Massachusetts
A judge delays the wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read until after her criminal trial
BOSTON (AP) — A judge ruled Thursday that Karen Read won’t have to give a deposition in her wrongful death lawsuit until after her criminal trial in January.
The brief from Judge William M. White Jr. on Thursday effectively delays the lawsuit, which blames Read for the death of John O’Keefe, the Boston police officer who was her boyfriend. The lawsuit also describes negligence by bars that continued to serve drinks to her despite signs she was drunk.
Read has pleaded not guilty and awaits retrial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Her two-month criminal trial ended in July when the judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked. The judge dismissed arguments that jurors later said they had unanimously agreed Read wasn’t guilty on the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene.
Read has appealed the ruling to the state’s highest court. Next week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments in her bid to dismiss the two charges.
Read’s attorneys had filed a motion to delay a trial on the lawsuit, citing that the criminal action would adversely affect Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and her ability to vigorously defend herself from criminal prosecution.
Read is accused of ramming into O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a January 2022 snowstorm. A second trial is scheduled for Jan. 27.
But an attorney for O’Keefe’s brother, Paul, and other relatives who filed the wrongful death lawsuit oppose any delays. They suggested the reliance on the Fifth Amendment ignored that she has spoken publicly about her case several times to the media and will be the subject of at least one upcoming documentary.
After the barhopping, Read — a former adjunct professor at Bentley College — dropped off O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston Police Department, outside the Canton home of another police officer. His body was found in the front yard. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.
Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe was killed inside the home and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”
Ohio
Ex-officer found guilty in the 2020 shooting death of Andre Hill
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former police officer was convicted of murder Monday in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed.
Officer Adam Coy, who served nearly 20 years with the Columbus police force, shot Hill four times in a garage nearly four years ago. Coy, who is white, was fired after the shooting. He later told jurors that he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver.
“I thought I was going to die,” he testified. It was only after he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realized there was no gun, Coy said. “I knew at that point I made a mistake. I was horrified.”
Coy, who was partially blocked from view by his grim-faced attorneys, did not visibly react to the verdict but muffled cries could be heard in the courtroom when it was announced. Prosecutors asked that the former officer be sentenced immediately, but Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh instead set a sentencing date of Nov. 25.
Police body camera footage showed Hill coming out of the garage of a friend’s house holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before he was fatally shot by Coy. Almost 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene began to aid Hill, who lay bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor forced out the police chief after a series of fatal police shootings of Black men and children. Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in city history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to render immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.
Prosecutors said Hill, 47, had followed the officer’s commands and was never a threat to Coy, who now faces at least 15 years in prison
“We’re taught do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive that encounter,” Franklin County assistant prosecutor Anthony Pierson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what happened here.”
The officer’s attorneys argued that Hill’s lack of a weapon did not matter because Coy thought his life was in danger. “He wasn’t reckless, he was reasonable,” said attorney Mark Collins.
Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a complaint about someone inside a running vehicle when he first encountered Hill sitting in an SUV. Hill told Coy he was waiting on a friend to come outside.
The officer said he thought Hill seemed dismissive and then suspicious after Hill walked to a house and knocked on the door before entering the garage.
Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected he might be trying to break into the house. Coy used a flashlight to spot Hill in the garage and told him to come out, the officer testified.
When Hill walked toward him, Coy said he could not see the man’s right hand and then saw what he thought was a revolver. He said he yelled, “Gun! Gun!” and then fired at Hill.
Family and friends said Hill — a father and grandfather — was devoted to his family and was a skilled tradesman who dreamed of one day owning his own restaurant, after years of work as a chef and restaurant manager.
Coy had a lengthy history of complaints from residents, with more than three dozen filed against him since he joined the department in 2002, according to his personnel file. A dozen of the complaints were for use of force. All but a few were marked “unfounded” or “not sustained.”
A judge delays the wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read until after her criminal trial
BOSTON (AP) — A judge ruled Thursday that Karen Read won’t have to give a deposition in her wrongful death lawsuit until after her criminal trial in January.
