The rights of Karen Read’s supporters to protest outside the courthouse, and of her attorneys to speak on its steps, have been an area of focus before her second trial.
The prosecution in Karen Read's retrial says it intends to use conversations involving a prominent blogger charged with witness intimidation in connection with the case as evidence she had a guilty conscience.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan said so in a motion filed Thursday in Norfolk Superior Court as he asked for records from the investigation of Aidan Kearney, also known as "Turtleboy." Kearney was in court Thursday to face a new charge in his witness intimidation and harassment case.
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Asking for evidence from six cellphones of Kearney's, Brennan cited allegations which prosecutors in the case have previously made, that Read "took deliberate action to start sharing defense theories, privileged materials, and evidence with Mr. Kearney through an out-of-state intermediary." They allegedly also spoke 189 times on the phone, for over 40 total hours, as well as speaking through the encrypted app Signal.
"A clear inference can be made that the parties directly encouraged Mr. Kearney to continue personal attacks on witnesses and their family members (including juvenile children) with a sole purpose to embarrass, intimidate, harass, and deter these individuals from testifying. Mr. Kearney publicly stated that the motivation of his actions was to prevent this case from ever going to trial," Brennan said in the filing.
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He added that he intends to show the jury "evidence of the defendant's statements and actions to intimidate witnesses from testifying against her as evidence of her consciousness of guilt."
Brennan said he went through the court to obtain the records because special prosecutors are involved in trying both cases, as well as connections between the lawyers for both defendants.
Read's team hasn't filed a response in court.
Jury selection in Read's retrial is set to begin April 1, though there are still motions for Judge Beverly Cannone to settle, including the defense's motion to dismiss the case and the prosecution's request to gag her lawyers.
The Norfolk District Attorney's Office first alleged the connection between Read and Kearney in court filings at the end of January 2024. At the time, an attorney for Kearney, Timothy Bradl, defended their discussions in a statement as "an investigation without a crime."
Kearney has long advocated on Read's behalf. Stories he's posted have said proceeds go to a fund for Read's legal defense. Kearney's coverage of the case, which has garnered extensive attention, has led prosecutors to charge him with witness intimidation, which he's denied.
