Karen Read's attorneys claim prosecution has not handed over evidence in Canton murder case
BOSTON - Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe, will be back in court on Wednesday.
Her attorneys are now poking holes in accusations she hit O'Keefe with her vehicle and killed him. His body was discovered in a pile of snow outside the Canton home of a fellow officer who hosted a gathering there in January of 2022.
Read's lawyers are asking the judge to give them access to the cell phone of the Boston Police officer who owned the home where O'Keefe's body was found. Read's team claims the prosecution has not turned over all the evidence it has in the case and wants raw cell phone data so their experts can review it. They also say the victim's injuries point to a brutal fight and are not consistent with being hit by a car.
The prosecution says that is not true, that they did turn over the evidence they have and the emergency room doctor that pronounced the victim dead did not find any evidence to suggest the victim was involved in a fight.
On Wednesday, it's likely the judge will listen to both sides and could take some time to make a decision.
By law, the prosecution has to turn over all the evidence it has, even evidence that could potentially exonerate Read.
When and if the case does go to trial, the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Read killed O'Keefe. The defense does not have to prove anything and can simply rely on inconsistencies and other evidence to create that doubt.