Karen Read’s second trial began at the moment with opening statements and witness testimony within the high-profile Massachusetts homicide case. Learn, who’s accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe along with her SUV and leaving him to die within the snow in Canton in 2022, is being retried lower than a 12 months after her first trial ended in a mistrial.
The 45-year-old Learn is charged with second-degree homicide, manslaughter whereas working drunk and leaving the scene of non-public damage of dying. She has pleaded not responsible to all costs and argues she is being framed by a number of individuals, together with regulation enforcement.
Eighteen jurors – 9 males and 9 girls – have been seated after a grueling jury choice course of that took 10 days. One of many alternate jurors from Learn’s first trial is now a member of her legal team.
Karen Learn opening statements
Particular prosecutor Hank Brennan, the previous Whitey Bulger attorney who was not a part of the primary trial, made the opening assertion for the Commonwealth.
Brennan began by setting the scene in Canton, describing how firefighter and paramedic Timothy Nuttall responded to 34 Fairview Highway in “close to blizzard circumstances” and located O’Keefe within the snow and not using a pulse.
“He seemed up at Ms. Learn and he mentioned, ‘what occurred?” And you will hear her phrases by way of firefighter Nuttall, she mentioned ‘I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” Brennan mentioned. “We’re right here at the moment as a result of John O’Keefe was killed by the actions and conduct of that defendant, Karen Learn.”
Brennan advised the jury that information from Learn’s cellphone and automobile can be a key a part of the the prosecution’s argument. Along with location data, Brennan mentioned information exhibiting the temperature of the cellphone battery “can be crucial to your evaluation of this case” – a component that wasn’t raised throughout Learn’s first trial.
In the case of Learn’s SUV, Brennan instructed there’s “black field” information that reveals various things than what had been mentioned within the first trial. He says she threw her Lexus into impartial after which reverse, and put her foot on the fuel pedal to 75% acceleration.
“She clipped John O’Keefe, he fell backwards, hit his head, broke his cranium,” Brennan mentioned.
Brennan additionally introduced up angry voicemails that Learn left for O’Keefe after midnight. The prosecutor referenced a 12:59 a.m. message wherein Learn says “John, no one is aware of the place you might be.”
“‘And that is the place the plot and the cover-up begins,” Brennan mentioned. “The proof will clarify that she knew he was there. She didn’t name 911, she didn’t return for him, she didn’t go away an nameless tip. She left him.”
Brennan ended by taking part in a clip from an Oct. 2024 Dateline interview with Learn. Prosecutors mentioned in a submitting final week that they plan to make use of Learn’s personal phrases towards her at trial, and it is anticipated that they may play clips from Learn’s numerous media interviews that she has executed in current months.
“I did not suppose I hit him, hit him, however may I’ve clipped him? Might I’ve tapped him within the knee and incapacitated him? He did not look mortally wounded, so far as I may see,” Learn says within the interview clip. “However may I’ve executed one thing that knocked him out in drunkenness and within the chilly, he did not come to once more?”
Learn’s lawyer Alan Jackson delivered the opening assertion for the protection. Throughout final 12 months’s trial, it was lawyer David Yannetti who spoke first to the jury.
Jackson began by telling jurors that the proof will set up “there was no collision with John O’Keefe.”
“John O’Keefe didn’t die from being hit by a car. Interval,” he mentioned. “The information will present that, the proof will present that, the information will present that, the science will present that and the specialists will inform you that.”
Jackson mentioned the investigation into O’Keefe’s dying was “corrupted by bias, corrupted by incompetence, and corrupted by deceit.” He blasted former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator within the case, as a “most cancers” who by no means went into the Fairview Highway dwelling owned by Boston police officer Brian Albert or canvassed witnesses.
“You will see through the trial that he deliberately lied and fabricated proof through the course of this investigation. He lied in reviews, warrants, he lied beneath oath. He lied concerning the time that he truly secured Karen Learn’s car. Why?” Jackson requested. “He lied as a result of he didn’t need it revealed that he had entry to that car and he had entry to that taillight earlier than any taillight fragments had been discovered at 34 Fairview.”
On the finish of his opening assertion, Jackson requested the jury to search out Learn not responsible on “all three” verdicts. After the primary trial concluded, some jurors told the defense that that they had agreed that Learn must be acquitted on two costs, however weren’t certain easy methods to talk that to the choose.
