Testimony will resume Tuesday in Karen Read’s murder retrial.
Karen Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley University aged 45, faces charges of second-degree murder alongside other allegations related to the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer. Her trial is taking place at the Norfolk Superior Court in Massachusetts.
According to the prosecutors, on January 29, 2022, amidst a snowstorm, Read allegedly hit O’Keefe with her SUV while he was at the Canton residence of another officer, Brian Albert.
Her first trial ended in a hung jury.
The defense argues that a cover-up involving various law enforcement entities is at play. They claim that O’Keefe was assaulted inside the house, attacked by a dog residing there, and subsequently left outside in the freezing weather.
Forensic pathologist and former medical examiner Elizabeth Laposata resumed her testimony Monday and discussed her assessment of the causes behind O’Keefe’s head, brain, and facial injuries.
Judge Beverly Cannone initially determined that Laposata was not qualified to testify about whether the marks on O’Keefe’s arm were consistent with dog bites, but permitted her to discuss her conclusions about the sources of his injuries.
On Tuesday, Cannone allowed Laposata to state that the injuries matched animal bites she had encountered in her career.
USA Today reports that on Monday, Alan Jackson, one of Read’s defense attorneys, stated that they will bring biomechanist Andrew Rentschler to testify Tuesday as the eleventh and final defense witness. Jackson informed Cannone that questioning Rentschler is expected to last around three hours.
The prosecution also plans to present several witnesses to challenge the defense’s claims.
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Karen Read/LinkedIn and John O’Keefe/Boston Police Department]
