In the latest developments of the Karen Read murder retrial, the defense team secured a minor victory as Judge Beverly Cannone permitted the submission of derogatory texts authored by lead investigator and now-dismissed Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, without necessitating Proctor’s presence as a witness in court.
This decision met pushback from the prosecution, which argued that Proctor should be called to authenticate his own statements and messages.
Three witnesses presented their testimonies for the defense on Monday, including Kelly Dever, a Boston Police Officer who previously served in Canton in 2022.
During her testimony, tension arose between Attorney Alan Jackson and Dever.
In a striking moment, Dever claimed, “You threatened to charge me with perjury during our phone call prior to the first trial if I didn’t lie on the stand right now,” stating firmly, “I’m telling you, I did not see anything.”
Dever alleged that she felt pressured by Read’s defense team to fabricate evidence.
She mentioned that the defense wanted her to testify that she had witnessed Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz, who has since passed away, and ATF Agent Brian Higgins, in the garage at the time of the incident involving John O’Keefe’s death.
Initially, Dever had informed the FBI that she saw Berkowitz and Higgins entering the sally port for an extended duration but subsequently retracted that statement.
She explained, “Because of the fact I was provided information that showed a statement of mine was a false memory, it was not a lie. Therefore, I made it in good faith and retracted it, given information that it could not be accurate.”
Following Dever, the defense called on Jonathan Diamandis, who is a long-time friend of Proctor and was part of the same group chat where the questionable texts were exchanged.
Diamandis expressed discomfort in reading the explicit messages aloud but confirmed the authenticity of the texts as they were presented.
While he was part of the chat, Diamandis made clear that he did not engage in the derogatory discussions regarding Read.
During the court proceedings, the prosecutor read a disturbing text from Proctor, which stated, “zero perfect change she skated. She’s (explicit). She’s bleep,” to which Diamandis replied affirmatively.
In another significant testimony, Dr. Marie Russell, a retired emergency room physician, former police officer, and previous coroner’s office employee, stated that the injuries found on John O’Keefe were consistent with a dog attack.
Dr. Russell explained, “They were inflicted as the result of a dog attack,” and highlighted the distinct groupings of wounds on O’Keefe’s arm.
Her testimony is expected to continue on Tuesday, adding further insights into the case.
As the trial progresses, more updates will emerge, and 7NEWS will provide ongoing coverage of this developing story.
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