Brade
In a dramatic turn of events during KAREN READ‘s second murder trial, crash reconstructionist DR. DANIEL WOLFE admitted on Monday that he shared notes with the defense team and received information about prior testimony, potentially violating a sequestration order. The revelation came during a contentious evidence hearing without jurors present, as special prosecutor HANK BRENNAN raised concerns about delays in discovery.
DR. WOLFE, a forensic scientist from the ARCCA firm, had previously testified in Read’s first trial that the damage to her SUV—the alleged murder weapon—was inconsistent with a collision involving JOHN O’KEEFE, a Boston police officer found dead on a colleague’s front lawn during a blizzard on January 29, 2022. On Monday, he acknowledged sharing talking points with the defense and discussing the case via the encrypted messaging app Signal, despite a sequestration order prohibiting such communications.
Judge BEVERLY CANNONE sent jurors home early as the hearing focused on whether ARCCA’s new findings, which are not yet finalized, should be presented to the jury. BRENNAN accused the defense and ARCCA of delaying expert witness disclosures, while the defense countered that the prosecution’s late handling of its own expert disclosures contributed to the delay.
DR. WOLFE testified that he received verbal communications about key evidence, including DNA findings and details about O’Keefe’s outstretched arm, which were not included in his expert reports. When asked if he was aware of the sequestration order, he stated, “I was never made aware of that.”
The hearing also featured testimony from IAN WHIFFIN, a digital forensics expert with Cellebrite, who analyzed data from the phones of JOHN O’KEEFE and witness JENNIFER MCCABE. His testimony challenged two key defense theories: that McCabe made a hypothermia-related Google search hours before O’Keefe was discovered, and that O’Keefe was injured elsewhere and moved to the front lawn. WHIFFIN confirmed that the search occurred after O’Keefe was found, supporting the prosecution’s timeline.
Using location pings, Apple Health records, and phone battery temperature data, WHIFFIN reconstructed O’Keefe’s final movements, showing he stopped responding to calls shortly after 12:30 a.m. near 34 Fairview Road and remained there until his body was discovered around 6:04 a.m. This testimony undermined the defense’s claim that O’Keefe was moved after being injured.
KAREN READ has pleaded not guilty to charges of striking O’Keefe with her SUV during a drunken argument and leaving him to die in a snowstorm. Her defense maintains that her vehicle never made contact with O’Keefe. The trial continues as WHIFFIN is expected to return for cross-examination on Tuesday.
[Sources: Fox News, ARCCA, Cellebrite]
