Prosecutors in Karen Read’s retrial want to exclude the testimony of a digital forensics expert who claimed a friend of John O’Keefe searched Google for “hos long to die in cold.”
Read’s first trial in the death of her boyfriend O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, ended in a mistrial on July 1. The state alleges she hit O’Keefe with her SUV outside fellow officer Brian Albert’s Canton home after a night of drinking. in a snowstorm in January 2022. Her second trial is set to begin on April 1.
The state wants the new trial to exclude testimony from Richard Green, owner of Florida-based United States Forensics, according to a motion filed Tuesday.
Green had analyzed the cellphones of Reed, O’Keefe and friend Jen McCabe and testified that a Google search for “hos long to die in cold” was performed on McCabe’s phone at 2:27 a.m. The prosecutor wants to exclude testimony on the telephone. Google search and delete data from McCabe’s phone.
“Exclusion is appropriate because neither claim has any probative value and the claims cannot be made in good faith,” the motion said, according to Patriot Ledger news partner WCVB. “Allowing the introduction of unsubstantiated claims without any scientific, forensic or factual support would mislead the jury and undermine the interests of justice.”
The prosecution also requested the exclusion of testimony from emergency room physician Dr. Marie Russell, who testified that marks on O’Keefe’s arm were made by “teeth or claws.” Read’s attorneys claim that Read was framed and that O’Keefe died after being beaten at the Canton home, where he was dropped off, bitten by a dog and left outside in the snow.
During a December hearing before Judge Beverly Cannone, who continues to oversee the Read case, the prosecutor argued that Russell is not an expert on dog bites. She has not yet made a statement, according to WCVB.
Read was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter of a motor vehicle while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. She has petitioned the Massachusetts Supreme Court over whether the state should be able to try her again. The SJC has not yet made a ruling.
Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Karen Read the lawsuit: Prosecutor wants to exclude cell phone testimony