Karen Read juror confident in verdict, says "we couldn't prove there was a collision"
Paula Prado is recounting the gravity and emotions of being one of the 12 jurors in the high-profile Karen Read retrial. She said it was an intense week and left court crying but is confident in her decision.
"I was happy for Karen Read and her family of course. I think justice was served," Prado said. "But seeing John O'Keefe's family leaving the courthouse, was melt my heart. I'm a mother and I saw her pain through all those days."
On Wednesday, the jury acquitted Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of bodily injury in the death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, in Canton, Massachusetts. Read was only found guilty of operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI).
"Investigators didn't do their jobs"
"I just want to tell them it's not our fault that Karen Read was not convicted," Prado said. "Even if there is any chance that she is guilty of something, of hurt him somehow, the Commonwealth or the investigators didn't do their jobs to prove that to us."
Prado is a lawyer from Brazil. She says part of the reason why the jury reached their verdict, was because of the police investigation, saying there were too many inconsistencies and not enough evidence that a crash occurred.
"At first for me, I thought Karen Read was actually maybe guilty of manslaughter in the beginning. But as the weeks passed by, I just realized there was too many holes that we couldn't fill and there is nothing that put her on the scene in our opinion besides just dropping John O'Keefe off," Prado said.
"And the taillight, the injuries on his arm didn't make much sense that come from a taillight for us," she said.
She said the last witness from ARCCA did a very good job making it clear for her. "We couldn't prove there was a collision, and she was responsible for John's death," Prado said.
Hopes O'Keefe's case can be reopened
She now hopes that the amount of pressure and attention given to Read's case will be put into getting justice for Boston police officer John O'Keefe.
"I really, really hope there is a way for the case to be reopened and they can investigate again and find who actually did that to John," Paula said.
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Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Ex-wife of alleged Gilgo Beach killer still defends him, but daughter says he ‘most likely' did it
Asa Ellerup is grappling with the reality that the man she was married to for nearly 30 years is suspected of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer. Rex Heuermann, a hulking New York City architect, has been charged with killing seven women, most of them sex workers, and dumping their bodies on a desolate parkway not far from Gilgo Beach on Long Island. He has pleaded not guilty. Ellerup, 61, filed for divorce in 2023, just days after the 59-year-old was arrested for the murders of three of the victims. She and her children are now speaking out for the first time in a new Peacock docuseries, "The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets." "She's a very damaged soul from all of this," director Jared P. Scott told Fox News Digital. "You can see the scars of her life story. . . . We often think of denial as maybe a place you get stuck in. But to me, it seemed like denial was this search. It was constantly thinking about certain moments, replaying things back in her head, trying to reconcile 27 years of marriage to this man who ostensibly was living this double life." "I think she's trying to make sense of the unimaginable within the familiar," he shared. "She's walking through her house. She's looking at pictures. She's reliving moments. . . . She's searching for the familiar, the day-to-day, the routine." Fox News Digital reached out to Heuermann's attorney for comment. Although the divorce was finalized in April, Ellerup still believes Heuermann is "not capable" of committing the crimes he's accused of. "My husband was home here – he is a family man," Ellerup told the cameras. "They are telling me he has been soliciting sex from sex workers. What? I don't have sex with my husband? I don't satisfy him? He comes home and he eats my dinner. It isn't good enough? No. I don't believe my husband did this." "Nobody deserves what they got," she said. "But Rex was not seeing [sex workers]. He's a family man. He didn't do this. I would need to hear it from Rex face to face that he killed these girls for me to believe it. My husband never kept me out of anything." While Ellerup defended her ex-husband's innocence, their daughter, Victoria Heuermann, later said off-camera that she believes the patriarch "most likely" committed the killings. The 28-year-old's admissions were made through a statement from producers. "She told us several times throughout filming that she was 'on the fence,'" Scott said. "A lot of it has to do with the fact that this all happened when she was much younger. And as prosecutors have laid out in every indictment, the family was out of town every time one of these alleged crimes happened. So she just didn't know. She didn't see it. She was too young to remember any of this, so she didn't see any signs." Scott said that after filming, it was Victoria who reached out to the producers. "She said, 