Latest news with #DrAndrewRentschler
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
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. Final Defense Witness In Karen Read Trial Pumps Brakes On Lexus Collision Theory 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. Read On The Fox News App 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. Jury Skepticism Of Experts Could Determine Outcome In Karen Read Murder Trial: Former Judge 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. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "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. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter 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 article source: Karen Read trial testimony ends with defense expert dismantling Lexus crash allegation
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
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.
Yahoo
2 days 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
2 days 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.
