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USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Danity Kane's D. Woods fears Diddy's 'retaliation' as his trial nears end
D. Woods "can't wait" to put her negative experiences with Sean "Diddy" Combs, the man responsible for launching her career as part of Danity Kane, in the rearview mirror. The 41-year-old singer, born Wanita Denise Woodgett, opened up to The Cut in an interview published July 1 about how she is "using my art to process my experience" through a one-woman show, "My Living Room Self." "I can't wait until I am on the other side of all this. Maybe this is what I need to do to write a new experience. I just don't want to be in fear of his retaliation," Woods said. "We're talking in this hotel instead of my home because I don't know what he's capable of." She added that she hasn't been following Combs' trial, which is in jury deliberations as of June 30, because "I don't want to be disappointed." Woods also noted that "I'm not sure a guilty verdict will heal me. "That will happen when I sit down to talk about a project I'm doing, and there isn't a question about Puff," she added. 'Really stomach-turning': Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods chat about Diddy trial D. Woods 'wasn't surprised' by Dawn Richard, Cassie's lawsuits against Diddy Though Woods came forward to accuse Combs of verbal abuse in the Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Fall of Diddy," she hasn't filed a lawsuit. Her former girl group colleague Dawn Richard is the only one to have sued Combs, alleging sexual assault, trafficking and labor violations, among other claims. Richard also testified against Combs in May, as his trial was underway. "I was surprised she spoke out, but I wasn't surprised to hear the allegations," Woods said of Richard's lawsuit. She also went on to comment on Cassie Ventura Fine's bombshell 2023 lawsuit that kicked off the criminal investigation into Combs' alleged criminal enterprise. "Even with Cassie, I wasn't surprised. I believe he's capable of that," she said. "I've seen how he's intimidated a room. I've seen him throw chairs at people." Woods added, "When that news came out about Cassie's lawsuit, I was like, 'I've been trying to tell y'all, but you didn't want to believe me.' Now, maybe my experience can be accepted." D. Woods contemplated suicide after Diddy fired her from Danity Kane Woods' alleged experiences with Combs during MTV's "Making the Band" included the mogul body-shaming her and screaming threats over the phone after her bandmates turned down a performance. She tearfully told The Cut about feeling suicidal and struggling to make music after Combs fired her and Aubrey O'Day in 2008, in what she's previously described as an act of retaliation. "By 2012, I was suicidal. By 2017, I had planned it out," Woods said. "I still have some of my suicide notes. I want to remember exactly what I was thinking and feeling. One of my letters was something like, 'It seems no matter what I give, nobody's interested. They just want Danity Kane or they've written me off. I'm a has-been. I'm a one-hit wonder.'" Speaking about her career in more current terms, Woods said, "I've done so much more since Danity Kane that should be celebrated and recognized. I was recently on tour with Teddy Riley, and people say, 'You're just a backup dancer now.' "I was having the time of my life. But in some people's mind, Danity Kane is the best thing that I'm ever going to do." If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call or text 988, or start an online chat with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential services 24/7.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Danity Kane alums Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods reunited to talk Diddy. Here's what went down.
