a skull fracture during a blizzard.
The defense denies that she struck him and has called witnesses who have attributed his injuries to other causes, including a dog bite and a potential fistfight with a man Read was flirting with behind his back.
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan unsuccessfully tried to have Wolfe and a colleague, Dr. Andrew Renstchler, blocked from testifying before the start of the trial.
Wolfe testified during the first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury, that damage to Read's SUV is inconsistent with a collision involving O'Keefe.
Read told reporters outside court Wednesday that her defense could rest as soon as next Tuesday. There was no court on Thursday.
She could face up to life in prison if convicted. Her first trial, in which the defense claimed she had been framed, ended with a deadlocked jury last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
Wife of Colorado firebombing suspect brought Jewish neighbors welcome gift weeks prior to attack
BOULDER, Colo. – An observant Jewish couple described the horror of finding out that their neighbor, whose wife recently knocked on their door with a housewarming gift, was suspected of firebombing a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in the heart of Boulder. The Costello family had barely begun unpacking boxes in their new Colorado Springs home when the FBI showed up at their doorstep and explained a neighbor, illegal Egyptian immigrant Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested for allegedly injuring 12 people in front of the Boulder County courthouse. "I come home, and the FBI is waiting at my door. That's a scary moment," David Costello shared with Fox News Digital. "They told us, 'You're not in trouble,' but then they asked if we knew what happened in Boulder." The Costellos said they knew of the Solimans, having met Soliman's wife when she showed up on their front steps offering cupcakes to welcome them to the neighborhood. "The wife came over and gave us some cupcakes," David said. "We keep kosher, so we couldn't eat them, but we accepted them and then we just sort of threw them away." Unaware of the prior interaction, FBI agents told the Costellos it was important they were aware of the terror attack due to their visible Jewish identity, the couple said, with the family proudly displaying a mezuzah on the door. "He had to have driven right past our house to get to Boulder," David said. "He surely saw us moving in [wearing a] tzitzit and a kippah, and my wife's head being covered. It is really by the grace of Hashem, that we weren't attacked.… It's pretty obvious that we're Jewish, like he could have easily just thrown a Molotov cocktail at our door—we don't have an exit through the back—that would have been absolutely disastrous for us." Because the Costellos do not use phones or electronic devices during religious holidays, they had no access to news due to their observance of Shavuot. Their only awareness of the incident came through people knocking on their door asking for interviews and eventually the FBI sharing what had happened. "I didn't realize how big the story was until I turned on my phone after the holiday," David's wife, Rivkah, said. "We moved here to lie low, but suddenly we were in the headlines." The couple had left their former neighborhood due to what they described as persistent anti-Israel activism and discomfort in a Muslim-majority area. David said they were seeking "a place to go and be under the radar." Soliman is currently being held on a $10 million bond and faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and federal hate crimes. According to authorities, he admitted to planning the attack for over a year and expressed a desire to harm "Zionist people." "It's unnerving," Rivkah said. "They said bail was set at $10 million, but that still means there's a possibility he could be released—and we live right across the street. We have five young children. This is terrifying." "I hope people understand what that means for a Jewish family living across the street from someone accused of terrorism," she said. WATCH: Boulder suspect attacks pro-Israel supporters David said the holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates Jewish unity, made the timing of the FBI visit especially meaningful. "We really felt like it was a miracle. While symbols like a mezuzah might make you a target, they also offer spiritual protection," he said. The couple and their family shared that their hope is that antisemitic sentiment does not continue to escalate. "We really don't want to move again," David said. "But if it becomes dangerous, we may not have a choice." We're choosing to stand. Despite the fear, they say the experience has only strengthened their commitment to staying visible and vocal about their faith. "When you're pushed, you can either disappear or stand your ground," David said. "We're choosing to stand."
