JW Carney, who worked with Hank Brennan defending Whitey Bulger, praised the special prosecutor in the Karen Read case for his attention to detail.
When the lights shine the brightest — like at Tuesday's high-stakes hearing in the Karen Read case — is when those who know Hank Brennan, special prosecutor for the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, say he brings his best.
"Hank is so successful because he is unflappable," said attorney J.W. Carney Jr. "Hank is one of the best cross-examiners I have ever seen in my career."
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Carney has seen a lot during his time as a lawyer, including working with Brennan when both represented James "Whitey" Bulger more than a decade ago.
"Hank is calm, he doesn't yell at people, he doesn't try to trick people," Carney said from his Back Bay office. "There's almost nothing he overlooks. In Whitey Bulger's case, he had file after file after file for witnesses."
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Brennan has worked as a prosecutor before, and a defense attorney, excelling at both, Carney said, due to his integrity and work ethic.
"If something unexpected comes up at the trial, he can handle it, and won't reveal any emotion, any surprise or shock, and that helps on the biggest stages," he said. "Hank is a dedicated worker, but the thing that he is even more dedicated to are his children. He is the most considerate, caring, loving father I have ever seen. His children come first, his work as a trial lawyer comes second."
In fact, Carney says Brennan is so dedicated to his children he built a full home office so he could spend as much time at home as possible.
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The Bulger trial brought with it a crush of media, but in federal court, where cameras aren't permitted. The Read case has attracted similar interest, but it has played out as many have watched in real time.
"I know Hank was delighted to handle this case. He had watched it a little bit, like we all did," he said. "So Hank is coming up with ways that he will cross-examine witnesses that will really unravel their stories if they're lying."
During a pretrial motion hearing last week, Brennan called into question the use of accident reconstruction experts by Read's defense, leading the judge to halt the hearing.
Carney says it's an example of Brennan's approach to this case, and to every case he handles.
"Hank's attention to detail will be a great help to him during this trial, because he will not only have read every document, and thought about every document, but responded to defense claims in a very powerful way," he said.
Carney also says he expects Read's second trial to be faster than the first, at least on the prosecution side. The first trial lasted nine weeks, with the prosecution calling 68 witnesses.
"Hank does not believe in presenting witnesses just because they are a witness," Carney said. "If there were three people at the scene, the prosecutor will call all three. Hank will figure out who is the best of them, and call that single witness."
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022 in Canton, Massachusetts, by hitting him with her SUV. She claims she was framed in a coverup involving law enforcement. Her first trial ended with a hung jury, and her second is set to begin in April.
