Karen Read trial testimony ends with defense expert dismantling Lexus crash allegation
Karen Read's defense saved her strongest witness for last, experts tell Fox News Digital, bringing in Dr. Andrew Rentschler to try to debunk the prosecution's claims about how her boyfriend, Boston cop John O'Keefe, died.
Jurors have the day off Thursday and will begin deliberations after receiving instructions from the judge and listening to closing arguments Friday.
Read, 45, is accused of hitting O'Keefe, 46, with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die on the ground with a skull fracture during a blizzard.
Her defense denies that her vehicle ever struck O'Keefe, and Rentschler spent two days on the stand explaining how he came to the conclusion that O'Keefe's injuries were inconsistent with a vehicle strike on a pedestrian.
"I do not believe that injury is consistent with being struck by an SUV at approximately 24 miles an hour," he testified.
O'Keefe had no broken bones on his right arm, only superficial abrasions, he testified. Based on his testing at ARCCA, a crash reconstruction firm, he said that the arm should have sustained more serious damage.
Rentschler said he did not believe Read's SUV could have struck O'Keefe based on his injuries and ARCCA testing.
But special prosecutor Hank Brennan grilled him on cross-examination, questioning how thorough his testing was and forcing him to concede that he did not take into account shattered pieces of taillight on the ground near O'Keefe and embedded in his clothes.
"The prosecutor will definitely zero-in on this in closing," said David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. "The closings will be key for both parties now. Brennan and [defense attorney Alan] Jackson are both strong personalities, so this is going to be big."
Brennan also revealed Wednesday afternoon that he will not call a rebuttal witness to the stand before the case goes to jurors.
In what could boil down to a so-called battle of the experts, legal analysts say Rentschler was a solid choice to close out the case.
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
"He methodically explained why the DA's theory of an SUV-pedestrian strike doesn't hold up," said Mark Bederow, the New York City-based attorney representing Read ally and Canton blogger Aidan Kearney. "The lack of arm injuries, the lack of holes in the hoodie, which doesn't come close to corresponding with the amount abrasions, the final location of John O'Keefe not making sense."
He argued that Rentschler's showing could have prompted Brennan to "wave the white flag" rather than call Dr. Judson Welcher back to the stand for rebuttal.
Welcher drew the opposite conclusion from Rentschler – testifying that in his opinion, Read's SUV clipped O'Keefe with a glancing blow, knocking him off-balance before he fell and cracked his skull.
"The defense could not have finished the trial any stronger than they did," Bederow said.
Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and Boston College law professor, said having Rentschler go last was both a standard strategy and a good one.
"What stood out is that he was steadfast that Dr. Welcher's testimony about simulating the contact was fallacious. Counterpoint: so was Rentschler's," Lu told Fox News Digital.
He said both are part of a profit-based consulting industry and at points, their testing came across as absurd.
"You have a disembodied arm hitting a Lexus, versus a grease-painted expert getting hit at low speed by a Lexus," he said.
Cannone gave jurors the day off Thursday so the sides can hold a charging conference. The panel returns Friday for jury instructions and closing arguments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
33 minutes ago
- CBS News
2 children have life-threatening injuries after being hit by car in Manchester, NH
Two children seriously injured after being hit by car in Manchester, NH Two children seriously injured after being hit by car in Manchester, NH Two children seriously injured after being hit by car in Manchester, NH There is shock and utter disbelief along Belmont Street in Manchester, New Hampshire after witnesses said a car caused a multi-scene crash and injured five people, including two children. Police said they arrested a man for drunk driving. The two girls who were hit by the car sustained life-threatening injuries, according to police. Witnesses told WBZ-TV the girls were crossing the street with their father. One girl was riding her bike. The other girl, described as a baby, was being pushed in a stroller. A bicycle and evidence markers on Belmont Street in Manchester, New Hampshire. CBS Boston Witnesses said the car hit the girl on the bike so hard she flew over the top of the vehicle. They claim the driver kept going and dragged the stroller a block up the road with the baby strapped inside. "It's traumatic for children around here, especially young children in the area," said Laura Bennett who lives on the street. "We are all very close. We all know each other. All of our kids play together." Off-duty firefighter helps injured children Manchester city officials said an off-duty firefighter happened to be in the area and rendered critical aid to the girls immediately. "We commend the swift actions of the off-duty firefighter and the responding Fire and EMS personnel for their professionalism and dedication in providing urgent care during this incident. Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time," the Manchester Fire Department said. Neighbors said they ran to help. That car kept going up Belmont Street. Police said that the driver crashed into another car and telephone pole about a quarter of a mile down the road from where the girls were hit. Officers found a man trying to walk away from the scene. The man was taken into custody for felony level driving while intoxicated. His name has not been released.
