Jury skepticism of experts could determine outcome in Karen Read murder trial: former judge

Whenever there's a conflict of the experts, it's the jurors who clasp the winning hand, according to a retired Massachusetts judge. 

And that's shaping up to beryllium the lawsuit successful Karen Read's retrial connected execution charges successful the decease of her erstwhile boyfriend, 46-year-old Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.

Read, 45, is accused of hitting him with an SUV and leaving extracurricular a location enactment astatine 34 Fairview Road successful Canton, Massachusetts, arsenic helium died of a skull fracture and hypothermia during a blizzard connected Jan. 29, 2022.

CROSS-EXAMINATION EXPOSES GAPS IN DEFENSE EXPERT'S CRASH TESTING FOR KAREN READ

Murder suspect Karen Read speaks with reporters aft leaving the courthouse successful Dedham, Massachusetts connected Friday, June 6, 2025. Her defence is expected to remainder its lawsuit adjacent week. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)

Dr. Daniel Wolfe, a manager astatine the ARCCA clang reconstruction firm, testified that the results of galore tests helium conducted to effort and reconstruct the alleged clang that killed O'Keefe came backmost with "inconsistent" results.

But peculiar authoritative Hank Brennan tore into the validity of his methods during cross-examination, noting helium utilized a dummy that was importantly smaller than O'Keefe, alternated betwixt antithetic types of dummy arms without noting that nether nonstop introspection and conducted lone 1 trial astatine each velocity alternatively than aggregate tests to cheque for accordant results.

A cardinal infinitesimal successful his grounds came not portion discussing his findings, but erstwhile Brennan asked him astir thing Read said successful a video clip played earlier successful the trial, according to Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge and Boston College instrumentality professor.

KAREN READ DENIS NOTICING CONFRONTATION BETWEEN DECEASED BOYFRIEND AND ATF AGENT

Accident reconstruction specializer Dr. Daniel Wolfe explains the operation of a taillight assembly from a 2021 Lexus SUV during Karen Read's execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., Friday, June 6, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)

"There's Brennan's mentation – the taillight 'impaled' [O'Keefe] connected the nose," helium told Fox News Digital. "Read picked solid retired of [his] nose, and [his] chemoreceptor bled – from her video statement."

Brennan played video from 1 of Wolfe's mishap reconstructions that showed integrative fragments flying distant from the conveyance aft impacting a clang dummy's arm.

"When the taillight is shattered and it spreads done the air, does it person the imaginable to impale a person, for example, connected their nose?" Brennan asked.

"I deliberation that would beryllium unlikely," Wolfe replied.

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Special authoritative Hank Brennan questions Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, not shown, of the Massachusetts State Police, during the execution retrial of Karen Read successful Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, successful Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

As portion of the prosecution's case, Brennan played a clip of Read telling an interviewer she pulled a "piece of glass" retired of O'Keefe's chemoreceptor and that it started bleeding.

Wolfe's task has been to discredit the prosecution's halfway allegation that Read slammed into O'Keefe successful reverse with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV and near him to dice connected the crushed successful a blizzard connected Jan. 29, 2022.

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"Juries person large powers of observation, and a cardinal extent of acquisition seldom seen successful American life," Lu told Fox News Digital. "Partially due to the fact that of however galore jurors determination are. I foretell that the assemblage volition reason that some mishap reconstructionists' conclusions are not worthy of content successful a assemblage trial."

Dr. Judson Welcher, an mishap reconstruction expert, testifies during the execution retrial of Karen Read successful Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, successful Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/AP Photo, Pool)

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The defence is besides aiming to sow tenable uncertainty successful the prosecution's clang experts, Dr. Judson Welcher and Shanon Burgess from a steadfast called Aperture.

Welcher testified past week that helium believes "[O’Keefe’s injuries are] accordant with being struck by a Lexus and besides contacting a hard surface, specified arsenic frozen ground." Wolfe recovered that the injuries were inconsistent erstwhile stacked up against the harm to Read's SUV arsenic good arsenic the harm to O'Keefe's covering – which prosecutors allege had fragments of taillight integrative embedded successful it.

Lu said that helium expects assemblage instructions to see a enactment that the experts don't determine the facts – jurors do.

Karen Read and John O'Keefe airs for an undated photograph. (Karen Read)

"Juries are not successful the slightest spot cowed by experts," helium said. "To the contrary, they presumption them with skepticism."

Especially "hired guns," helium added.

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Jurors volition beryllium looking astatine the lawsuit arsenic a whole, but portion Lu said helium believes Brennan scored a triumph connected the day, the defence has a important advantage.

"The defence request not beryllium anything; they simply indispensable found tenable doubt," said Mark Bederow, a New York City defence lawyer who is representing Canton blogger and Read state Aidan Kearney. "But implicit the people of a fewer hours, Dr. Wolfe formed superior uncertainty by methodically dismantling the cardinal premise of the prosecution lawsuit – done aggregate technological examinations and effectual video helium offered enactment for his sentiment that the harm to the taillight was not accordant with the collision alleged by the prosecution."

Read's squad is expected to rest their case adjacent week. She could look up to beingness successful situation if convicted of the apical charge.