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Immigration authorities highlight criminal history of multiple migrants arrested in Los Angeles
Federal immigration authorities said some of the migrants arrested in the Los Angeles area last week had criminal histories that included assault and drug offenses. Nearly 45 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday alone, as officers swept through several locations, including two Home Depot stores, a store in the fashion district and a doughnut shop, prompting protests that continued through the weekend against immigration enforcement operations in which officers raided businesses to arrest workers. The weeklong tally of migrant arrests in the city surpassed 100. One man has already been sent back to Mexico after being picked up at a Home Depot on Friday morning. During the demonstrations, David Huerta, president of SEIU California, a labor union, was arrested and charged with impeding a federal agent while protesting. At the warehouse in the fashion district, agents executed a search warrant on Friday after a judge found there was probable cause that the employer was using fictitious documents for some of its workers, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy told The Associated Press. President Donald Trump deployed California National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Saturday after two days of clashes between protesters and federal immigration authorities in riot gear. Federal sources highlighted to Fox News some of last week's arrests in the Los Angeles area, which included violent and drug offenders. Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, 55, of the Philippines, has a criminal history that includes a burglary in Ontario, California, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, and sexual penetration with a foreign object with force and assault with intent to commit rape in the city of Pomona, for which he was sentenced to 37 years in prison. He was arrested on Saturday and served a notice to appear. Jose Gregorio Medranda Ortiz, 42, of Ecuador, was arrested Friday and served administrative deportation. His criminal history includes being sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while on board a vessel in Tampa, Florida. Armando Ordaz, 44, of Mexico, was arrested on Friday. He is an alleged active gang member of Bratz 13 who has a criminal history that includes sexual battery in Los Angeles, landing him a sentence of 135 days in jail and five years probation. He was also sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years probation for receiving known or stolen property in Norwalk and sentenced to 365 days in jail and four years probation for petty theft in Los Angeles. Victor Mendoza-Aguilar, 32, of Mexico, was arrested on Friday and has a criminal history in Pasadena that includes being sentenced to 112 days in jail for possessing unlawful paraphernalia, being sentenced to 16 months in jail for possessing controlled substances, being sentenced to four years behind bars for assault with a deadly weapon and being sentenced to 364 days in jail for obstructing a public officer. He is an alleged active member of the Villa Boys gang and was previously removed from the U.S. in 2017. Delfino Aguilar-Martinez, 51, of Mexico, was arrested on Friday and served a notice to appear. His criminal history includes assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury in Los Angeles, and he was sentenced to a year in jail. Jesus Alan Hernandez-Morales, 26, of Mexico, was removed from the U.S. on Saturday. His criminal history includes being sentenced in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to 239 days in jail for conspiracy to transport an illegal migrant. Lionel Sanchez-Laguna, 55, of Mexico, was arrested on Tuesday. He has a criminal history in the city of Orange that includes being sentenced to 365 days in jail for discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling and vehicle, being sentenced to four years probation for battery on a spouse or cohabitant, being sentenced to four years probation for willful cruelty to a child, being sentenced to 10 days in jail for driving under the influence, being sentenced to three years behind bars for assault with a semi-automatic firearm and being sentenced to three years behind bars for personal use of a firearm.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Behind the Story: It's not all licks and treats with Treasure Coast's law enforcement K-9s
Breaking News Reporter Corey Arwood spent time at each of the three sheriff's offices on the Treasure Coast with their K-9 Units. He watched the training process in some specially-made facilities and learned about some new developments in K-9 protection. One of those developments is that several sheriffs offices and police departments have upgraded use of technology for their K-9 Units with an app to help them analyze performance better than before. Why was this an important local story to report? Everyone loves the cute, obedient police dogs sometimes seen around the Treasure Coast in their bullet-proof dog vests. But do you really know how they can protect you? Did you know there's at least 55 of them working to keep you safe? We take you on a tour of upgraded facilities where the working dogs learn their trades, show you the dogs in action with their trainers, and give you an idea of a law enforcement dog's daily schedule. We explain a change in record keeping at some K-9 units on the Treasure Coast that offers a previously unavailable detailed view of the results of dog deployments. These dogs are considered 'less-lethal uses of force.' Their discoveries of weapons or narcotics, for example, could lead to decades of jail time for someone in a traffic stop, or to the tracking and rescue of a missing person. What surprised you about this story? Not all law enforcement agencies on the Treasure Coast are using technology to keep track of and analyze what their K-9 dogs and handlers are doing. Some agencies use more traditional reporting methods like a combination of incident details documented through their dispatch system, and training records kept on paper in binders. That's been described as a 'data silo' where records are stored independently and remain disconnected without correlation or analysis. So any time an officer wants to identify the amount of cocaine collected in a month or the number of people bit last year, for example, they have to go through records of dispatch notes and collect and calculate the results. Was there anything you couldn't answer when reporting this story? The developers of the service in use at two sheriff's offices did not respond to calls or voicemails seeking information and comment. As with some other data retrieval and storage systems, questions remain about who maintains ownership of that data and for what purposes can it be used or shared during or after discontinuation of the service. Condominiums: Condo inspection reports reveal substantial structural deterioration across Treasure Coast At the ocean: Treasure Coast lifeguards become more proactive Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Behind the Story: Breaking news reporter gets low-down on K-9 law enforcement
