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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Virginia football is set to travel to Pittsburgh to face the Pittsburgh Panthers this Saturday at 8pm at Acrisure Stadium. Last time out against the Panthers, the Cavaliers were crushed 37-7 by Pittsburgh on their home turf in Charlottesville. UVA will look to get some redemption on Saturday in addition to snapping a three-game losing streak. Virginia has not won a football game since October 5th.

The Panthers face Virginia with a new quarterback, Eli Holstein, who has proved to be one of the best transfers in college football this season. Under head coach Pat Narduzzi, Holstein has revitalized the Pittsburgh offense, a key reason for the Panther’s strong 7-0 start before falling to SMU last week. With that said, here are five keys to a Virginia victory on Saturday at Pittsburgh.

The Virginia offensive line allowed a season-high ten sacks against North Carolina as Anthony Colandrea spent the entire afternoon running for his life. Despite the abominable performance, Virginia was without center Brian Stevens and guard Ty Furnish. With the two set to return, in addition to McKale Boley, who has been dealing with a knee injury, set to play closer to 100%, the Virginia offensive line can protect Colandrea and allow the sophomore quarterback to operate the Cavalier offense effectively. 

There are many reasons why the Virginia offense has struggled these past few games, such as poor protection, lack of separation by wide receivers, and failure to establish a rushing attack. Despite these things, Colandrea has not played his best football either, as the sophomore has failed to throw for over 160 yards in either of his last two games and threw two interceptions last week against the Tar Heels. If Virginia wants to win on Saturday, Colandrea must emulate past performances, such as last season against Duke and Wake Forest this season, where the Florida native lit up the opposing defense with poise and unwavering confidence. 

Eli Holstein has dominated opposing defenses this season but, when in trouble, has often relied on Desmond Reid to pick up the slack. Reid is a dynamic threat, a powerful runner, and an excellent pass-catching back. The junior has 975 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns this season, the highest among any playmaker on the Pitt offense. With that, it will be critical that the Cavaliers contain Reid with first-time tackling, preventing any big play from sparking the Pittsburgh home crowd. 

Shutting down Reid will make Holstein uneasy, but the other key to taking the redshirt freshman quarterback out of rhythm will be getting pressure early and often. Last week against SMU, Holstein was sacked three times and threw one interception. Against Cal, Holstein was sacked twice and threw two interceptions. Finding ways to get pressure on Holstein will be vital to testing the composure and poise of the young quarterback. 

Elliott took full blame after the blowout loss to North Carolina, apologizing for not having his team prepared to face the Tar Heels with a poor game plan while vowing to improve upon this for future weeks. Doing this showed Elliott taking accountability and ownership of the team as a whole, but with two weeks to prepare for Pittsburgh, the question now is, can Elliott and staff prepare the team with an effective game plan or are the Cavaliers headed towards their fourth-consecutive loss?

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MADISON, CT — Madison is receiving $800,000 from the State of Connecticut Connectivity Grant program for infrastructure improvements along Scotland Avenue, officials announced.

During a ceremony this week, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Deputy Commissioner of Department of Transportation Karen Kitsis, state Sen. Christine Cohen, and state Rep. John Michael Parker joined Madison First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons in announcing the grant.

In 2023, the state enacted legislation recommended by the Vision Zero Council aimed at improving traffic and driving safety to reduce injuries and fatalities on the state’s roadways. Unfortunately, 2024 has been a devastating year for roadway fatalities in Connecticut, according to officials.

The Madison project “will create over half a mile of new sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks, traffic signage, guide rails, drainage improvements, and pavement” on Scotland Avenue.

It will connect the existing sidewalks at both ends of the road, enhancing pedestrian safety and accessibility for the surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, it will provide easier access to downtown, public transportation, and a town athletic park.

From the announcement:

First Selectwoman Lyons thanked Gov Ned Lamont, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and the Department of Transportation for all the support given to the Town of Madison. The partnership with Senator Christine Cohen and Representative John-Michael Parker made it possible to apply for the grant. Town staff, including the Public Works Director, and Town Engineer, worked with our volunteer Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee on this project. “We are grateful for state funding and excited to see this project move forward” she stated.

The map illustrates the state funding that the town has received in recent years to support its network of sidewalks. The Scotland Road project completes a loop connecting downtown to Route 79 and Bradley Road. This project enhances safety for pedestrians traveling downtown, the library, the athletic field, and the beach neighborhood.

State Senator Cohen stated that this initiative is a strong example of collaboration across all levels of government. The leadership of First Selectwoman Peggy Lyons has been integral in ensuring the creation of a safe and connected community. We understand that safe, connected communities allow residents to thrive. This project aims to link the downtown area with local homes, the train station, and bus routes, as well as to facilitate connections among community members.