'I want to have a conversation about where I'm at now,'" he said. "She now wanted to express that she now felt that, based on what's been presented and explained to her, she now believes her dad is most likely the Gilgo Beach killer. And that 'most likely' – that's important. You can still see that hesitation. You can still see she's wrestling with what that means." Looking back, the family described Heuermann as a doting father and husband. Ellerup met the "talk, dark and handsome" Heuermann when they were both teenagers on Long Island. They quickly formed a close-knit friendship. And when she later left her tumultuous first marriage, it was Heuermann who stepped in as a "hero," taking her and her son, Christopher, in. She married Heuermann in 1996, and they welcomed a daughter a year later. "I was madly in love with the man," said Ellerup. "There's no doubt about that." Ellerup maintained that she saw no "abnormal behavior" in their nearly three decades of marriage. At the same time, she revealed that in July 2009, around the time one of his alleged victims went missing, Heuermann suddenly renovated a bathroom while she and their two children visited her family in Iceland. She noted that her former husband eventually joined the family for their final week of the trip. "She does mention that she's in denial," said Scott. "She told me several times, 'People are saying I'm in denial. Well, OK, I'm in denial, but what would you do? What would anyone do if they were in my shoes?' . . . Asa is having a really hard time with the weight of this. "She's put out through her lawyer that she is still reserving her right for judgment if there's a trial. She still, I think, wants to give her husband the benefit of the doubt. But also, who would want to believe this? Who would want to believe that their husband of 27 years was capable of this?" GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB "Rex Heuermann, from our understanding, based on the facts that are publicly presented to us, seemed to be a master manipulator," Scott continued. ". . . Asa's journey is now one of constantly searching for answers, searching for memories, almost being stuck inside that house." "We spent a lot of time with the family in that house where the alleged crimes were allegedly orchestrated," he reflected. "She's walking through these rooms, and she has memories in that basement that are radically different from what we can infer from reading these very public indictments about what prosecutors believed happened down there." "She's in this constant loop of trying to figure out just what the hell happened," Scott added. In the documentary, Victoria said her father was around the family "90% of the time" and was never violent toward any of them. However, she also acknowledged there were times when he stayed home while the family went on vacation. She was around 10 to 13 years old when the killings happened. Prosecutors claim Heuermann committed some of the killings in the basement while his family was out of town. Ellerup maintains investigators have the wrong man. She dismissed a computer file prosecutors claim is a "blueprint" of his crimes, calling it "absurd," The Associated Press reported. According to the outlet, prosecutors say the document features a series of checklists for before, during and after a killing, such as a "body prep" checklist that includes, among other items, a note to "remove head and hands." The outlet also noted that Ellerup also shrugged off other evidence prosecutors have enumerated in court documents, including a vast collection of bondage and torture pornography found on electronic devices seized from their home, and hairs linked to Heuermann that were recovered on most of the victims' bodies. At one point in the documentary, the filmmakers captured Ellerup speaking to Heuermann on the phone from jail. Ellerup and her daughter have been regularly attending court hearings with their attorney. "She has been looking at everything through the lens of her memories," said Scott. "Not everything that we have seen in the media, not through the indictments that have been put out by the prosecution, but through her memories. And in that, I was struck by how ordinary it all seemed. And I don't mean that in a dismissive way, but in the sense that it felt like she could be any of us." The family is now planning to move to South Carolina. In the documentary, Victoria said the separation was for financial reasons, to protect the family's assets. "The family of an accused serial killer is often met with, and understandably, with suspicion, revulsion, cruelty – they become collateral damage," said Scott. ". . . They inherit the shame, the scrutiny, the guilt. And we've all heard of the stages of grief. I think they're going through that as well." One thing is certain for Scott – many lives were destroyed over the years. "I ultimately hope that justice is served," said Scott. "It's important that we remember the victims in the story – all the victims. The women who lost their lives were more than how they were labeled. And the family that Rex Heuermann left behind, who are now experiencing a different kind of trauma, one they didn't choose." "This is a tragic tale," said Scott. "And it's all the direct result of being in the blast radius of Rex Heuermann's alleged crimes."
