Latest news with #DrJudsonWelcher
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Karen Read defense grills crash expert over $400K price tag and experimentation methods
Karen Read's defense team looked to chip away at a crash expert's credibility by pointing to eye-watering expenditures and alleged inconsistencies in experiments as the state enters the 11th hour of testimony in their case. Read is accused of killing her then-boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, by striking him with her Lexus SUV outside a house party at 34 Fairview Road and leaving him to die in frigid temperatures shortly after midnight on Jan. 29, 2022. The state's expected final witness, Dr. Judson Welcher, a crash reconstructionist with Texas-based Aperture LLC, held firm on his findings that Read's vehicle allegedly struck O'Keefe. "[O'Keefe's injuries are] consistent with being struck by a Lexus and also contacting a hard surface, such as frozen ground," Welcher told special prosecutor Hank Brennan. In a sometimes-evasive line of cross-examination, Welcher often provided non-answers to defense attorney Robert Alessi's questions surrounding his modifications to a PowerPoint presentation used in Read's trial to depict Aperture's investigation. "Assume the trial started approximately April 22, 2025," Alessi said. "Did you create your updated presentation before or after [it began]?" "I don't know," Welcher replied. Alessi looked to nail down a timeline of when Welcher may have made changes to the document and whether the prosecution communicated with him regarding the alterations. Welcher eventually relented before testifying that he altered the presentation for the first time on May 13, with the most recent change occurring "like, 10 minutes ago." "Half of that was in response to objections from the defense," Welcher said. "I had to add all the parts to where everything was. Then, when I got out here, Mr. Brennan asked me to take out references to evidence about statements that I was not allowed to present. So that would have been within the last three days. Then I've modified it a couple of times today based on rulings from the judge." However, Welcher testified on cross-examination that the amendments he made to the presentation did not alter the overall document. "I changed one slide," Welcher said. "There were 130 slides originally, or something like that. So half of the changes [were] on that day, which was one slide. I added one line to the bottom of the previous slide." "Well then, why did you make it in the middle of trial if it wasn't significant?" Alessi asked. "Why didn't you just leave it off and then discuss it in terms of testimony?" "So it ultimately was left off because it was insignificant, and I didn't need to have it," Welcher said. "The way it got presented was exactly the way it was before May 13. So it didn't change anything." On cross-examination, Welcher revealed the district attorney's office previously agreed to pay Aperture at least $325,000 for the firm's services, along with covering the cost of the Lexus SUV used in testing. "We're keeping [the vehicle] until the trial's over," Welcher said. "[Then] we're selling it and charging the commonwealth the difference in the price exactly." Aperture has been paid $44,510 for its services to date, with the state expected to pay upwards of $400,000 for around eight months of work, according to Alessi. "Dr. Welcher was perfect on direction, but only a B- on cross-examination," retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge and Boston College law professor Jack Lu told Fox News Digital. "He is not answering the questions from Mr. Alessi directly. He may not be intentionally being evasive, but he's no longer a near-perfect example of how an expert witness should testify." O'Keefe's arm injuries were concurrent with being struck by the make and model of Read's vehicle, Welcher testified on direct examination. The crash expert pointed to a video showing him painting the taillight of the car before brushing up against it to mimic a collision. Alessi looked to create doubt surrounding Welcher's findings, grilling the biomechanical engineer on the methodology behind his experiment surrounding the cause of the injury to O'Keefe's eye. "I'm trying to make it clear," Welcher said. "We don't know his exact body position at the point of impact, nor do we know the exact position on the ground. Which is part of the reason why I haven't tried to exactly simulate this, because we don't have enough parameters to do that. So I don't have that information. I'm showing the geometry relative to someone of Mr. O'Keefe's height." "So you don't have the information to do that properly," Alessi said. "So therefore, you can't preclude that he had a laceration to the eye from the spoiler by your own answer that you just gave, correct?" Welcher doubled down on his investigation, asserting on the stand that Aperture's experiment was correct based on the information the firm had at the time, despite Alessi revealing the vehicle in Welcher's test was moving only two miles per hour — significantly less than the speed of Read's vehicle. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE-CRIME NEWSLETTER "Would you agree that you did a blue paint test with the vehicle going at two miles per hour?" Alessi asked. "Of course," Welcher said. "You didn't do a blue paint test with the vehicle going at 20 miles per hour, correct?" Alessi said. "That is correct," Welcher said. "I was not going to hit myself with the Lexus at 20 miles an hour." Wednesday marked the second day of testimony from Welcher, as the state is expected to rest its case this week. Read pleaded not guilty and is facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted of the top charge, second-degree murder. "The model being followed here is very good and professional," Lu said. "What you have here is a very nice judge meets a very nice lawyer," adding, "This results in a looser, less-focused cross-examination. It's working out fine here, partially because the witness is not being super evasive."
