Special Prosecutor: Federal investigation into Karen Read case is ‘over’

During another tense session at Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday, Hank Brennan, the special prosecutor assigned to handle the murder case against Karen Read at her upcoming retrial, stated definitively that the federal investigation into the state’s handling of the case amid allegations of corruption had ended and that no charges would be filed.

“It is over,” emphasized Brennan, as he made the case to Judge Beverly Cannone to rein in Read’s lawyers for what he claimed has been a reckless public relations campaign designed to “poison the jury pool.”

While the defense team has consistently maintained that their client was framed in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer and Canton resident John O’Keefe, Brennan slammed their “ongoing, deliberate” use of the media and the courtroom to spread what he said are baseless claims about a far-reaching conspiracy involving police and prosecutors.

Opposed from the outset by Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey as a “highly unusual and possibly abusive exercise of power,” the federal probe had loomed large over Read’s first trial last spring, but it also greatly complicated matters as attorneys from both sides were forced to tiptoe around the issue in accordance with a federal protective order enforced by Judge Cannone.

What they could use, however, was the trove of documents shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including testimony from federal grand jury proceedings that Read’s lawyers viewed as exculpatory and highly beneficial to their client. Also included in the documents were transcripts of profane and sexist remarks made in text exchanges about Read by State Trooper Michael Proctor, a Canton resident and the lead investigator on the case, which defense attorneys claimed showed an inherent bias against their client from the outset, as well as a report from ARCCA, a forensic engineering and consulting firm that had been contracted by the Justice Department to examine both the injuries sustained by O’Keefe and the damage found on the alleged murder weapon — Read’s Lexus SUV.

While ARCCA’s experts concluded that the injuries and vehicle damage were inconsistent with a collision — and ultimately testified to that fact during the first trial — Brennan has since raised concerns about the relationship between the experts and the defense team, citing previously undisclosed email correspondence and an invoice that he said hints at a “murky relationship” between the parties.

Judge Cannone has indicated she shares some of Brennan’s concerns and heard arguments from both the prosecution and the defense on the matter last week; however, she has yet to issue a ruling on whether the experts will be permitted to testify …

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Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 7 2025. Filed under News, Police & Fire. Both comments and pings are currently closed.