Defense Claims Tunnel Vision in Karen Read Murder Case as Prosecutor’s Opening Falls Short

During opening statements in Karen Read’s murder trial for allegedly killing her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe, defense lawyer David Yanetti accused lead investigator Michael Proctor of searching Read’s phone for nude photos and texting his friends about the investigation while wishing she would kill herself. In contrast, prosecutor Adam Lally spoke at length about O’Keefe’s background but provided little detail on how he died or who killed him. Yanetti argued that investigators had tunnel vision in focusing solely on Read as a suspect and failed to investigate other individuals connected to the case, such as Brian Albert, whose home belonged to a Boston police officer friend of Proctor’s family. The defense also accused Proctor of failing to properly search for signs of struggle at the crime scene. Judge Beverly Cannone has ruled that local blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney can attend the trial despite allegations he intimidated witnesses in an ongoing federal investigation into the case, which fueled a fiercely divided Boston suburb. The defense’s accusatory opening statement was described as having bombshell after bombshell by Angelo Petrigh, a clinical associate professor at Boston University Law School, while Lally’s presentation lacked coherence and failed to clearly outline the prosecution’s theory or evidence for the jury. Trials aren’t won with opening statements, according to Petrigh, who noted that closing arguments will be crucial in connecting the dots of evidence presented during the trial. The sealed autopsy report is considered by experts as one of the most important pieces of evidence yet to be seen or heard at this stage. O’Keefe suffered multiple wounds consistent with blunt-force trauma and lacerations, while Read has pleaded not guilty to charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident causing injury and death.