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Legal experts are handing Karen Read's defence squad the triumph for Friday's heated cross-examination of Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik – who returned for his 2nd time connected the basal arsenic prosecutors look to person the assemblage that Read fatally struck her boyfriend, Boston bull John O'Keefe, and near him to dice successful a blizzard successful January 2022.
During hours of cross-examination from defence lawyer Alan Jackson, the homicide researcher was asked to work a agelong drawstring of substance messages exchanged betwixt Read and Brian Higgins, a Canton-based ATF cause with whom she was flirting down O’Keefe’s back.
Having Bukhenik work the texts allows the defence to present hearsay statements into the case, according to Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts defence lawyer who is pursuing the lawsuit closely. They besides rise questions astir the integrity of the investigation, thing the defence has aimed to discredit entirely.
STATE TROOPER POINTS TO POSSIBLE WEAPON IN JOHN O'KEEFE DEATH – AND IT'S NOT KAREN READ'S CAR
Text connection betwixt Brian Higgins (in blue) and Karen Read from January 2022.
"They are being entered not for the information of what is contained successful them but to amusement that they existed," she told Fox News Digital. "That is important due to the fact that the defence wants to beryllium capable to reason that these messages existed, and did oregon did not the probe see them arsenic a lead? Wouldn’t the cognition of a romanticist flirtation betwixt Karen Read and Brian Higgins make the anticipation of struggle betwixt Brian Higgins and John O’Keefe?"
She said that some sides performed good Friday and credited Hank Brennan, the peculiar authoritative brought successful to grip Read's retrial, with devising a caller strategy aft the archetypal proceedings ended successful a mistrial. But she said the defence won retired slightly.
"Great lawyering connected some sides today. Hank Brennan’s caller proceedings strategy indicates helium won’t request to telephone upon Brian Albert oregon Brian Higgins oregon Michael Proctor," she said. "They person stretched the witnesser to the max the past fewer days. Alan Jackson appears to person worn the witnesser down and determination was damaging grounds regarding the handling of evidence. Overall, I felt the defence achieved much of their goals today."
Karen Read and John O'Keefe airs successful an undated photo. (Karen Read)
KAREN READ'S GOOGLE TIMELINE DERAILED AGAIN AS 2ND EXPERT DISPUTES DEFENSE CLAIMS
Sgt. Bukhenik spent hours connected the basal Friday, speechmaking done flirty substance messages betwixt Read and Brian Higgins, an ATF cause and imaginable emotion involvement whom she contacted down O’Keefe’s back.
The Ukraine native, who immigrated to the U.S. erstwhile helium was 9 and joined the Marine Corps aft 9/11, often sparred with Jackson astir semantics, asking for a transcript of Webster's Dictionary astatine 1 point, telling the tribunal that English was his "third language."
Frequent objections from the peculiar prosecutor, Hank Brennan, besides interrupted the proceedings arsenic Judge Beverly Cannone repeatedly called the sides to the seat for off-camera discussions.
ATF Agent Brian Higgins speaks astatine Karen Read's archetypal execution proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court connected Tuesday, May 28, 2024, successful Dedham, Mass. The lawsuit ended with a deadlocked jury, prompting her retrial, which began past month. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
At 1 point, Jackson replayed video shown earlier of Read backing retired of O’Keefe’s store the greeting helium was recovered dead. The defence clip included a layover of a container with a zoomed-in presumption of O’Keefe’s vehicle, which was parked outside. It appeared to bounce successful spot arsenic Read neared it with her rear bumper – the aforesaid 1 aboriginal recovered with a breached taillight.
"The prosecution looks similar it's trying to fell the information with each objections," said Linda Kenney Baden, a salient East Coast defence lawyer who is intimately pursuing the lawsuit connected her "Justice Served" podcast.
KAREN READ TRIAL: CANTON COP EXPLAINS USING LEAF BLOWER, RED SOLO CUPS, STOP & SHOP BAG FOR EVIDENCE
Another damning moment, she said, was erstwhile Bukhenik admitted that nary pieces of Read's breached taillight were recovered until aft her conveyance - the alleged execution limb – was parked wrong the sallyport astatine Canton Police Headquarters.
Text connection betwixt Brian Higgins (in blue) and Karen Read from January 2022.
But she said it was Bukhenik's responses to Jackson that whitethorn person turned disconnected jurors – calling the time a triumph for the defense.
In the texts, Read, present 45, discussed her narration struggles, repeatedly mentioning that she was not joined and referred to herself arsenic "single" despite, arsenic Higgins wrote, having a "live successful boyfriend."
They discussed uncovering each different "hot," a buss they shared extracurricular O’Keefe’s house, dense drinking and danced astir laying retired their intentions for 1 another.
KAREN READ'S GOOGLE TIMELINE DERAILED AGAIN AS 2ND EXPERT DISPUTES DEFENSE CLAIMS
"Are you breaking up oregon staying together?" Higgins asked astatine 1 point, astir Read and O'Keefe.
Karen Read gets the attraction of her lawyer during the Karen Read execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
"I don’t know," Read replied. "He hooked up with different miss connected vacation. I americium precise adjacent to his niece. It’s a precise f----- up situation."
Higgins repeatedly asked Read for clarity astir her intentions, though they some said they recovered each different charismatic and traded invites to 1 another's homes.
"Ok, truthful helium is chill with you dating different people?" Higgins asked successful different exchange.