It's a Danity Kane reunion — but pop nostalgia is not on the agenda. Singers Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods, who comprised Sean "Diddy" Combs' former girl group, reunited for O'Day's podcast "Aubrey O'Day, Covering the Diddy Trial," to reflect on their time working with the embattled hip-hop mogul. Combs, 55, has been on trial since May following his September 2024 arrest on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. "It's really triggering. It's really stomach-turning," said Woods, who has not been following coverage of the trial for "mental health and spiritual protection's sake." "Parents and loved ones may even feel a sense of guilt because (at) the time, nobody knew what we were really dealing with and what atmosphere we were really in. I think what people wanted was for us to take advantage of this opportunity" to work with Combs. Danity Kane, a pop-R&B outfit that featured O'Day and Woods alongside Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex and Aundrea Fimbres, was formed on Combs' reality competition series "Making the Band" in 2005. The group released two studio albums, 2006's "Danity Kane" and 2008's "Welcome to the Dollhouse," and scored a pair of top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 before disbanding in 2009 (O'Day, Richard, Bex, and Fimbres reunited for a short-lived revival in 2013). Since their time in the group, O'Day and Woods have spoken out about the alleged abuse they experienced working under the Bad Boy Records founder. Woods, appearing in the Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Fall of Diddy," accused Combs of verbal abuse and making sexual advances. O'Day, who was at one point rumored to be a witness in Combs' trial, likened her professional relationship with Combs to "childhood trauma" in a June 2024 interview with People magazine. 'Fall of Diddy' doc revelations: Former assistant, Danity Kane member speak out Additionally, the women's bandmate Richard has taken legal action against Combs, suing him in September on 21 counts of sexual assault and battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, and copyright infringement. Richard also took the stand in Combs' trial and testified on the physical violence she reportedly witnessed from the Grammy-winning rapper. "We didn't even get questions like, 'Are you safe?' That wasn't in anyone's conversation," O'Day told Woods. "All the girls that didn't make it that were always a little salty along the way whenever we'd run into them, they'd look at us like we're so lucky. And as time moved forward, we would ... get back together (and be) like, 'Girl, you're kind of lucky you didn't make it.'" D. Woods felt 'like a piece of meat' working with Diddy While reflecting on Richard's lawsuit and its claims of sexual abuse, Woods and O'Day spoke about Combs' alleged treatment of the girl group. Woods said while she doesn't recall being sexualized by the music mogul, she alleged Combs frequently belittled the women in his remarks. "I didn't feel the sexual exchange, or maybe I just was oblivious to that because we were mad young," Woods said. "But what I did experience was the dehumanizing objectification and just really feeling like I'm just like a piece of meat, just feeling like I'm being tossed to and fro (with) no consideration of our humanity." "We're all supposed to be on the same team," Woods added. But "he really treated us like we were — like he said to us several different times — 'You are not worth the (expletive) on the bottom of my shoes.'" 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé Why D. Woods thinks Diddy fired her and Aubrey O'Day from Danity Kane In a series of rapid-fire questions, O'Day asked Woods about her perspective on their termination from Danity Kane. The women were fired from the group during a meeting with Combs in the 2008 finale of "Making the Band 4." "It was sexual harassment and retaliation. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it,' Woods said. When asked about her own firing, Woods said: "Because I was close to (O'Day), and it was retaliation." Woods' remarks echo her account of O'Day and Combs' relationship in "The Fall of Diddy." The singer said O'Day confided in her that Combs often sent "inappropriate" photos to her, which allegedly included "overtly pornographic" material, and that during a 2008 run-in at New York Fashion Week, Combs reportedly told O'Day she was now "hot enough" to have sex with him. Shortly after O'Day's alleged fashion week encounter, Combs called a mandatory meeting with Danity Kane, during which O'Day and Woods were fired. Woods said Combs retaliated against O'Day, in part, because she didn't "succumb to his advances." "He wanted her to feel powerless and question her worth," Woods said. "I feel like that's part of the same reason why he probably got rid of me, too." Contributing: Naledi Ushe and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
Metro
19-06-2025
- Metro
How to watch true crime series A Body in the Snow after Karen Read verdict
