Kelly Dever denies seeing key figures near Karen Read's vehicle in 'disaster' testimony: expert
Kelly Dever, who was on duty that morning but did not play any role in the investigation, previously told the FBI that she saw two key figures in the case standing near Read's SUV in the sallyport at Canton's police headquarters for "a wildly long time." They were ATF Agent Brian Higgins — who was carrying on a flirtatious relationship with Read behind O'Keefe's back — and then-Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz.
They would have been placed next to the vehicle before other investigators found fragments that matched Read's taillight at the crime scene.
Lead Detective's Text Messages Cast Shadow Over Karen Read Murder Trial
Dever testified that she retracted that statement immediately because the FBI agents showed her a timeline that indicated she left work well before Read's Lexus arrived. Then she accused Read's defense team of trying to coerce her into lying about it on the stand.
"You threatened to charge me with perjury during our phone call prior to the first trial if I didn't lie on the stand right now," she told defense attorney Alan Jackson, from the witness stand. "I'm telling you, I did not see anything. Factually, I've been provided evidence by a timeline that it is not correct."
Read On The Fox News App
Karen Read Sells Home And Taps Retirement Fund To Pay Mounting Legal Bills In Murder Retrial
WATCH: Karen Read challenges officer's testimony in tense murder trial
Read denied that her team pressured Dever in remarks to reporters outside the courthouse Monday afternoon.
"We subpoenaed her to testify to what she told other authorities and just wanted her to be as honest with us as she was with them," she said. "And today she's now telling us that was a lie."
She later claimed that Dever seems like "a compromised person."
Dever was visibly frustrated at times, huffing on the stand and at one point snapping at Jackson for mispronouncing her name.
Mother Of Slain Boston Police Officer Wends Wordless Message To Karen Read In Courtroom Showdown
"Like you can't remember my name, I don't remember," she said.
The defense is trying to show jurors that there is reasonable doubt in the investigation's findings — noting that the lead detective was fired for sending inappropriate texts and that Canton police made a series of sloppy missteps early in the investigation, before state police arrived.
Their position is that her SUV never struck O'Keefe, and something or someone else caused his fatal injuries. In her first trial, they also alleged that police framed Read.
Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub
"[Dever] illustrated perfectly the defense theory — that sketchy cops are lying to help the prosecution," said Mark Bederow, a New York City-based criminal defense lawyer who is following the case.
He called her testimony "a disaster" and questioned whether she had been pressured by colleagues in law enforcement into recanting her story, rather than the defense.
"It was a risky move to call her, but her demeanor was so awful that combined with what she admitted telling the feds, it likely helped the defense," Bederow told Fox News Digital.
Karen Read Judge Blocks Sandra Birchmore Mentions; Expert Says Cases Should Be Wake-up Call For Police
Retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge and Boston College professor Jack Lu called Dever "a profile in courage" and that putting her on the stand suggests desperation from the defense.
"She's out of central casting, says that she has confirmed her prior memory is factually, irrefutably wrong," he told Fox News Digital. "If they say she has damaged her future ability to testify that is laughable."
She's also facing blowback. Lu pointed to a Facebook group called Free Karen Read with more than 40,000 members, where a user urged others to call the police commissioner's office if they "believe Kelly Dever should be given the axe."
Dever could not immediately be reached for comment.