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Karen Read prosecution gets boost from expert linking data to fatal event window
incoming update… Karen Read blasted the prosecution's case against her following a full day of direct examination from crash expert Dr. Judson Welcher on Tuesday. Read criticized a video shown in court depicting Welcher painting the taillight of a Lexus SUV, before brushing up against the vehicle to mimic the alleged vehicle strike of John O'Keefe. 'The speed, the positioning,' Read told reporters. 'Recreate that for us. Back up into a crash test dummy at 24.2 mph in the arm and see what happens. That's what I would want to see if I were you.' Welcher testified that the scratch marks found on O'Keefe's forearm were a result of coming in contact with Read's taillight. Pointing to his own experiment, Welcher told the jury he is roughly the same height as O'Keefe and when he came in contact with the taillight, the paint residue was in the same area on his arm as O'Keefe's injuries. 'So he tried to dress identically to John [O'Keefe],' Read said. 'But didn't do anything else to mimic what the Commonwealth is accusing me of.' Karen Read's trial is entering Day 22 as prosecutor Hank Brennan is set to continue direct examination of Dr. Judson Welcher, an accident reconstrictionist and biomechanical engineer with Aperture LLC. Welcher testified Tuesday that Read's car didn't log a collision on the morning that O'Keefe died. However, Welcher said such data only registers crashes between cars, and not pedestirans. "Were you surprised that there was no information about a collision in the [black box]?" special prosecutor Hank Brennan said. "No," Welcher said. "[It was] exactly what I expected." Jurors aren't expected in the courtroom until 10 a.m. Live Coverage begins here
Fox News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
Karen Read's SUV reached '74% throttle' moments before John O'Keefe's final movements, crash expert testifies
Print Close By Julia Bonavita, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten Published May 28, 2025 The prosecution in Karen Read's trial looked to cement its narrative surrounding the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe by turning to a crash expert's data placing Read at the crime scene during O'Keefe's final movements on the morning of his death. Read, 45, is accused of hitting her boyfriend, 46-year-old O'Keefe, with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022, before leaving him to freeze to death in the front yard of a fellow officer's home in Canton, Massachusetts. On Tuesday, special prosecutor Hank Brennan called the state's likely final witness to the stand. Dr. Judson Welcher, an accident reconstructionist and biomechanical engineer with Aperture LLC, testified that the black box data within Read's vehicle did not register a collision on the morning of O'Keefe's death, but he insisted the lack of data is expected because the system only registers car-to-car crashes, not pedestrians. BRAIN SURGEON TESTIFIES JOHN O'KEEFE DIED FROM FALL ON FROZEN GROUND IN KAREN READ TRIAL "Were you surprised that there was no information about a collision in the [black box]?" Brennan asked. "No," Welcher said. "[It was] exactly what I expected." Welcher testified that he was able to match Techstream data from Read's Lexus SUV to the vehicle's infotainment clock using reports from his colleague, Shanon Burgess, showing the moment Read's vehicle was turned on. KAREN READ TRIAL WITNESS FACES BRUTAL CROSS-EXAMINATION OVER VEHICLE DATA "So we're going from the running clock to a real-world clock," Welcher said. "If you take when [the vehicle] was turned on from Burgess' report, you can see that the Lexus was turned on at 12:12:36 a.m." The Techstream clock within Read's vehicle was 21 to 29 seconds behind O'Keefe's cellphone clock, requiring investigators to advance the data to match the cellphone, Welcher explained. "That's why you need to have an apples-to-apples comparison," Welcher said. "You need to get them on the same time clock." EXPERT WITNESS IN KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL CAUGHT WITH 'ERRORS' INFLATING HIS CREDENTIALS Approximately 19 minutes after the ignition was turned on, Read's vehicle registered a second trigger event, according to Welcher. Pointing to revolutions per minute, acceleration and shifting data from the black box, Welcher testified that Read's vehicle drove forward 34 feet before backing up 53 feet at a 74% throttle, with data indicating the car was traveling at 23 mph by the end of the trigger event. Welcher pointed to data from O'Keefe's phone, telling Brennan the rapid acceleration of Read's vehicle matched with the timestamp of O'Keefe's final interaction with the device. "[The trigger event] matches the window of the cellphone data for O'Keefe," Welcher said. "That puts [the vehicle] in front of 34 Fairview." KAREN READ SCORES MAJOR WIN AS JUDGE ALLOWS CRASH RECONSTRUCTION TESTIMONY The data corroboration further solidifies the prosecution's timeline surrounding what allegedly caused O'Keefe's death outside the Massachusetts home. "At best for the defendant, this witness is moderately damaging," retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital. "Seventy-four percent acceleration, no brake; Welcher is likable and professional but not over the top, sort of humble." Welcher turned his attention to surveillance footage showing Read pulling out of O'Keefe's driveway shortly before discovering his lifeless body in the snow, testifying that his investigation concluded the bumper of Read's vehicle did come in contact with O'Keefe, but the taillight did not. "I hate to see any party get hurt, but this was a bad day for Ms. Read," Lu said. "She [was] driving a very high-end luxury Lexus SUV and pushed the throttle beyond 70% with no braking. That Lexus SUV must have taken off like a SpaceX rocket ship. That is the nature of the beast – a very bad look for Ms. Read." UNFAZED KAREN READ STARES DOWN LINGERING QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DOG BITES,' TEXTS WITH RETRIAL READY FOR KICKOFF "So the only evidence of contact is nowhere near the upper taillight," Welcher said. "I emphasize the word 'upper taillight' because it is right in line with the lower taillight, but yet the lower taillight was also not broken." The crash expert testified he performed his own experiment with a vehicle that is the same make and model as Read's SUV to investigate the possible cause of scratch marks found on O'Keefe's arm. Upon learning he was roughly the same height and weight as O'Keefe, Welcher covered the taillight in paint before reenacting a vehicle strike, with video footage indicating the paint left marks on his arm in the same area as O'Keefe's injuries. