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Karen Learn’s lawyer dropped bombshell accusations throughout opening statements in Learn’s homicide trial, together with an investigator’s seek for nude pictures of her and “revealing texts” to associates on his private telephone.
Learn allegedly killed her boyfriend – Boston police officer John O’Keefe – when she backed over him along with her automobile after an alcohol-fueled battle throughout a snowy night time on Jan 29, 2022, exterior a house in Canton, Massachusetts, based on prosecutors.
Not solely has Learn pleaded not responsible to homicide, amongst different costs, her authorized crew argued Learn was framed by an influential household who lived within the Canton, Massachusetts, dwelling, as a part of a top-to-bottom cover-up.
The lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, a pal of the home-owner, allegedly “searched (Learn’s) telephone (for) nude pictures” with out a warrant and texted his pal on his private telephone that he “hoped (Learn) would kill herself,” Learn’s lawyer, David Yannetti mentioned Monday morning.
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Karen Learn departs Norfolk Superior Court docket following a day of jury choice, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Learn is accused of working into her Boston police officer boyfriend along with her SUV in the midst of a nor’easter and leaving him for lifeless after an evening of heavy ingesting. (AP Picture/Steven Senne)
Main as much as the trial, Proctor and the Massachussetts State Police have denied any wrongdoing.
The Massachusetts State Police did not instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark concerning the accusations levied in courtroom Monday morning.
KAREN READ MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WOMAN CHARGED WITH OFFICER BOYFRIEND’S MURDER
Learn’s legal professionals argued O’Keefe was attacked by a canine throughout a battle with somebody in the home.
“Karen Learn was framed,” Yannetti mentioned throughout opening statements. “Somebody not named Karen Learn ambushed John. Any individual most likely did not imply to kill him, however any person went too far.”
The decide dominated final week that Learn’s protection crew shall be allowed to argue another person killed O’Keefe, however not throughout opening statements.
Karen Learn seems in Norfolk County Superior Court docket for a pre-trial listening to. She is charged with the homicide of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe through Getty Photos)
O’Keefe’s physique was discovered within the snow, and he was pronounced lifeless within the hospital, regardless of life-saving measures.
Since then, the case has conjured divisive rhetoric that break up the Boston suburb, and included conspiracy-fueled facet spectacles, just like the arrest of native blogger Aidan Kearney, often known as “Turtleboy.”
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Kearney has been a staunch supporter of Learn and led “Free Karen” rallies, however prosecutors allege he crossed the road and charged him with a number of counts of witness intimidation.
The decide dominated Kearney can attend the trial. He mentioned it was a “full victory” in a Fb dwell stream after the listening to final week.
Officer John O’Keefe poses for his official headshot. O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, is presently on trial for homicide after he was discovered lifeless exterior of a Massachusetts dwelling in January 2022. (Boston Police Division)
O’Keefe suffered a number of wounds, together with cranium fractures in line with blunt-force trauma that led to bleeding within the mind, swollen black eyes and a number of other lacerations and abrasions to his proper arm and arms.
However the post-mortem has been underneath lock and key, which is why forensic skilled Joseph Scott Morgan instructed Fox Information Digital that the post-mortem and the forensic investigator’s testimony shall be pivotal within the trial.
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Learn’s high-powered protection crew, together with Alan Jackson, who helped Kevin Spacey get acquitted on sexual assault costs in 2019, mentioned in courtroom paperwork the investigation was “sloppy” and hid a fancy net of private and romantic relationships.
Final week, 19 jurors have been chosen from a pool of about 400 potential jurists after a two-week course of.
WATCH: Morgan previews potential arguments for O’Keefe’s accidents
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An area legislation professor mentioned an neutral jury, with the media hype and hypothesis, was paramount.
“The affect of media, social media, the sidebars with the turtle blogger. All the data that is been going backwards and forwards from the DA’s workplace and the protection crew, I feel it may be a protracted highway to select an neutral jury,” Suffolk College Legislation Professor Christopher Dearborn instructed CBS Information.
Chris Eberhart is a criminal offense and US information reporter for Fox Information Digital. E mail tricks to [email protected] or on Twitter @ChrisEberhart48.
Karen Learn trial: Did she kill police officer boyfriend or was she framed?
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