Ronald Estanislao, who served on the jury during the first trial against Karen Read, shared some advice for Read, her attorneys, the prosecutors and the new jurors in next month’s retrial.
A day after the Karen Read juror detailed what it was like in the jury room during that blockbuster first trial, Ronald Estanislao is using his unique perspective to give Read, her legal team, prosecutors and jurors advice headed into a second trial.
Estanislao, who served on the jury during the nine-week first trial against Read, said her faces and expressions were noticed by the jury.
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"I think some of the faces, the expressions, might have been seen by the jury — same thing as some of the outbursts for any individuals in there — wasn't really helpful, because it became distractors, potentially, and could influence the jury," he said.
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A lot happened during that trial, and Estanislao says the jury could have used more details about Read's black SUV and the Apple Watch the victim, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, was wearing when he died.
Prosecutors say Read hit O'Keefe with her SUV in January 2022 after a night of drinking. Read's lawyers says Read is innocent and being framed.
"Having maybe some sort of presentation or reenactment that shows what had happened, more experts in terms of the data from the vehicle, the backing up speeds, and also the data of going up and down stairs with the Apple watch, those are important," Estanislao said.
Estanislao, who works as a paramedic in the Boston area, says prosecutors also would benefit from a new lead.
Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan is now trying the case. The first one was handled by prosecutors in the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.
"Somebody who is a little bit more eloquent in presenting, and speaking more clearly potentially, as opposed to sometimes mumbling, is kind of important when presenting the pieces, and I think that those are the most important pieces in terms of prosecution," said Estanislao. "I think having a very clear pathway and limit to what is really relevant, because what happened is you have too many, my version of distractors, distractors for prosecutors, distractors for defense, having it very clear and just choosing the best ones."
Estanislao also had some advice for the jurors.
"Make sure you take good notes, and tab the notes, because during the deliberation, it was very difficult if you're trying to remember, 'What did that person say?' and trying to look through all of those pages," he said. "I wish everybody the best, hopefully there is ultimately closure."