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X "The location orientation of the laceration on O'Keefe's right forearm and arm are consistent with the geometry and orientation of the right taillight of [Read's SUV]," Welcher said. Welcher testified he also studied the nature of injuries sustained by assaults, telling Brennan his investigation led him to conclude that O'Keefe was struck by Read's SUV. "Based on all the evidence you considered," Brennan said, "could you share with the jury what your opinion is, to a reasonable degree of engineering certainty, about whether the defendant's Lexus struck Mr. O'Keefe on Jan. 29, 2022, around 12:32 a.m.?" SIGN UP TO GET TRUE-CRIME NEWSLETTER "Based on the totality of the evidence, DNA, everything I've talked about, that is consistent with that happening," Welcher said. "With a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, that is what happened." Welcher's testimony served to further solidify the data findings by Burgess and Cellebrite expert Ian Whiffin, who previously took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution in Read's case. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The prosecution is expected to rest its case this week after an entire day of Welcher's direct examination. If convicted of the top charge, second-degree murder, Read faces the possibility of life in prison. "So far, without cross-examination, the defense is having a bad day," Lu said. Print Close URL
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Watch Live: Karen Read trial resumes as prosecution's case nears end
The Karen Read trial is back inside Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a week as the prosecution could be entering the final days of its case. You can watch testimony live on CBS News Boston when it begins at 9 a.m. by clicking on the video player above. The prosecution accuses Read of hitting and killing Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who she was dating at the time, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the cold outside Brian Albert's home in Canton after a night of heavy drinking. Read argues she is being framed and O'Keefe was actually killed during a fight inside the home at 34 Fairview Road. The defense could get the case at some point in the coming days. Read told reporters outside of court recently that Dr. Judson Welcher from Aperture LLC is expected to be the prosecution's final witness. Lawyers cannot confirm when Welcher or other witnesses will take the stand because they remain under a gag order. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan has been questioning the majority of witnesses. Alan Jackson has questioned most of witnesses on cross-examination for the defense, with David Yannetti and Bob Alessi questioning some as well. Karen Read trial schedule Full days of testimony are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. A half day of testimony is scheduled to take place on Thursday. Judge Beverly Cannone delayed the start of Wednesday's witness testimony when she said an "issue" came to her attention that required her to question every juror individually at sidebar. When court proceedings resumed, all jurors were still present, though two had changed seats. Last week's witnesses included a forensic analyst discussing the movement of Read's Lexus SUV, a brain surgeon, and a crime lab analyst.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Karen Read trial not taking place today. Here's a look at the upcoming schedule.
No court proceedings are scheduled through Memorial Day in the Karen Read trial as the judge said things are moving ahead of schedule. Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton. Read argues she is being framed and O'Keefe was actually killed during a fight inside the home. It is possible the defense could get the case at some point next week. Outside of court on Wednesday, Read told reporters Dr. Judson Welcher from Aperture LLC is expected to be the prosecution's final witness. It is not known when Welcher will take the stand, and lawyers cannot confirm because they remain under a gag order. Karen Read trial schedule Thursday was scheduled to be a half day of testimony. But as Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed jurors for the day on Wednesday, she told them she would be giving them the day off instead. Friday and Monday were already previously scheduled off days due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The trial is scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Full days of testimony are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Karen Read trial latest Wednesday's witness testimony was delayed when she said an "issue" came to her attention that required her to question every juror individually at sidebar. Cameras were shut off until the process was complete. When court was back open to the public, all jurors were still present, though two had changed seats. "I do need to stress for you that it's very, very important that no one discuss this case. Don't let anyone talk to you about the case. No comments about the case," Cannone said. "You've seen how hard the lawyers have worked to pull this case together for you and everybody has given it so much time. So please let's makes sure that we follow that. That means each other." A brain surgeon testified that O'Keefe's injuries are consistent with falling backwards and hitting his head on the frozen ground. Next a Massachusetts State Police crime scene technician testified about glass and plastic found at the scene. Read is facing trial for a second time after her 2024 trial ended in a mistrial due to hung jury. The 45-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
