NFL
By Steve Atkinson
Week Four of the Karen Read Re-Trial began with Yuri returning to the stand. Footage provided to the defense after the first trial shows activity at the Canton Police Department on January 29, 2022. At around 1:30 a.m., not much snow had fallen. An hour earlier, Karen Read allegedly struck John O’Keeffe at 34 Fairview Road and left him on the lawn. Brian Higgins, who was driving his Jeep, reported seeing no sign of John O’Keeffe or any of the 47 pieces of red taillight in the snow. So, where could John have been?
New Footage in the Karen Read Re-Trial
The footage shows Higgins going in and out of parked cars at the police department. While it does not show him moving any vehicles, at one point in the video, he is seen outside with a phone next to his ear. Yuri seems unconcerned that an ATF agent would visit the police department in the midst of a snowstorm when, just an hour before, a cop had been found dead on the lawn of another officer. To Yuri, this is not suspicious at all.
Yuri also appears unfazed by the fact that lead investigator Michael Proctor referred to Karen Read as “retarded” in a group text. Proctor, who was fired from the State Police due to his biased behavior in this investigation, continues to have Yuri’s full support. Yuri claimed it was Proctor’s First Amendment right to say what he did about Karen Read. Conversely, when Aidan Kearny stepped outside a pizza shop owned by one of the witnesses, he was charged with witness intimidation. The double standard is apparent.
The injuries didn’t add up to being hit by a car on John O’Keeffe
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, who performed the autopsy on John O’Keeffe, testified recently. She stated that he died from blunt force trauma to the back of his head and hypothermia. There were no indications of frostbite or lower body injuries typical of being struck by a vehicle. If he had been hit by a car, he likely would have sustained broken legs or bruises, which were not present. Given that the ground was frozen, the injury to the back of his head likely did not result from simply falling on the grass. Dr. Scordi-Bello mentioned that she was informed there was a party at a house he was headed toward, where there may have been an altercation. Judge Beverly Cannone instructed the jurors to dismiss that possibility.
**Physical Evidence of a Struggle**
John O’Keeffe exhibited signs consistent with having been in a fight rather than being run over by Karen Read. He had two black eyes, which indicate a physical altercation, and scratches on his arms that appeared to be from a dog, not from 47 pieces of taillight. Either Brian Higgins or anyone else leaving the house after Karen would have seen taillight debris and John lying on the front lawn had she actually hit him, especially with only 0.08 inches of snow on the ground at the time.
Several crime lab experts from the State Police testified that there was unidentified male DNA found on the cocktail glass. However, DNA samples from Brian Albert, the homeowner, and Brian Higgins were never tested. Why not? If Karen Read indeed struck John O’Keeffe with her car, what is there to hide?
It appears that the jurors are not convinced by what defense attorney Hank Brennan is presenting.
