DEDHAM – During a pre-trial hearing, Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally told Judge Beverly Cannone he anticipated the Commonwealth’s fallout. case against Karen Read would take four weeks. Three weeks and 39 witnesses in depositions, legal experts say it will take much longer.
Karen Lees is a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, by running him over with her car on a snowy night in 2022. Her defense team claims she is the victim of a police cover-up by multiple agencies.
“The Commonwealth will need more than a week to conclude this case,” said former prosecutor and legal analyst Jennifer Roman. “There are some crucial witnesses who have yet to be called, including Trooper [Michael] Proctor,” the lead investigator who the defense claims had a conflict of interest and deliberately bungled the investigation.
AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Swimming Pool
Roman says ADA Lally is clearly calling witnesses with a strategy, slowly but carefully painting a picture of what happened.
“Sometimes testimony is like watching the paint dry, and that applies to every case because not every fact is interesting,” she said. “This jury was prepared for the long term and I really believe they will do their job. They’re going to listen to the evidence and at the end they’re going to make a decision based on the evidence they heard.”
Risk of losing the jury
Roman – and former defense attorney Phil Tracy – both say a long trial risks losing the jury. “They’re bored, they’re tired, they’re going to go through hot weather in a hot courtroom this week… That’s torture,” Tracy said.
But so far, lawyers have done their job, both legal analysts agree. “This is the classic case where both sides do it really well because if you just listen to the prosecutor, you believe she did it and she’s guilty,” Roman said. “But if you listen to the cross-examination… You’re doing well, maybe you’re not.”
Different strategies of prosecution, defense
An interesting thing to see is the different strategies of the lawyers, they said. Lally, the prosecutor, is measured and dry. “He’s not trying to flash at all, he’s just trying to get through this case, which is obviously flawed because the witnesses are everywhere,” Tracy said.
The defense — particularly Los Angeles attorney Alan Jackson — is taking a flashier approach, he explained. “He’s from California; maybe they do things differently there. But he was acting totally… kind of cocky. And I don’t know if that sells here in Massachusetts,” Tracy explained.
Defense to question Jen McCabe
A pivotal moment will be Jen McCabe’s Google search for “hos long to die in the cold,” which McCabe says happened at the insistence of Karen Read on January 29 after 6 a.m. The defense claims the search took place at 2:27 a.m. that morning. hours before John O’Keefe’s body was discovered. The defense will question McCabe Tuesday morning.
Kristina Rex
