A forensic expert said he believes the coroner’s testimony will be crucial ahead of Karen Reed’s murder trial, focusing on two pieces of evidence: the autopsy and the manner in which the victim’s clothing was handled.
Prosecutors say Reed is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her car and leaving him for dead in the snow. Mr Reid denied her allegations and claimed there was a cover-up designed to frame her.
O’Keefe’s official cause of death is listed as “undetermined,” which makes the medical examiner the “big star” of the trial, forensic expert John Scott Morgan told Fox News Digital.
“I urge everyone following this case to pay close attention to what the medical examiner has to say, as he will be asked to explain the logic behind listing this as undetermined,” Morgan said. he said. “We expect the defense attorney to focus specifically on that question, and the issue is framed in such a way that the defense attorney says, ‘Well, here’s the prosecutor, and this is what he’s actually saying.’ “It’s murder.” What do you mean, Doctor, what doesn’t make you think it’s murder? ”
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Karen Reed sits in the courtroom during jury selection in Norfolk County Superior Court on April 17, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (David McGlynn/New York Post, via AP, Pool)
The case dates back to 2022, when O’Keeffe’s body was discovered in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Court documents say O’Keefe and Reed were drunk that night.
The trial began with jury selection last week after nearly two years of polarizing sides and an undercurrent of controversy fueled by a federal investigation into alleged cover-ups by the defense.
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On Wednesday, the entire jury was selected from among hundreds of aspiring lawyers, preparing for what is expected to be a long and tense trial. Mr. Reid’s supporters and opponents clash outside the courthouse.
Several pretrial motions are expected to be resolved Thursday, and opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday.
Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe (Borderline personality disorder)
Karen Reed appears in Norfolk Superior Court after a day of jury selection on April 17, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
O’Keefe suffered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture from blunt force trauma, bleeding on the brain, a swollen eye, and several lacerations and abrasions on her right arm and hand.
Prosecutors have argued that Reed was injured when she hit him with her car, but the defense has argued that the injuries were sustained during a fight inside the house and when he was attacked by a dog. There is.
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“That’s very specific information,” said Morgan, who spent more than 20 years with the coroner’s office in New Orleans and the Fulton County medical examiner’s office in Atlanta before becoming a professor at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Ta.
What matters is when this information about the possible dog bite was communicated to the coroner.
Morgan said if the coroner didn’t know about the dog bite defense during the autopsy, he might not have tried to obtain evidence such as dog hair or saliva swabs to test for dog DNA. is said to be high.
Karen Reed appears in Norfolk County Superior Court for a pretrial hearing. (John Turmacchi/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
WATCH: Morgan previews potential discussion over O’Keefe injury
“There’s one issue in particular that bothers me here.”
Morgan said how O’Keeffe’s clothing was removed during the life-saving effort, how it was preserved and the storage process is “very important here.”
He said if reports of clothing piled up in the corner of the trauma room are accurate, it could compromise potential evidence.
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“Are we talking hours? Days? Weeks? Because the longer it takes to submit, the less secure it is,” Morgan said. If we can’t do that, we’re going to mess up the storage process.” And at that point, we have little or no idea who touched these items.
“That can be very sensitive. And as a forensic investigator, once you have that evidence, you need to know how it was packaged and who packaged it.”
June 10, 2022 Karen A. Reed, 42, girlfriend of late Boston police officer John O’Keefe, charged in Norfolk Superior Court with second-degree murder in death in Dedham, Massachusetts It was done. Both husband and wife were submitted to the prosecution by the defense. (John Turmacchi/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Karen Reed and her attorney Alan Jackson fight their way through a crowd of supporters outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on April 16, 2024. (Greg Darr/Patriot Ledger)
He cited the example of the O.J. By alleging negligence, the lawyers essentially discredited it.
“If you remember the O.J. Simpson case, one of the detectives was said to be driving around with blood samples in his car before any evidence was presented,” Morgan said. “Anything can happen, especially with blood evidence like this, which is so fragile.”
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Reed was arrested on February 2, 2022 and charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. She has maintained her innocence on all charges.
“I didn’t kill John O’Keeffe. I never hurt a hair on John O’Keeffe’s head,” Reed told ABC News in August.
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The incident has divided the previously quiet suburban town, with local blogger Aiden Kearney, known by the nickname “Turtleboy,” enraging the “Free Karen” side of the debate.
He is often seen leading demonstrations and trumpeting Reid’s claims with a cell phone camera and a bullhorn. law enforcement Hidden defense.
Massachusetts blogger “Turtleboy” Aiden Carney has been charged with witness intimidation for allegedly intimidating a witness in a Massachusetts murder case. (Aidan Carney (@DoctorTurleboy)/X)
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office arrested him in October, claiming he crossed the line by threatening witnesses, infuriating his loyal supporters.
Prosecutors argued that Carney “showed up” to the witnesses’ children’s sporting events, harassed them at their homes and workplaces, took photos of them, and instructed them to do the same.
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Carney’s lawyer told the judge when Carney pleaded not guilty that his client “vehemently denies” the charges and that his client’s opinions are protected by the First Amendment. said.
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Carney was charged with more than a dozen felonies related to witness intimidation. He also served 60 days in jail for violating a non-disclosure order, but has since been released and is awaiting his own trial.
“Media influence, social media, the Turtle Blogger sidebar. All the information that goes back and forth between the prosecutor’s office and the defense team. I think it’s going to go a long way in selecting an impartial jury,” said Christopher Dearborn, a law professor at Suffolk University. told CBS News.
fox news digital mitch picasso contributed to this report.