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
What's next for Bryan Kohberger's defense after judge dismissed bid for ‘alternate perpetrator' theory
CrimeFacebookTweetLink Follow It's been a tough week for Bryan Kohberger's defense team. Defense lawyers for Kohberger, the 30-year-old accused of killing four University of Idaho students in their Moscow, Idaho, home in November 2022, had long suggested the 'alternate perpetrator' theory – the idea that someone else killed the students. But on Thursday, Judge Steven Hippler dealt a crushing blow to the defense, denying their request to identify specific alternate perpetrators before the jury. Idaho law requires the 'alternate perpetrator' theory to be approved by a judge before a trial begins. The defense offered four individuals as alternate perpetrators, according to the judge's order, of which portions were redacted. The defense's motion is sealed and not open to the public. The judge ruled the 'defendant's offer of proof can give rise to only wild speculation that it is possible any one of these four individuals could have committed the crimes,' which does not meet the requirements of state law. 'Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to a reasonable inference that they committed the crime,' Hippler said in his ruling. 'Indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding.' The judge also rejected a bid from Kohberger's defense team to delay the trial, slated to start August 11, saying the defense has not shown 'there is good cause' to move back the trial start date. The trial has already gone through numerous delays due to disputes about evidence and witnesses, as well as a change of venue from Latah County to the state capital of Boise. Lead defense attorney Anne Taylor argued in court last week the 'challenges and difficulties' over the last two and a half years have made it so the defense team is still not ready to go to trial. The blow to Kohberger's defense comes after Hippler previously ruled he also cannot present an alibi defense – since no one can vouch for where he was during the time of the killings. His defense team has said he was driving alone in the early morning hours of November 13, 'as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars,' when the students were stabbed. Kohberger – on whose behalf a not guilty plea was entered – could face the death penalty if convicted of the quadruple murders. Here's more of what we know about the 'alternate perpetrator' theory – and where Kohberger's defense team can go now as the options to defend their client continue dwindling. The judge's ruling says the defense suggested four possible alternate perpetrators of the murders, each of whom had some connection to or interaction with the victims in the days before they were fatally stabbed. Three of the alternate suspects proposed by the defense were 'each socially connected to one or more of the victims, interacted with one or more of the victims at social events in the hours prior to the homicide, lived within walking distance of the crime scene and were familiar with the layout of the victims' home from prior social events,' said Hippler. But the proposed perpetrators' opportunity to commit the crime is 'an opportunity shared by dozens of others in the victims' social circles,' said the judge, adding, 'there is no compelling evidence that any of them had motive to kill the victims - much less physically harm them - or means to do so.' A fourth possible alternate perpetrator did not know the victims but had noticed one of them shopping at a store five weeks before the killings, according to the ruling. The moment was captured by surveillance footage. 'He followed her briefly out the exit of the store while considering approaching her to talk,' said Hippler. 'He turned away before ever speaking to her.' The suggested alternate perpetrators have all cooperated with law enforcement, providing DNA samples and fingerprints, the judge's ruling said. Lab reports have excluded their DNA from samples taken from the crime scene, according to Hippler. The 'alternate perpetrator' has been one of several tracks the defense has highlighted as the trial approaches. During a pivotal pre-trial hearing in April, the defense announced it had received a tip of an alternate suspect, which they were taking very seriously and were investigating. In May, Hippler said during the final pre-trial hearing he had received the defendant's proffer or offer on an alternate perpetrator. At that time, the judge said he would be sealing the paperwork but wanted additional information, asking for actual evidence of an alternate perpetrator rather than just allegations. He also wanted the defense to show how they believed what they were offering was admissible. Now, in the court's final order, while the defense may cross-examine law enforcement on investigating and ruling out other leads, they are not permitted to ask about specific individuals as potential alternate perpetrators. In another blow for the defense, Judge Hippler previously ruled that Kohberger cannot have an official alibi defense. In August 2023, prosecutors told the court that Kohberger's alibi was only that he was out driving around the night of the killings, and that he had not complied with Idaho's alibi statute – which specifically requires him to provide names of witnesses to be called to support the alibi, along with their addresses. They said it was now too late to do so. Since 2023, the defense has continued to push to use an alibi defense, saying the alibi may emerge from cross-examination or expert testimony about Kohberger's cell phone tower data. The court, however, has continually told the defense they have to comply with the specific requirements of the statue. During a motion hearing in April, the alibi defense was argued again. Prosecutors renewed their position that the defense can only say Kohberger was out driving around that night and the time his phone was turned off 'coincided with the time of the murders.' They pointed out the only person who can testify to Kohberger's alibi is the defendant himself. Taylor, Kohberger's lead attorney, emphasized her client has a right to remain silent. Hippler then asked Taylor, 'if not Kohberger … who is going to say he was driving around looking at the