The brief from Judge William M. White Jr. on Thursday effectively delays the lawsuit, which blames Read for the death of John O’Keefe, the Boston police officer who was her boyfriend. The lawsuit also describes negligence by bars that continued to serve drinks to her despite signs she was drunk.
Read has pleaded not guilty and awaits retrial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Her two-month criminal trial ended in July when the judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked. The judge dismissed arguments that jurors later said they had unanimously agreed Read wasn’t guilty on the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene.
Read has appealed the ruling to the state’s highest court. Next week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments in her bid to dismiss the two charges.
Read’s attorneys had filed a motion to delay a trial on the lawsuit, citing that the criminal action would adversely affect Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and her ability to vigorously defend herself from criminal prosecution.
Read is accused of ramming into O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a January 2022 snowstorm. A second trial is scheduled for Jan. 27.
But an attorney for O’Keefe’s brother, Paul, and other relatives who filed the wrongful death lawsuit oppose any delays. They suggested the reliance on the Fifth Amendment ignored that she has spoken publicly about her case several times to the media and will be the subject of at least one upcoming documentary.
After the barhopping, Read — a former adjunct professor at Bentley College — dropped off O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston Police Department, outside the Canton home of another police officer. His body was found in the front yard. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.
Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe was killed inside the home and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”
Ohio
Ex-officer found guilty in the 2020 shooting death of Andre Hill
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former police officer was convicted of murder Monday in the shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cellphone and keys when he was killed.
Officer Adam Coy, who served nearly 20 years with the Columbus police force, shot Hill four times in a garage nearly four years ago. Coy, who is white, was fired after the shooting. He later told jurors that he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver.
“I thought I was going to die,” he testified. It was only after he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realized there was no gun, Coy said. “I knew at that point I made a mistake. I was horrified.”
Coy, who was partially blocked from view by his grim-faced attorneys, did not visibly react to the verdict but muffled cries could be heard in the courtroom when it was announced. Prosecutors asked that the former officer be sentenced immediately, but Franklin County Judge Stephen McIntosh instead set a sentencing date of Nov. 25.
Police body camera footage showed Hill coming out of the garage of a friend’s house holding up a cellphone in his left hand, his right hand not visible, seconds before he was fatally shot by Coy. Almost 10 minutes passed before officers at the scene began to aid Hill, who lay bleeding on the garage floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Weeks after the December 2020 shooting, the mayor forced out the police chief after a series of fatal police shootings of Black men and children. Columbus later reached a $10 million settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in city history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to render immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.
Prosecutors said Hill, 47, had followed the officer’s commands and was never a threat to Coy, who now faces at least 15 years in prison
“We’re taught do what the cops tell you to do and you can survive that encounter,” Franklin County assistant prosecutor Anthony Pierson said during closing arguments. “That’s not what happened here.”
The officer’s attorneys argued that Hill’s lack of a weapon did not matter because Coy thought his life was in danger. “He wasn’t reckless, he was reasonable,” said attorney Mark Collins.
Coy had gone to the neighborhood to investigate a complaint about someone inside a running vehicle when he first encountered Hill sitting in an SUV. Hill told Coy he was waiting on a friend to come outside.
The officer said he thought Hill seemed dismissive and then suspicious after Hill walked to a house and knocked on the door before entering the garage.
Coy said he lost sight of Hill and suspected he might be trying to break into the house. Coy used a flashlight to spot Hill in the garage and told him to come out, the officer testified.
When Hill walked toward him, Coy said he could not see the man’s right hand and then saw what he thought was a revolver. He said he yelled, “Gun! Gun!” and then fired at Hill.
Family and friends said Hill — a father and grandfather — was devoted to his family and was a skilled tradesman who dreamed of one day owning his own restaurant, after years of work as a chef and restaurant manager.
Coy had a lengthy history of complaints from residents, with more than three dozen filed against him since he joined the department in 2002, according to his personnel file. A dozen of the complaints were for use of force. All but a few were marked “unfounded” or “not sustained.”