It's up to the jurors to decide whether she was truthful on the stand or when she first made her statements to the FBI.Original article source: Kelly Dever denies seeing key figures near Karen Read's vehicle in 'disaster' testimony: expert
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Ethics panel: Pennsylvania Republican violated code of conduct with spouse's stock trades
The House Ethics Committee 'found substantial evidence' that Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) violated the code of conduct for the lower chamber when his wife profited off stock trades for a company the congressman was focusing on in Washington. The report — which spans 28 pages and has three packets of supporting documents — cleared Kelly of intentionally causing his wife to trade based on insider information and having a conflict of interest, determining there wasn't evidence to prove those two wrongdoings. But the panel found that Kelly, a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, breached the House's code of conduct 'by failing to meet his duty of candor.' The committee ordered he and his wife to divest their investments in Cleveland-Cliffs, the steel manufacturer at the center of the report. 'Representative Kelly's conduct with respect to Cleveland-Cliffs and his wife's stock purchase raised significant concerns for the Committee, even if it did not rise to the level of insider trading or clearly violate conflict of interest rules,' the committee wrote, later adding Kelly 'has not demonstrated sufficient appreciation for the harm to the institution caused by the appearance of impropriety.' The panel's investigation focuses on a series of trades of Cleveland-Cliffs stock that Kelly's wife, Victoria, made in the last five years. Cleveland-Cliffs in 2020 acquired AK Steel, which is the sole producer of grain oriented electrical steel (GOES) in the U.S. GOES is produced in Butler, Pa., a town in Kelly's district. In early 2020, Cleveland-Cliffs had said it may have to close the Butler location and lay off employees if the Trump administration did not implement Section 232 tariffs, which would protect the production of GOES in the U.S. Kelly took part in actions in Washington to address the matter. On April 28 of that year, the Commerce Department told Cleveland-Cliffs — and Kelly learned — it would begin a Section 232 investigation for some GOES-based steel products, according to the report. The next day, the panel learned, Victoria Kelly bought 5,000 shares of Cleveland-Cliffs stock for $23,075. The investigation was announced on May 4. The committee said it was unable to determine if Victoria Kelly was made aware of the development before making the trade. But, the congressman was working from home at the time after testing positive for COVID-19 and told the committee 'Mrs. Kelly would've heard any of my conversations,' adding that she 'sits around for most of the time I'm on the phone,' according to the report. The panel said it could definitely determine if she heard the conversation. The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, enacted in 2012, prohibits members and staff from engaging in insider trading using information learned in official capacities. While Kelly was interviewed as part of the investigation, his wife 'refused to participate in a voluntary interview or to respond to written questions from the Committee, citing her prior cooperation with document requests as well as health concerns,' according to the report. The Congressman also said his wife did not want to speak to the committee because she felt the process was 'invasive.' 'The Committee did not receive full cooperation from Mrs. Kelly and was therefore unable to determine whether her stock purchase was improper,' the report reads. The panel did, however, find that the investment in Cleveland-Cliffs 'was an outlier' in her portfolio, noting that unlike other trades that were made at her firm's discretion, that transaction 'had to be instructed and confirmed directly by Mrs. Kelly in order for the transaction to be completed because it was not on PNC's investment platform.' The move marked her first purchase of individual stock in a year, according to the report, and was different from the mainly funds and bonds on her account. Kelly said he believed his wife made the transaction because 'she thought the stock was so low priced, it'd be foolish not to… I know that she thought she made a hell of a buy.' In August 2020, however, Kelly's office told a local news outlet inquiring about the purchase that it was made 'to show her support for the workers and management of this 100-year old bedrock of their hometown, where they both are life-long residents.' The second transaction examined by the committee was made in January 2021, shortly after Cleveland-Cliffs in December 2020 acquired a steel manufacturing corporation that caused its stock to skyrocket in value. Victoria Kelly that month sold all her shares in the company for $87,551.06, turning a $64,476.06 profit. 'None of the witnesses interviewed by OCC or the Committee, including Representative Kelly, provided an explanation for why Mrs. Kelly chose to sell her stock at that time. Representative Kelly told the Committee he did not speak with Mrs. Kelly about the sale at any point,' the report reads. Then in June 2024, Kelly disclosed that his wife purchased between $50,000 and $100,000 in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs back in March, as the congressman's office was involved in a matter involving the company and the Department of Energy. In March, the Energy Department made a decision on the matter that protected the facility in Butler. As a result of the findings, the panel recommended that Kelly and his wife 'divest all of Cleveland-Cliffs stock should he continue to take official actions relating to the company.' 'It is rare for the Committee to recommend divestment of stocks where there is a potential appearance of a conflict of interest. As Representative Kelly himself noted, however, he is an 'insider' when it comes to Cleveland-Cliffs, by virtue of his position as the representative for his district,' the report reads. In a statement responding to the Ethics report, Kelly said: 'This investigation has unnecessarily lasted for nearly five years.' 'In the years since this investigation began, the Cleveland Cliffs Butler Works plant faced an uncertain future due to the Biden administration's reckless energy policies. Throughout this process, I have fought for the 1,400 workers at the plant, I've spoken with these workers, and they appreciate the hard work we have done to fight for those jobs and for Butler. My family and I look forward to putting this distraction behind us,' he added.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Trump says Obama ‘owes me big' for Supreme Court immunity ruling
