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Karen Read team seeks DA's personal emails, says prosecution expert misunderstood data

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Karen Read team seeks DA's personal emails, says prosecution expert misunderstood data


The defense team in the high-profile Karen Read case has requested any communications that Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey made from his personal phone and email accounts involving the case, which is headed for a retrial.

It was one of several filings made by the defense Friday, along with a response to the prosecution’s request to have evidence from Read’s SUV re-tested because a new expert said the data previously taken from the Lexus was incomplete, and that more data may be recoverable. The defense now says that the expert misunderstood the data, but is willing to have the data retested anyway.

Morrissey’s office has been embroiled in controversy over the claims that Read was framed in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe. The prosecution has accused Read of hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow in front of a home in Canton, Massachusetts, in January 2022. The defense argues Read is the victim of an elaborate coverup.

Read is facing charges of second-degree murder, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident, and involuntary manslaughter, though she’s appealed to have two of the charges dropped.

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Read’s new trial is currently set to begin on Jan. 27, 2025, though both sides have requested it be pushed back until April.

Karen Read defense’s request for Morrissey emails, texts

The new request for Morrissey’s personal communications, which refers to a claim made by an attorney for Aidan Kearney, the blogger known as Turtleboy, that Morrissey used his personal email account in communications concerning official matters, comes days after the prosecution moved for records from interviews read did last year with Boston Magazine

As prosecutors prepare for Karen Read’s second murder trial, they are asking for records of an interview she did last year with Boston Magazine.

The defense now argues that the district attorney has been using personal accounts to discuss Read’s case in an official capacity, meaning that information should be released to them as part of the discovery process.

They pointed to an email Morrissey allegedly sent a judge in September of last year, a day after a witness in the Read case applied for a harassment prevention order against Kearney — which was denied.

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That email, lawyers say, came from Morrissey’s personal iCloud email account instead of his state email address.

Morrissey raised concerns in the email about a Stoughton District Court employee sharing a copy of an affidavit with Kearney, according to the letter from attorney Mark Bederow, who represents the blogger.

A court spokesperson said that court employee was placed on paid administrative leave last October and terminated the following month, but declined to comment on the reason.

Read’s defense is arguing that Morrissey’s contact with Trial Court Justices “is extremely concerning and raises concerns about the integrity of this prosecution.”

Asked for comment on the filings, Morrissey’s office said any response will be made in court, citing the pending case.

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Data from Karen Read’s SUV

In the the defense’s response about re-testing information from her Lexus, the alleged murder weapon in the case, they claim that the commonwealth’s expert fundamentally misunderstood the difference between the terms megabit and megabyte — two different sizes of storage capacity of computer chips — from Read’s vehicle.

Hank Brennan, a new special prosecutor for the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, signed a filing calling for new testing on the vehicle they allege Karen Read drove into John O’Keefe in 2022.

The misunderstanding of the “basic digital forensics concept” is important, the defense says, because the commonwealth’s expert was arguing that the defense expert’s extraction of data from the chips was incomplete, based on the assumed storage size. The defense expert extracted 8 megabytes of data from the chips, which the commonwealth had argued was not the full amount. But the defense says there is easy math involved – 64 megabits is equal to 8 megabytes. If there was confusion between the two terms, the storage amounts would reconcile.

Moreover, such a mistake calls into question what other mistakes could occur during testing, some of which would be destructive to the evidence, they said. But they agreed that new software could help pull more information from the vehicle.

So the defense requested their forensics expert be present during any future testing, and be given the power to stop any testing if there were concerns about its accuracy or necessity.

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Karen Read was in Massachusetts’ highest court Wednesday where her lawyers argued why two of the charges against her should be dropped or at least reexamined following outreach from jurors saying Read would have been acquitted. 

We asked legal expert Michael Coyne how the court might rule, and talked to Read’s father outside of court.



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Boston, MA

Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?

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Saturday storm will bring bursts of rain, strong winds, and… snow?


Surprise: Another weekend and there’s more rain on the way. It’s bad enough we’ve had to post a First Alert.

For now, we’ll watch as clouds thicken today. We’ll squeeze out some drops later this afternoon and evening.

A weather maker is winding up in Canada, wrapping in cold air. All of that is going to dive down to New England.

We’re in the thick of it tomorrow. Rain will be coming at us in bursts with some dry time in between. Winds will likely push past 50 mph in Boston.

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Those winds will eat away at temperatures; with wind chills barely above freezing. And no – not just in the morning – but the afternoon, too!

It’s so cold there’s the threat of snow as that rain bumps into colder air over the Berkshires, Worcester Hills and southern New Hampshire right up to Mount Washington.

The snow isn’t going to pile up but just know there could be some flakes flying over our highest hills.  

The blue on our Futurecast map marks the spots where snow could mix with rain.

Rain spins out by Saturday evening but not before dumping about half an inch over Boston.

We’ll try to salvage the rest of the weekend with temperatures in the upper 60s by Sunday. Still, there’s the threat of bits and pieces of rain.

By the way, this isn’t any weekend, it’s the last weekend of spring. Meteorological summer starts on June 1.

The first day of summer remains drab and dreary with more rain chances and temperatures in the low 60 on Monday.

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Boston, MA

House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement

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House GOP demands ‘sanctuary city’ info from Boston law enforcement


Federal immigration demands are once again centered on Massachusetts.

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent three letters to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden demanding, among other things, information on how many ICE detainers BPD has received and declined to honor from 2022 to 2026 and any communication between the three departments related to immigration.

House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement that “releasing repeat criminals back to the streets solely because of their immigration status is crazy, and that’s exactly what Boston is doing.”

But Democrats push back on that framing.

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“You’re familiar with Jim Jordan and his antics,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “This is more circus, it’s more theater and it’s not making our community safe.”

A spokesperson for the City of Boston wrote, “the city has provided this information many times…” going on to say “…these policies are part of keeping Boston the safest major city in America.”

The letters call for the documents to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee by June 10th at 5:00 pm. District Attorney Hayden’s office told NBC 10 they are reviewing the letter, neither Commissioner Cox or Sheriff Tompkins responded to requests for comment.



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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for $2.6m

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A look inside Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay condo, listed for .6m


On the Market

Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.

250 Beacon St. #10 is on the market for $2.59 million. Surette Media Group

At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.

After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.

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“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”

A hallway inside the 2,075-square-foot condo. – Surette Media Group

It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.

“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”

The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.

Large windows bring in natural light and look out to the city. – Surette Media Group
Joan Bennett Kennedy was an avid pianist. – Surette Media Group
The living room fireplace has a marble surround. – Surette Media Group

“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.

The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.

The space has built-in storage and shelving throughout. – Surette Media Group

The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.

The primary bathroom with its pink vanity. – Surette Media Group

“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”

A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.

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The kitchen is galley style. – Surette Media Group
One of three bedrooms. – Surette Media Group

There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.

The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.


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Megan Johnson

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Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.





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