“Not responsible, not responsible, not responsible,” Jackson repeated.
Canton firefighter, paramedic Timothy Nuttall testifies
After opening statements, prosecutors will start calling witnesses to testify at trial. Canton firefighter and paramedic Timothy Nuttall, whom Brennan referenced in his opening assertion, was the primary to take the stand.
He mentioned snow was coming down closely when he arrived at 34 Fairview and adopted the sounds of ladies screaming. He mentioned he noticed O’Keefe laying on his again and took his pulse.
“I seemed for any indicators of respiratory. I discovered none,” Nuttall mentioned. “He was very chilly to the contact.”
Whereas he was attending to O’Keefe, Nuttall says he seemed up and noticed a middle-aged lady with blood on her face. He recognized her within the courtroom as Learn.
“I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” Nuttall recalled Learn saying. “I keep in mind it very distinctly.”
He mentioned he noticed that O’Keefe had a “fairly good bump” over his proper eye and several other “notably deep” scratches on his proper arm. The protection has argued that O’Keefe’s accidents got here from a canine assault contained in the Albert dwelling and never from Learn’s SUV.
In cross-examination, Jackson requested Nuttall about his earlier conferences with prosecutors and identified that Nuttall testified in the first trial that Learn mentioned “I hit him” solely twice.
“In case you testified final 12 months that you simply heard the phrase twice, and now a 12 months goes by and also you’re testifying in entrance of this jury this 12 months that you simply heard it 3 times, these two statements are inconsistent with each other, appropriate?” Jackson requested.
“Sure sir,” Nuttall replied.
Kerry Roberts testifies in Karen Learn trial
The subsequent witness known as was Kerry Roberts, a buddy of O’Keefe who helped Learn search for boyfriend on the evening he died. However earlier than Roberts testified, the prosecution performed what seems to be an unedited clip of a Learn media interview from the “Investigation Discovery” docuseries.
“I do know I mentioned I hit him, however did I actually say it as many occasions as regulation enforcement’s claiming that I mentioned it?” Learn says within the video.
Roberts testified about getting a frantic 5 a.m. telephone name from Learn.
“The very first thing she mentioned was, ‘Kerry, Kerry, Kerry, John’s lifeless.’ After which she hung up,” Roberts mentioned.
Learn hung up however known as again, Roberts mentioned.
“The second time she mentioned, ‘I believe one thing occurred to John. I believe he obtained hit by a plow. He did not come dwelling final evening,'” Learn mentioned, in accordance with Roberts.
Karen Learn trial witnesses
There are 150 names that the prosecution and protection may name, however not all are anticipated to testify.
Amongst those that performed a significant function within the first trial and will testify once more are former Trooper Proctor, who was fired for his conduct whereas main the Learn investigation, and Jennifer McCabe, who made the controversial “hos lengthy to die in chilly” Google search.
Additionally on the witness checklist are Brian Higgins, Brian Albert and Colin Albert. The protection has argued they might have killed O’Keefe throughout a battle inside Brian Albert’s dwelling at 34 Fairview Highway. Judge Beverly Cannone, nonetheless, has ruled that the protection can not argue that Colin Albert, who was a young person on the time, may very well be one of many males liable for O’Keefe’s dying.
Click here for extra about the important thing witnesses within the case.
Karen Learn trial schedule
Roberts can be again on the stand when the trial resumes Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
Karen Learn’s first trial consisted of 29 days of testimony over practically two months. The second trial could transfer quicker, as Cannone mentioned the courtroom can be doing as many full days as potential, versus half days of testimony that had been a frequent incidence within the first trial.
Court docket typically begins at 9 a.m. and goes till 4 p.m., Monday by way of Friday. They take a brief morning break round 11 a.m. and an extended break for lunch at about 1 p.m.
Sooner or later early on within the trial, the jury will make a journey to Fairview Highway in Canton to view the crime scene. That go to is not going to be proven stay for most of the people.
How you can watch the Karen Learn trial
You possibly can watch Learn’s trial streaming stay from Norfolk Superior Court docket in Dedham on CBS News Boston or within the video participant above when the proceedings start at 9 a.m.
Click here for a full timeline of occasions within the case.
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