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that former President Barack Obama 'owes me big' for a US Supreme Court ruling that grants immunity for presidential acts. Trump — who scored the sweeping ruling last year — had accused Obama earlier this week of treason and sedition for ordering up a spy-agency report on Russia's alleged role in the 2016 election. 'It probably helps him a lot — the immunity ruling, but it doesn't help the people around him at all,' Trump said. Advertisement 'But it probably helps him a lot. He's done criminal acts, there's no question about it, but he has immunity. 'He owes me big. Obama owes me big,' the prez said while departing the White House for a trip to Scotland. 6 President Trump says former President Barack Obama is lucky because he is likely immune from criminal charges involving the 2016 presidential election — thanks to a top-court ruling in Trump's favor last year. AP Advertisement Trump on Tuesday accused Obama of being the 'leader of the gang' of officials who he said conspired to misinform the public and gin up investigations into whether Trump colluded with the Kremlin to defeat Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The Russian collusion claims sparked long-running and leaky FBI and congressional probes that consumed more than half of Trump's first term of office. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard sent a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi last week raising the possibility that Obama broke the law. An email released by Gabbard showed that Obama ordered an intelligence assessment that eventually found Russia intervened to help Trump defeat Clinton — though Gabbard said US intel actually showed that Russia expected Clinton to win and held back damaging material on her for later release. Advertisement 6 National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has referred Obama to the Justice Department for investigation. Anna Wilding / After a White House meeting Dec. 9, 2016, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's assistant emailed spy agency leaders asking for an assessment 'per the President's request' to describe 'tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.' 'It's criminal at the highest level,' Trump said Tuesday. 'President Obama, he started it. And [Joe] Biden was there with him, and [then-FBI Director James] Comey was there, and Clapper — the whole group was there, and [then-CIA Director John] Brennan. Advertisement 'This is like proof, irrefutable proof that Obama was seditious, that Obama led, was trying to lead a coup — and it was with Hillary Clinton, with all these other people, but Obama headed it up.' 6 Obama, seen with Trump on Jan. 9 at former President Jimmy Carter's funeral, ordered a spy-agency assessment of Russia's role in the 2016 election involving President Trump and Hillary Clinton. AFP via Getty Images 6 Trump said Obama was the 'leader of the gang' and named (from left) former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper as possible conspirators. REUTERS Obama has ripped Trump's allegations against him. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,' Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said. 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.' 6 The nation's top court last year ruled presidents have presumed immunity after an appeal from Trump. AP 6 Trump was challenging his prosecution for contesting the 2020 election results, including by encouraging thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol. AP Advertisement The US Supreme Court ruled last July that presidents have absolute or presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts — after Trump became the first former president to face criminal charges. The case dealt with allegations against Trump by Biden Justice Department-appointed special counsel Jack Smith involving Trump challenging his 2020 election loss. As he campaigned to return to power, Trump faced a second case from Smith for allegedly mishandling classified documents and two state-level cases by elected Democratic district attorneys for falsifying business records to conceal 2016 hush money payments and to challenge his 2020 loss in Georgia. Advertisement
an hour ago
Soccer players' union hits back at 'autocratic' FIFA and Infantino in fallout from Club World Cup
The global soccer players' union hit back at FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino on Friday, saying their autocratic style of leadership was harming the rights of its members. 'Football needs responsible leadership, not emperors,' the FIFPRO network said after a meeting of 58 national player unions responded to FIFA pursuing its agenda with unofficial player representatives. 'It needs fewer autocratic monologues and more genuine, inclusive and transparent dialogue,' the union added. FIFA announced two weeks ago it reached a consensus on key issues after Infantino hosted a group of mostly non-recognized officials in New York ahead of the Club World Cup final. The latest rift between soccer's governing body and its players' unions flared while the European Commission in Brussels is considering a formal complaint against FIFA. It was filed by FIFPRO's European division and national leagues in Europe against FIFA's style of governance and decision-making. FIFPRO said FIFA's core agenda included an overloaded global match calendar with too many games for elite players, lack of physical and mental recovery periods and extreme playing conditions. Players at the month-long Club World Cup in the United States reported feeling dizzy and unwell in the heat of daytime games played to appeal to worldwide TV audiences. The 63-game tournament backed by Saudi Arabian money was lucrative for clubs, especially in Europe, though FIFA added it to the schedule without formally consulting players. The tournament, FIFPRO said, was 'celebrated by President Infantino despite being held under conditions that were extreme and inappropriate for any human being, demonstrating a troubling insensitivity to human rights, even when it concerns elite athletes. 'FIFPRO reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of men and women players — rights which are being seriously undermined by commercial policies imposed by its autocratic system of governance,' the Netherlands-based union said of FIFA. 'This is a model that puts the health of players at risk and sidelines those at the heart of the game,' FIFPRO said, adding it was 'unacceptable for an organization that claims global leadership to turn a blind eye to the basic needs of the players.' FIFA was approached for comment. ___