Text connection betwixt Brian Higgins (in blue) and Karen Read from January 2022. (Pool)
"I uncertainty it," Read wrote. "If helium is seeing idiosyncratic other I wouldn’t privation to cognize either way. He astir apt feels the same. And you astir apt consciousness that mode astir whoever you hook up with. I deliberation that’s normal."
Higgins was contiguous astatine the Waterfall Bar and Grille with Read, O’Keefe and others earlier the full radical went to the adjacent location of Brian Albert, a chap Boston constabulary serviceman who is besides adjacent friends with Higgins.
Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik testifies during the Karen Read execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Read has claimed she dropped O’Keefe off, saw him spell wrong and left.
Prosecutors allege that she deed him with the rear extremity of the Lexus SUV and near him to dice connected the ground.
Read had pleaded not blameworthy to charges of murder, manslaughter and fleeing the scene. Her defence denied that a collision happened astatine each and insists his fatal injuries were inflicted successful immoderate different mode - perchance a "fight" with 1 oregon much radical astatine the after-party.
Read’s archetypal trial, successful which she claimed she was being framed by a radical of instrumentality enforcement with ties to Albert and his family, ended with a deadlocked assemblage and a mistrial.
Officer John O’Keefe poses for his authoritative headshot. O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, is presently connected proceedings for execution aft helium was recovered dormant extracurricular of a Massachusetts location successful January 2022. (Boston Police Department)
Special authoritative Hank Brennan, a salient Massachusetts defence lawyer who antecedently represented Whitey Bulger, was brought successful to instrumentality implicit the reins from Assistant Norfolk County District Attorney Adam Lally, who is inactive portion of the prosecution team.
While Read has said that whether she volition attest successful her ain defence remains "to beryllium determined," Brennan sought and obtained video interviews that Read had fixed to assorted TV outlets and documentarians and has been playing clips successful tribunal for the jury.
KAREN READ'S GOOGLE TIMELINE DERAILED AGAIN AS 2ND EXPERT DISPUTES DEFENSE CLAIMS
In the texts, Higgins told Read helium wasn't funny successful "drama" but continued the two-way flirting until she sent a chilling substance to him astir noon connected Jan. 29, 2022.
"John died," she wrote.
Karen Read listens to sidebar conferences with lawyers and Judge Cannone during her execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Just hours earlier, portion she was retired drinking with O'Keefe astir an hr earlier the extremity of his life, Higgins sent 2 texts to her that went unanswered astir 11:30 p.m. connected Jan. 28, 2022.
Lawyers for some parties besides agreed successful tribunal that astatine 12:20 a.m. the pursuing morning, Higgins besides texted O'Keefe. "You coming here???"
Earlier, Jackson besides grilled Bukhenik implicit however grounds was handled successful the case. Bukhenik testified that nary taillight fragments had been recovered until aft Read's SUV was successful authorities constabulary custody. He couldn't accidental which serviceman had filled retired an grounds container nether his sanction and didn't retrieve whom helium had fixed the unsigned grounds to.
Jackson asked him whether helium was alert that much than a twelve reports successful the lawsuit weren't written until much than 100 days aft the events that they were expected to "memorialize" had taken place. He said helium was not.
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Police witnesses whitethorn beryllium hurting the lawsuit owed to missteps that shouldn't person happened had regular protocols been followed, according to Joseph Giacalone, a erstwhile NYPD acold lawsuit researcher and an adjunct crminal justness prof astatine Penn State Lehigh Valley.
Paul O'Keefe, member of execution unfortunate John O'Keefe, listens to grounds during the Karen Read execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
"A necktie goes to the defense," helium said of Friday's testimony. "The Massachusetts State Police person a large occupation connected their hands."
The MSP fired erstwhile Trooper Michael Proctor, who was a pb researcher successful the case, aft his grounds during the archetypal proceedings revealed unprofessional substance messages helium had sent regarding Read. He could attest erstwhile the defence presents its lawsuit aboriginal successful the trial.
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Local constabulary besides testified that they utilized reddish Solo cups and a market container to cod evidence, removed snowfall with a leafblower and continued to beryllium progressive connected the outskirts of the lawsuit contempt a struggle of involvement – 1 of their detectives is Brian Albert's brother.
"The prosecution is going to spell location this play and reevaluate things, due to the fact that this week couldn’t person been worse," said David Gelman, a erstwhile authoritative and Philadelphia-area defence lawyer who is pursuing the case.
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor faces a pugnacious cross-examination by lawyer Alan Jackson. The Karen Read execution proceedings successful Norfolk Superior Court, Dedham, Massachusetts, connected Wednesday, June 12, 2024 (© Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger/IMAGN)
He antecedently told Fox News Digital helium was amazed the commonwealth adjacent moved guardant with a caller proceedings aft the archetypal lawsuit fell apart.
On the different hand, integer grounds has not supported defence claims.
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Two experts person testified that Albert's sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe, made a cardinal Google hunt astir hypothermia soon aft Read and 2 different women recovered O'Keefe unresponsive successful the snowfall – not hours earlier, earlier anyone should person known helium was dead, arsenic the defence has claimed.
And speechmaking the texts successful tribunal could beryllium a "double-edged sword," said Paul Mauro, a erstwhile NYPD inspector. Did Higgins person a crushed to get into an altercation with O'Keefe? Or bash they overgarment Read arsenic manipulative and untruthful?
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