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video After a verdict was finally delivered in Karen Read's ongoing murder trial, here's where you can watch the documentary surrounding the case that has gripped the world. On Wednesday, cheers erupted from outside the courtroom after a jury found the 45-year-old not guilty for the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, following a second trial. In January 2022, she was accused of hitting her partner, 46, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton, Massachusetts – and was eventually charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. The financial analyst protested her innocence and, after a jury failed to come to a verdict in the first hearings in 2024, a second trial began in April of this year. Although she was acquitted of second-degree murder and the two lesser charges, she was convicted of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and sentenced to one year probation. Between both cases, Investigation Discovery released a five-part documentary looking into O'Keefe's death and the allegations against Read in March, titled A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read. The synopsis simply reads: 'On a cold January morning in a sleepy suburb outside of the city, a local police officer named John O'Keefe was found dead on a fellow officer's front lawn.' It is currently available to stream in the UK on Discovery+, while all episodes are also on Hulu, ID and HBO Max in the US. The program received rave reviews online, with Collider praising: 'A Body in the Snow is one of the most meticulous and thought-provoking true-crime series to come out recently.' A viewer on IMDb agreed, branding the footage 'captivating'. 'This docuseries is one of the most gripping true crime watches I've had in ages,' another praised. 'Slick, thoughtful, and clearly well-researched, it goes beyond just retelling events-it almost plays like an exposé.' Netflix also announced an untitled upcoming three-part series, exploring 'what happened in the days leading up to O'Keefe's death'. 'The team feels immensely privileged to be bringing this important series to a Netflix global audience,' directors Danielle Johnson and Rob Miller said. 'It is a case that has garnered a huge amount of public attention and has far-reaching implications. 'We are also mindful that this is a hugely sensitive case and we are determined to treat all those involved with the respect and consideration they deserve.' Bosses are yet to share news of the release date. Canton locals were left shocked when O'Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside his former colleague's home in early 2022, following a late-night house party. Read was later accused of hitting him with her car – her lawyers alleged that he had been beaten and bitten by a dog, before being left outside to die. They argued that the professor had been framed for his death and was the victim of a police cover-up. Her first trial was declared a mistrial last July, after the jury remained deadlocked following five days of deliberations More Trending After a second trial and four days of deliberating, a new jury reached a verdict and acquitted her of second-degree murder. 'I just want to say two things,' she told the crowd gathered outside the courtroom. 'I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team. View More » 'The second thing I want to say is that no one has fought harder for justice of John O'Keefe than I have.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Netflix drops all 8 episodes of dark TV series 'compared to Ozark' MORE: Disturbing documentary about 'most evil reality show ever' now streaming on BBC MORE: UK viewers can now watch 'masterpiece' Amazon Prime drama for free
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Karen Read trial verdict watch: Where to watch the Karen Read trial today
It's a trial that has mesmerized not just the state of Massachusetts, but the entire nation. The Karen Read trial has been the subject of discussions all around the United States, not mention being the center of a documentary on the Investigation Discovery Channel called, "A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read." The jury deliberated the case for a full day on Monday, and again on Tuesday, but have not yet reached a verdict. Do you want to watch what happens? Here's how. To stream the case, people can watch the trial on CourtTV, on Crime Junkie Jury on YouTube or NBC10 Boston's YouTube page. People can also watch the trial on NBC Boston and CBS News Boston. The 12-person panel had not yet reached a verdict after deliberating for more than 15 hours on Tuesday, June 17. There's no specific time that a verdict is expected in this trial, according to reports, which noted that legal analysts predict a verdict could come within an hour of the jury reaching a decision. Jury deliberations lasted five days in the first trial before a mistrial was declared. Read, a Canton, MA resident, is facing a second trial on charges of manslaughter while under the influence, fleeing the scene of a deadly accident and second-degree murder in relation to her former boyfriend, and Boston Police Department Officer John O'Keefe. Prosecutors accuse Read of backing into O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in the snow after a night out drinking in 2022. Read's defense claims police officers in the house beat O'Keefe, threw his body out in the snow and purposely bungled the investigation as part of a cover-up. O'Keefe's body was found in Canton outside the house of another law enforcement officer. Advocates of Read's innocence have protested the trial, because of the alleged cover-up. Read's first trial ended with a hung jury last summer. CourtTV has been covering the case against Read and the investigation surrounding Read's alleged crime since early 2022. USA Today Network reporter Rin Velasco contributed to this report. USA Today reporters Christopher Cann and N'dea Yancey-Bragg also contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Karen Read trial live: Where to watch the Karen Read trial
