A blogger has been charged with witness intimidation in the case of a Massachusetts woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her vehicle and leaving him for dead in a snow bank last year.
Aiden Kearney, who frequently wears “Free Karen Read” shirts and claims there’s an official coverup in the death of 46-year-old John O’Keefe, faces six counts of witness intimidation and one count of conspiracy, Law&Crime reported.
Read, 42, is awaiting trial charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision causing death in O’Keefe’s January 2022 death, CrimeOnline reported.
Court documents say Read and O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, were out at two bars in the Canton area with friends the night of the incident. The group agreed to meet at a friend’s house after the bars closed, where O’Keefe was hit by Read’s SUV. Reed reportedly drove home after the incident and didn’t remember what happened, texting friends the next day to find O’Keefe.
Kearney began covering the case on his “Turtleboy News” blog in April, with his attorney claiming in court this week that he is a “news person who is using his First Amendment rights to cover a story.”
But prosecutors say his “coverage” steps beyond the bounds of news coverage. Special prosecutor Kenneth Morro, who brought the charges, told the court that a video called “Turtleboy Returns to Canton: Door Knocking, Grilling Public Officials & Cops Called On Me” includes a message to residents:
“This is not my last trip to Canton, I will be back. Get used to this. These people think I’m f****** around. These people haven’t seen the last of me.”
Kearney has also fundraised for “Free Karen Read” billboards in the location.
“Essentially, judge, it’s an admission that he’s seeking to taint the jury pool in this case,” Morro said in court.
Morro also said that Kearney released the cell phone number of the Massachusetts state trooper investigating the case.
Kearney claims that O’Keefe was killed inside the house where his body was found in the snow bank outside and that officials are conspiring the cover that up, blaming his death falsely on Read.
“I will never stop doing what I’m doing until Karen Read is free, and the people who killed John O’Keefe and covered up his murder are held responsible,” he wrote.
Read has not challenged the notion that she hit O’Keefe with her vehicle. Instead, her attorneys argue it was an accident and that she was unaware that she had struck him until the next morning when she noticed damage to her SUV and O’Keefe’s body was found.
Kearney was released on his own recognizance on Wednesday and left the courtroom wearing his “Free Karen Read” shirt. The judge in the case ordered him to stay away from all witnesses listed by the prosecutors, saying he cannot have direct or indirect contact with them, including by mail, email, text, telephone, or social media, CBS News reported.
“That is broad, and that is broad from my view on purpose,” the judge said. Kearney would face up to 90 days in jail with no bail if he violates the order.
Read’s trial date is set for March 12, 2024. She was released on a $50,000 bond in May.
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[Featured image: Karen Read/LinkedIn and John O’Keefe/Police handout]