CBS News
41 minutes ago
- CBS News
Family of Colorado cyclist pushes for change, driver responsible for his death to be sentenced
The family of a teenage pro cyclist in Colorado is pushing for change ahead of the sentencing of the woman who claimed his life. A devastating crash in Colorado nearly two years ago ended the life of seventeen-year-old Magnus White, a rising cyclist for Team USA. He was on a training ride just days before he was set to compete in the world championships when a driver hit and killed him along Highway 119 in Boulder. Magnus White Michael White "He had this thing you couldn't put your finger on it, he was smooth, powerful, technical," he said, "This was his national championship bike he was going to ride." Magnus died on a Saturday in July of 2023. "The doctor had to pull me outside and say, 'You know, I don't think he's going to make it,' and I said, 'What are you talking about? He's strong, he's going to make it, he's a young boy, he'll be fine, he just needs to like sleep on it. He'll wake up,'" his mother Jill remembered about that day. His heart stopped three times in the hospital. "I'm holding onto Michael, cheering for Magnus one last time. 'Come on, Magnus, you got this. You can do this, Magnus. You can come back you got this,'" she said. CBS The driver who hit and killed Magnus told Colorado State Patrol investigators on the scene that she had an issue with her steering that caused her to veer off the road. Colorado State Patrol told CBS Colorado there were no indicators of impairment, and she was never tested for any substances. "The very first thing that Colorado State Patrol said to us was the driver did everything right," said XXXXXXXXXXX. "That raised a question mark in our head. 'Really, our son is dead. How did the driver do everything right?'" Text messages and cell phone videos presented at trial revealed that the driver, 24-year-old Yeva Smilianska, had been drinking, washing down prescription medications with whiskey, and staying up until the early morning hours the day of the crash. A jury took seven hours before they found her guilty of reckless vehicular homicide, a charge that carries a sentence of up to six years in prison, or as little as probation. CBS "We want people to be held accountable for their actions," said Michael. "It's not about putting people in jail or prison, it's about the right level of accountability for the crime that was committed." From their frustration and grief came an idea, the White Line Foundation. "Magnus's story got so much attention, we started learning all these other stories of kids, these stories deserve to be told just as much as Magnus," he said. The nonprofit was created to honor Magnus, advocate for cyclists, and tell the untold stories. Stories they believe will be a catalyst for change. "It's more about making it better for everybody," Michael said. CBS They're fighting to strengthen penalties in these cases and want to see mandatory drug testing for drivers who injure or kill someone. Nationwide, they are pushing the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act, requiring every new car to have automatic emergency braking. "The thing about everything we are working on trying to change is we will never know whose life you're going to save, but if we don't do something, if we don't do it with urgency, we are all going to know whose life is not saved," Michael said. It's a promise they hope Magnus hears. "The last time I texted Magnus was August after he was killed. I just said, 'Your dog misses you. He went into your room looking for you today, and we miss you. And I wish you were here to see, tell you all about our day.' And then I told him that 'There's so many people working so hard to ensure you are remembered, and that you lived a life worth remembering.'"
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
In L.A., the Divide Between Peace and Violence Is in the Eye of the Beholder
Alfonso Santoyo was marching through the streets of Los Angeles with a boisterous crowd on Wednesday protesting the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Mr. Santoyo's presence, and his voice, were his only weapons. 'It's upsetting how they've portrayed the community as criminals,' said Mr. Santoyo, a 43-year-old postal worker whose parents came to the U.S. from Mexico as undocumented immigrants but eventually gained legal status. 'It's just upsetting to see that. Because we know it's not the case.' After an 8 p.m. curfew brought a ghostly quiet to much of downtown, a man in body armor stood in front of a building full of jewelry stores, smoking a cigarette down to the filter. The man, who declined to give his name, wore a handgun on his thigh and carried a rifle that fires plastic projectiles. He pointed to nearby stores and buildings in L.A.'s jewelry district that had been broken into days earlier. Much like the 2020 demonstrations against police violence, he said, there always seemed to be bad actors among the peaceful ones. Separating them out, he said, was pointless. He cited an Armenian proverb: 'Wet wood and dry wood burn together.' In Los Angeles this week, many protesters have marched peacefully. Others have thrown objects at the police, set cars ablaze and looted stores and restaurants. Police have responded aggressively, intimidating protesters with earsplitting explosives and mounted patrols, hitting them with batons, deploying tear gas and firing foam projectiles and rubber bullets into crowds. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