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
The witnesses that defined the retrial of Karen Read for the death of her police officer boyfriend
Karen Read's retrial for the death of John O'Keefe is nearing its finale, likely closing a yearslong chapter in the lives of the defendant, the victim's family and the many witnesses called to testify — some of them in two high-profile and divisive murder trials. In the retrial — the first ended with a deadlocked jury — Massachusetts prosecutors and Read's defense called a combined 49 witnesses. Some were laypeople, others were law enforcement and many were experts who analyzed mountains of digital and physical forensic evidence. Collectively, their testimony sought to answer one essential question: What happened outside the home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts, around 12:30 a.m. on January 29, 2022? Prosecutors allege Read drunkenly struck her boyfriend with her Lexus SUV and left him to die in the snow. But Read's defense contends there was no collision. They have cast her as the victim of a cover-up, alluding to a conspiracy by those who they say killed O'Keefe and framed the defendant, while painting the police investigation as biased and flawed. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. Here, CNN highlights about a dozen witnesses called over the last eight weeks, whose testimony illuminated key pieces of the theories presented by prosecutors and Read's defense: On the evening of January 28, 2022, Read and O'Keefe went to a local bar to meet up with friends before the group decided to move the party to a home at 34 Fairview Road. Read has said she dropped off O'Keefe, but other witnesses said he never arrived. Prosecutors allege this is the moment Read put her Lexus SUV in reverse and pressed on the gas, striking O'Keefe and scattering pieces of her vehicle's taillight across the scene. Read did not take the stand to testify. But throughout the trial, prosecutors played numerous clips from Read's media interviews, offering jurors a chance to hear from the defendant herself. Prosecutors tried to use these clips against Read to bolster the testimony of their own witnesses, refute the defense's arguments or highlight inconsistencies in Read's account. In one clip from her October 2024 interview for NBC's 'Dateline,' she asked: 'Could I have tagged him in the knee and incapacitated him?' Read said. 'He didn't look mortally wounded as far as I could see — but could I have done something that knocked him out and, in his drunkenness, and in the cold, (he) didn't come to again?' In another clip, taken from an Investigation Discovery series, Read strongly denied her vehicle made contact with O'Keefe. (Investigation Discovery and CNN share a parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) Jennifer McCabe, called by the commonwealth, was present for each key moment surrounding O'Keefe's death, including the gathering at the bar; the after-party at her sister's home at 34 Fairview; and finally, the discovery of his body. McCabe expected Read and O'Keefe at 34 Fairview, and she spoke to O'Keefe to help him with directions, she testified. At the house, McCabe saw what she believed was Read's SUV out front, but the couple never came inside. McCabe testified she was awoken the next morning by a phone call from Read, who she described as frantic and hysterical. McCabe detailed the search for O'Keefe, first at his home and then at 34 Fairview, where they found him in the snow. Stunned, McCabe called 911. McCabe recalled Read telling a first responder, 'I hit him, I hit him, I hit him' — testimony echoed by other witnesses who were on the scene. On cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Jackson highlighted McCabe's family ties to law enforcement, including her brother-in-law, Brian Albert, who owned 34 Fairview. He also questioned her about interviews she'd given investigators and interactions with her family and other witnesses, accusing McCabe of coordinating her account and colluding with others. McCabe denied those allegations. The second witness called by the commonwealth, Kerry Roberts — another friend of O'Keefe's — testified she, too, was woken up by Read the morning of January 29. She joined the search for O'Keefe by first driving to meet the two women at McCabe's home. Central to the commonwealth's case was Roberts' testimony about the defendant's taillight: Roberts saw the damage that morning when she pulled into McCabe's driveway and parked behind Read's vehicle. McCabe and Read were in Read's SUV, and Roberts was in hers, she testified, but she heard their conversation while on the phone with them: In previous testimony, Roberts said the conversation about the taillight happened upon their arrival at O'Keefe's home. But on cross-examination, Jackson played home surveillance footage showing the arrival, and Roberts conceded the footage did not show the interaction she described, saying she had been incorrect about the timing. Called to the stand for the defense, Brian Loughran, a snowplow driver, testified he did not see a body in the yard at 34 Fairview early in the morning on January 29, 2022, despite passing by multiple times. Loughran first drove the snowplow past the home between 2:40 and 2:45 a.m. Though it was dark and snowing hard, Loughran testified he could clearly see to the front door of the home. Asked what he saw on the lawn by the flagpole, Loughran responded: 'Did you see a 6-foot-1, 216-pound man lying on that lawn?' defense attorney David Yannetti asked. 