Digital forensics examiner to return on the stand on Day 5 of Karen Read's retrial
Karen Read's defense team will cross-examine a digital forensics expert on Tuesday morning as the trial enters day 6.
Read is accused of striking John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert following a night of drinking.
The defense team says the data shows John O'Keefe's cell phone never moved far away from the flagpole at 34 Fairview Road, where he was found.
On Monday, Ian Whiffin, a product manager at digital forensics firm Cellbrite, faced more than three hours of questioning about data that he analyzed on John O'Keefe's phone, most notably testifying that his Waze app placed him 'very close' to the flagpole outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, where his body was found.
Three flights of stairs were climbed, but Whiffin says the location data shows he was in the car at that time and believes that's likely from driving up inclines.
He says no more steps or flights were climbed between 12:32 am and 6:04 am.
Jurors were sent home for the day shortly before 1 p.m. An evidentiary hearing featuring ARCCA experts Dr. Daniel Wolfe and Dr. Andrew Rentschler then started just after 2 p.m.
A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
Testimony will resume at 9 a.m.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Final defense witness in Karen Read trial pumps brakes on Lexus collision theory
Karen Read's defense has called the expert believed to be its final witness as her trial in the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe, which began back in April, nears a close. Prosecutors allege that Read, after a night out drinking, rammed O'Keefe in reverse with her Lexus and left him to die outside a house party during a record-setting blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022. Dr. Andrew Rentschler testified briefly Tuesday afternoon and is expected to return to the stand for at least half a day Wednesday before the defense rests. Karen Read Reveals She Will Not Testify In Her Own Defense He is the second witness from the crash reconstruction firm ARCCA, which now works for the defense but had been retained by the federal government ahead of Read's first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury. Earlier in the retrial, his colleague Dr. Daniel Wolfe testified that damage to both O'Keefe's clothing and Read's SUV were inconsistent with a collision between a 2021 Lexus LX 570 and a pedestrian. Read On The Fox News App Rentschler is a biomechanist, an expert on how the forces of physics and engineering apply to the human body. Defense Attorney's Dramatic Courtroom Move Has Legal Experts Talking In Karen Read Murder Trial Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "A mechanical engineer, for instance, might look at a piece of steel and the dimensions and size of the steel. If you apply a force in a certain direction with a certain magnitude, that steel will bend, and eventually it'll break," he explained. "As a biomechanist, biomechanical engineer, I do the same thing, but I look at the human body. How much force has to be applied, in what direction, to get a specific type of injury." Rentschler testified that a 15 mph collision between a crash dummy's head and a taillight like Read's wouldn't have resulted in a skull fracture. Experts for both sides have previously testified that his fatal injury appears consistent with a backward fall – although the defense forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Laposata said in her opinion, he landed on something "rigid" with a grainy texture – not the front lawn where he was found. Karen Read's Silence In Murder Trial Raises Stakes For Defense GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub Rentschler joined Laposata and another defense witness, Dr. Marie Russell, in the opinion that scratches and cuts on O'Keefe's arm were not caused by an impact with the taillight. The defense theory is that they were inflicted by a dog bite. Read told reporters Tuesday that she would not be testifying in her own defense – and that Renstchler is the last witness her team plans to call. "It's the right move," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts trial attorney who is closely following the case. "It is the sole decision of the defendant whether to take the stand. In this case, Karen would have to withstand a rigorous cross-examination by Brennan, which would include clips from the documentary and any other evidence they have that we don't know about from other statements she made." She would also have to face questions about her drinking, Edwards said, which could break the "upward momentum" of her defense as expert witnesses have repeatedly contradicted prosecutors' article source: Final defense witness in Karen Read trial pumps brakes on Lexus collision theory
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Final defense witness in Karen Read trial pumps brakes on Lexus collision theory
Karen Read's defense has called the expert believed to be its final witness as her trial in the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe, which began back in April, nears a close. Prosecutors allege that Read, after a night out drinking, rammed O'Keefe in reverse with her Lexus and left him to die outside a house party during a record-setting blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022. Dr. Andrew Rentschler testified briefly Tuesday afternoon and is expected to return to the stand for at least half a day Wednesday before the defense rests. He is the second witness from the crash reconstruction firm ARCCA, which now works for the defense but had been retained by the federal government ahead of Read's first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury. Earlier in the retrial, his colleague Dr. Daniel Wolfe testified that damage to both O'Keefe's clothing and Read's SUV were inconsistent with a collision between a 2021 Lexus LX 570 and a pedestrian. Rentschler is a biomechanist, an expert on how the forces of physics and engineering apply to the human body. "A mechanical engineer, for instance, might look at a piece of steel and the dimensions and size of the steel. If you apply a force in a certain direction with a certain magnitude, that steel will bend, and eventually it'll break," he explained. "As a biomechanist, biomechanical engineer, I do the same thing, but I look at the human body. How much force has to be applied, in what direction, to get a specific type of injury." Rentschler testified that a 15 mph collision between a crash dummy's head and a taillight like Read's wouldn't have resulted in a skull fracture. Experts for both sides have previously testified that his fatal injury appears consistent with a backward fall – although the defense forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Laposata said in her opinion, he landed on something "rigid" with a grainy texture – not the front lawn where he was found. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Rentschler joined Laposata and another defense witness, Dr. Marie Russell, in the opinion that scratches and cuts on O'Keefe's arm were not caused by an impact with the taillight. The defense theory is that they were inflicted by a dog bite. Read told reporters Tuesday that she would not be testifying in her own defense – and that Renstchler is the last witness her team plans to call. "It's the right move," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts trial attorney who is closely following the case. "It is the sole decision of the defendant whether to take the stand. In this case, Karen would have to withstand a rigorous cross-examination by Brennan, which would include clips from the documentary and any other evidence they have that we don't know about from other statements she made." She would also have to face questions about her drinking, Edwards said, which could break the "upward momentum" of her defense as expert witnesses have repeatedly contradicted prosecutors' claims.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police: 4-year-old boy dies after being found unresponsive in Lake Quinsigamond
An investigation is underway after a boy drowned in Lake Quinsigamond on Tuesday. According to Worcester Police, officers were called to the area of Bridle Path just after 5 p.m. for a report of an unresponsive 4-year-old. Officers found the boy inside a home where residents told them he was found unresponsive in Lake Quinsigamond. The 4-year-old was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The boy's identity is not being released at this time. The facts and circumstances surrounding are being actively investigated. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