stars?' The judge ruled the defense expert could show Kohberger was at a certain place until 2:50 a.m. on November 13, 2022, but that no alibi witness would be able to testify, and there would not be an alibi instruction given to the jury. He also ruled the defense should immediately notify the court if it comes across evidence that supports an alibi. The defense hasn't filed any motions related to the alibi since that April court decision. Unable to present an official alibi or suggest specific alternate perpetrators of the killings, the defense will likely focus on raising reasonable doubt that Kohberger committed the crimes. During the cross-examination of every witness, the defense will likely work to show that Kohberger had no connection to the crime scene and no connection to the victims. They will also try to raise reasonable doubt during cross-examination of prosecution experts testifying about surveillance video allegedly of Kohberger's car driving to Moscow in the months before the killings and during the early morning hours of the day the students were found dead. The defense will likely try to discredit any cell phone tower data used to show the location of Kohberger's phone on the night of the killings, as well as surveillance video from businesses in the area. The defense has an expert of their own who will argue that Kohberger's phone data shows he was outside the area at the time of the killings. Unidentified DNA from blood found on a handrail inside the home could also be helpful to the defense, to further raise doubt that Kohberger was the killer and suggest investigators did not fully do their job. Cross-examination of the victims' two surviving roommates will likely be aggressive, especially of Dylan Mortensen. Mortensen told police she saw a masked man with 'bushy eyebrows' and wearing all black in their home the night of the killings. Kohberger's defense have painted Mortensen as an unreliable witness whose recollection of the night has been muddied by intoxication and post-event media exposure. Both sides agreed they would not focus on investigative genetic genealogy, the technique that led to the identification of Kohberger as a potential suspect. But in court filings, defense lawyers have floated the idea that the knife sheath found in the Moscow home could have been planted by the real killer. A single source of male DNA on the sheath, found next to the body of Maddie Mogan, was determined to be a 'statistical match' to Kohberger. And although Kohberger has a right to remain silent, he could take the stand himself – testifying in his own defense to explain the many unanswered questions around the case. CNN's Lauren del Valle, Taylor Romine, and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two men admit to helping move 8-year-old Edmonton girl's body after 2023 homicide
Two men pleaded guilty Friday for their role in the 2023 disappearance of a child who was later found dead. The pair admitted they were part of a group that participated in moving an eight-year-old girl's body from an Edmonton apartment to Maskwacis, Alta., where police found her in the bed of a truck. The girl can't be identified due to a publication ban. According to court records, separate court-ordered publication bans are also in effect for several of the other people involved in the case, including the two men who entered guilty pleas for indignity to a body. Court of King's Bench Justice Steven Mandziuk gave both men sentences of two years and nine months, agreeing to a joint submission from the Crown and defence for a sentence ranging between two and three years. With enhanced credit for time they've already spent in custody since being arrested in April 2023, each is considered to have already served their sentence. The courtroom was full of the girl's family members on Friday, many wearing shirts with the girl's face. "The victim here was an eight-year-old girl — the very picture of vulnerability. And the word indignity to remains doesn't really capture what happens in these types of crimes," Mandziuk said. "It was barbaric, callous and inhumane, and the product of a very, very poor decision." Two other men were also arrested and charged with accessory to murder and indignity to a dead body in April 2023. A 29-year-old woman is charged with first-degree murder in the case — she has yet to go to trial. Court heard that the woman was looking after the young girl at the time, but she is not a biological relative of hers. 'She had so much joy' Reading a victim impact statement in court on Friday, the girl's grandmother said the loss left the family broken. "I think of what she must have went through and it haunts me every time. I miss my baby girl so much," she said. "She loved her cousins and her family so much. She had so much joy. I'm scared for my other grandchildren." The girl's father said in his victim impact statement that he now struggles with fear that everyone could pose a risk of harming his children. "This horrendous tragedy led me down a dark, cold road — one that stripped me of any trust or faith I ever had in anyone or anything." According to an agreed statement of facts read in court, one of the men who pleaded guilty on Friday is a family member of the woman charged with murder, while the other was a friend of hers. That man, who is 68, came to the woman's apartment on the evening of April 22, 2023, and saw the eight-year-old girl's body, the agreed facts say. The next day, he drove the woman south of the city to Maskwacis, knowing that the girl's body was left behind, and no one had called an ambulance. He then drove three other men from Maskwacis to Edmonton, including the 27-year-old who's now been sentenced alongside him. The younger man told another person in the car after they started driving, "They were going to move a body but not whose body." The court heard that at the apartment, a different man put the girl's body in a hockey bag and loaded it into the trunk of the car. The group then drove back to Maskwacis. The girl's body was discovered during a police search five days later, on April 28, 2023. Mandziuk said the loss of a child, especially in a such traumatic way, has a profound and lasting impact on the people left behind. "On no level is this acceptable — no level. And it's a cold-hearted action."