'No,' Loughran said. Jonathan Diamandis testified about sexist and crude text messages he received from the lead investigator: his longtime friend, former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor. Diamandis was called as a defense witness, but it was the commonwealth who had him read the texts into evidence. He declined to do so for the most offensive messages, including one calling Read 'a whack job c*nt.' Proctor apologized for the messages in the first trial, but the defense has continued to use them to paint the investigation as biased. Neither side called him to testify in the retrial. The messages ultimately led to Proctor's dishonorable discharge from the state police. Prosecutors underscored Proctor's texts did not indicate he committed misconduct. Asked whether Proctor ever suggested he framed the defendant or planted evidence, Diamandis said, 'Absolutely not.' Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik testified about the investigation and Read's emergence as the suspect in O'Keefe's death. But Proctor, his former direct report, loomed large over his testimony. Through Bukhenik, prosecutors tried to minimize Proctor's influence in the investigation. While the defense held Proctor up as the lead investigator, Bukhenik said each homicide case is a 'team effort.' During cross-examination, Jackson tried to restore the sense of Proctor's control over the case, showing Bukhenik investigative documents that carried Proctor's name or signature. Still, Bukhenik refused to call Proctor the 'lead investigator,' referring to him as the 'case officer.' Bukhenik was emphatic the investigation itself was handled with integrity and honor. But when pressed by Jackson, he said Proctor's texts lacked both. The defense also used Bukhenik to present flirtatious text messages Read exchanged with another man, Brian Higgins, prior to O'Keefe's death. Higgins was among the revelers who got together the night of January 28, and the defense tried to suggest he should have been considered as a suspect. An attorney for Higgins denied any wrongdoing by his client. Nicholas Guarino described communications between Read and O'Keefe. In one instance, he showed the jury text messages between Read and O'Keefe from January 28, 2022, showing the couple had been at odds. Guarino later testified for the commonwealth that Read called O'Keefe more than 50 times and left eight voicemails between the time she said she dropped him off at 34 Fairview and when she started searching for him the next morning. All went unanswered. 'You're a f**king pervert,' she said in one voicemail left at 1:10 a.m., per Guarino's testimony. Seven minutes later, she left another: At 5:23 a.m., she left her seventh voicemail: 'John, where are you?' Paul Gallagher, who retired as a lieutenant from the Canton Police Department, testified for prosecutors about the initial recovery of evidence from the scene where O'Keefe's body was found. There were about four inches of snow on the ground, so Gallagher debated how to remove it, he said. He feared a shovel would harm any evidence, including a broken cocktail glass found in the snow. Gallagher saw pink spots in the snow he said he determined to be 'frozen or coagulated blood.' To preserve it, he got red plastic cups and placed the bloody snow inside, noting these decisions were made in a blizzard, under 'terrible' conditions. On cross-examination, Jackson raised questions about the adequacy of the evidence collection. Gallagher acknowledged plastic cups are not normally used for evidence recovery. Additionally, Gallagher testified he did not write a report about his actions on the scene. Nicholas Barros, a sergeant for Dighton Police, was called by the defense to refute the commonwealth's narrative about Read's taillight being broken when it allegedly collided with O'Keefe. The defense has tried to raise the specter of the taillight being tampered with after police seized the vehicle and suggested its pieces were planted at the scene. Barros responded on January 29, 2022, to Read's parents' home in Dighton, Massachusetts, at Proctor's request to help seize the vehicle, he said. Read went there after it was confirmed O'Keefe had died. In a report, Barros noted there was damage to a taillight. But he suggested on the stand it was relatively minor. Shown a photograph of the taillight after it was seized, Barros said it did not reflect what he saw that day. 'That taillight is completely smashed out,' he said. Under cross-examination, Barros said his report from that day merely noted 'damage,' but did not describe it. Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, the Massachusetts medical examiner who performed O'Keefe's autopsy, outlined his injuries and his cause of death. The blunt impact injuries were the 'primary cause' of death, Scordi-Bello said. O'Keefe had a significant laceration on the back of his head, as well as skull fractures and bleeding on the top of his brain. Scordi-Bello also noted O'Keefe's body temperature at the hospital was 80.1 degrees Fahrenheit — far below the normal temperature of 98.6. The medical examiner could not reach a conclusion on the manner of O'Keefe's death — whether it was accidental or a homicide, for instance — acknowledging to defense attorney Robert Alessi there was not enough 'compelling' evidence to decide. Neurosurgeon Dr. Aizik Wolf described O'Keefe's injuries — specifically a laceration on the back of his head — as 'classic blunt trauma' consistent with the victim falling backward and striking his head against the ground. Wolf testified this type of injury was relatively common in places with cold climates, referencing his time working at a trauma center in Minneapolis: 'Very frequently, patients that are drunk fall down on ice, sidewalks, and could develop lacerations in their head.' A pivotal witness for the defense, Dr. Marie Russell is a retired emergency room physician, a forensic pathologist and a former Massachusetts police officer who testified injuries on O'Keefe's arm were 'the result of a dog attack.' The defense has theorized O'Keefe was mauled by a German shepherd owned by the family who lived at 34 Fairview. The dog was rehomed sometime after the victim died. Referencing a photograph of O'Keefe's injuries, Russell testified the wounds appeared to be going in the same direction. On cross-examination, Russell conceded she had never before testified as an expert witness on dog bites. Through Russell, Brennan pointed out holes in the arm of O'Keefe's sweatshirt were swabbed for DNA — but that no dog DNA was found, only pig DNA. There was no explanation for the pig DNA's origins. Ian Whiffin, a digital forensics expert, illustrated the victim's final movements after analyzing data taken from O'Keefe's cell phone. The data showed Read and O'Keefe came to a stop outside 34 Fairview at 12:24 a.m., Whiffin said. From that time on, he said, the data indicated O'Keefe's phone remained near the flagpole until his body was found the next morning. O'Keefe's phone screen locked for the last time at 12:32:09 a.m. Whiffin also testified to the phone's temperature: Throughout the evening, the phone had an average temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But the temperature began steadily dropping around 12:22 a.m., Whiffin said, falling to 50 degrees at 1:36 a.m. The next recorded temperature was after 6 a.m. — about the time O'Keefe's body was found — when it dropped to its lowest recorded temperature of 37 degrees. Judson Welcher, an accident reconstructionist and biomechanical engineer, testified for the prosecution the evidence is consistent with O'Keefe being struck by a vehicle identical to Read's on January 29, 2022, around 12:32 a.m. Black box data from Read's SUV included two 'trigger' events recorded on her drive from the bar to 34 Fairview, Welcher said. By comparing this information with location data from O'Keefe's cell phone, Welcher's firm found Read's SUV reversed between 12:32:04 a.m. and 12:32:12 a.m. — the time the commonwealth alleges O'Keefe was struck. The data showed, at that time, Read's vehicle first moved forward before being put in reverse and moving backward, Welcher said. The data also showed the SUV reached a speed of about 24 mph at 74% of the full throttle while in reverse. Welcher also testified about the damaged taillight, describing tests he conducted with a Lexus SUV identical to Read's. In contrast to Russell, Welcher testified the lacerations on O'Keefe's arm were 'consistent with the geometry and orientation' of Read's taillight. Asked whether O'Keefe's injuries — both to his arm and his head — were consistent with him being struck by a Lexus identical to Read's, Welcher said they were. On cross-examination, Alessi seized on Welcher's admission he did not have enough information to state exactly how O'Keefe was struck. Alessi pressed him to explain why he did not conduct a more robust crash test. Pedestrian impacts 'are so very sensitive,' Welcher said, and if the results of the tests came out differently, he'd have to defend it in court. The defense called accident reconstructionist Daniel Wolfe to refute Welcher's findings. Wolfe described tests his firm, ARCCA, undertook to figure out if O'Keefe's injuries were consistent with the damage to Read's Lexus — specifically, the broken taillight. Footage taken from those tests showed an example taillight and vehicle striking a dummy arm at different speeds to recreate the alleged collision between the SUV and O'Keefe. But at each speed — 10 mph, 17 mph, 15 mph, 29 mph and 24 mph — the damage to the test taillights was less than what was seen on Read's taillight, Wolfe said. None of the tests indicated the broken taillight would cause the holes found in O'Keefe's sweatshirt. The firm considered other possibilities for what might cause the damage, including a drinking glass found alongside O'Keefe's body, as well as his head and his 'center of mass.' In each instance, Wolfe said, the damage was inconsistent with that of Read's vehicle. Brennan tried to discredit the test results on cross-examination: he noted the dummy arm weighed nine pounds, while O'Keefe's weighed 11.86 pounds. Brennan also emphasized the dummy was secured by a harness, which prevented it from being thrown to the ground and illustrated the trajectory the victim's body would have taken once hit. CNN's Ali Zaslav contributed to this report.
