Latest news with #murdercharges
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Why Karen Read may not be off the hook for the death of her cop ex–boyfriend
Karen Read may have escaped murder charges over her boyfriend's highly publicized death, but her legal saga is far from over, as her legal team fights a civil suit filed by the family of the deceased. Read, 45, first stood trial last year for the death of her Boston cop boyfriend, John O'Keefe, but the trial ended in a hung jury. She was finally acquitted of second–degree murder on June 18, 2025, over three years after O'Keefe's death, in January 2022. However, Read still has a mountain of court dates ahead of her as she faces a civil suit from O'Keefe's family. In late August – after Read's first trial, the brother, parents and niece of O'Keefe filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against her. Their suit mostly echoes the prosecution's case – that Read drunkenly hit O'Keefe with her car, leaving him to die in the snow outside the Canton home of his fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert. Prosecutors had argued Read was drinking with O'Keefe and a group of his friends when they were invited to an afterparty at Albert's home. Read had even admitted to having several alcoholic drinks beforehand, but said she decided to drop O'Keefe off at the afterparty before she returned to his house. According to Read's version of events, she woke up at 4am to find that O'Keefe never returned home, leading her to frantically drive out to try and find him. After finding O'Keefe's body outside the home – which party attendees claimed he never entered – first responders on the scene alleged that Read repeatedly told them she hit him while in a panicked state. The prosecutors then argued that Read was a scorned lover who chose to leave O'Keefe dying in the snow, after striking him with her SUV. O'Keefe's family – the plaintiffs – want at least $50,000 for what the lawsuit calls 'conscious pain and suffering, fear of impending death, wrongful death, lost value to next of kin, severe and profound emotional distress manifesting in bodily symptoms, and other compensable damages.' The O'Keefes also sued the two Canton bars – C.F. McCarthy's and the Waterfall Bar and Grill – that Read and O'Keefe visited before his death, accusing them of overserving Read. At Read's retrial, the jury convicted her of operating under the influence and she received a year of probation, but both bars have denied overserving her. Civil suits have a lower legal standard, because the party bringing the lawsuit only needs to show that it is more likely than not (at least 51 percent probable) that their claims are true. For this reason, the outcome of Read's criminal retrial isn't necessarily indicative of how the O'Keefe family's case will turn out. Read added three new lawyers to bolster her defense this month. The lawyers are Damon Seligson, Charles Waters and Aaron D. Rosenberg – who are all with the Boston–based law firm Sheehan Phinney. They join three other lawyers from the firm Melick & Porter, who were already representing Read in the case. Her civil attorneys then filed a motion to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit. The notice of Read's dismissal motion was filed in Plymouth Superior Court on July 9, according to legal filings. The next hearing is scheduled for September. The O'Keefes also sued the two Canton bars – C.F. McCarthy's and the Waterfall Bar and Grill – that Read and O'Keefe visited before his death, accusing them of overserving Read (Pictured: Surveillance video from McCarthy's when Read arrived and is greeted by O'Keefe) At Read's retrial, the jury convicted her of operating under the influence and she received a year of probation, but both bars have denied overserving her Legal experts explained that, even though the O'Keefes only filed for 'at least $50,000' in damages, the family could be awarded a far higher sum. The question comes down to who can pay it for both the bars and Read. Although a jury can decide how much each defendant has to pay, if they don't have it, the family could be chasing it for years, especially with Read, who is a private citizen. Read isn't only the involved party facing the ongoing ramifications of O'Keefe's death. Michael Proctor – a former Massachusetts state trooper and lead investigator in O'Keefe's death who sent scandalous text messages about Read – was suspended a year ago and fired in March. Now, the former state trooper is trying to get his job back. He insists his investigation was unbiased, and recently appeared before a state commission that hears appeals from fired public employees. This appeal is set to continue in the coming weeks. Another ongoing case revolves around Aidan Kearney, a blogger who also goes by Turtleboy. Kearney began posting about the case in 2023, but he got too involved, according to prosecutors. In 2023, a grand jury indicted him for allegedly intimidating and harassing witnesses in the case, including Proctor. Even more counts followed. Another judge dismissed several of the counts, including the allegations related to Proctor, tut the rest of the case remains active. Kearney is set to appear in court next month. He has pleaded not guilty.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Albuquerque bus driver stabs passenger after fight on the bus
Editor's Note: This video in this story contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Newly released video from police shows a passenger starting a fight with a city bus driver in Albuquerque, which ultimately led to the driver facing murder charges. Story continues below News: UNM issues shelter in place as shooting leaves 1 dead, 1 injured on Albuquerque campus Trending: VIDEO: Albuquerque bus driver stabs passenger after fight on the bus Community: What's happening in New Mexico July 25-31? Lavender in the Village Festival and more The incident began on July 9 in the morning in northwest Albuquerque. A city bus driven by 41-year-old David Gabaldon was making its rounds around 6:30 AM when he picked up two passengers along Coors Boulevard. One of the passengers had complaints about the driver's punctuality. The older passenger continued to gripe about the service, prompting Gabaldon to stop the bus near Coors and Hanover. He demanded that the older man get off the bus or he wouldn't continue the route, causing annoyance among the other passengers. Raymond Coan then stepped into the argument: Coan: 'When you're saying the rest of us need to sit down and shut up, that's not the best f****** thing to say.'Gabaldon: 'So what do you want me to say?' The situation escalated quickly, with Coan throwing the first punch. A struggle broke out, and Gabaldon grabbed pepper spray, using it against Coan. The two eventually separated, with Coan retreating to the back of the bus while Gabaldon left in anger. Video footage from the bus shows Coan watching Gabaldon before exiting from the back. The fight continued outside, where Gabaldon was seen reaching for what appeared to be a knife and stabbing Coan at least twice on camera. Coan was seen backing away, cursing, but Gabaldon pursued him, even as Coan attempted to step back. According to court documents, the fight continued in front of a gas station until Coan went down. Officers arrived minutes later, and Coan was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, but did not survive. Gabaldon was arrested and now faces first-degree murder charges. A judge has ordered that he be held in jail until his trial, and a grand jury has indicted him on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Soliman appears in Colorado courtroom for first time since filing of murder charges
In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the suspect in June's Boulder terror attack on Pearl Street made his first appearance in Colorado state court since murder charges were filed in the case. Mohamed Soliman is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a group of people marching for Israeli hostages, injuring more than a dozen of them and causing the eventual death of one of them. The defense however, quickly waived Solomon's right to the hearing. Increased security was visible in and around the Boulder County Courthouse during the scheduled hearing. Inside, nearly half of the courtroom was reserved for victims, loved ones and members of Run for Their Lives, the group that was attacked. When Solomon walked in, reporters noticed him smiling at his defense attorneys. The court appearance came a little more than six weeks after the June 1 attack. The motion to waive Solomon's rights to the preliminary hearing came as a surprise to victims and the district attorney's office. Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty told the court he had brought a Boulder police detective as a witness for the hearing. "The detective was prepared to address the information and the evidence and provide sworn testimony about all the evidence we have supporting the charges that have been filed," Dougherty said. But that testimony never happened, with the hearing wrapping up after the first motion from the defense. By waiving that right, all state charges will move forward to an arraignment without the need to prove probable cause. If Solomon is found guilty the dozens of charges he faces, including first degree murder, come with a variety of sentences. The harshest punishment in state court would be life in prison without the possibility of parole. The charges also come alongside 12 federal hate crime charges. "There's a federal prosecution and a state prosecution, both of which are underway, they're on parallel tracks, and we remain in good communication with our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office," Dougherty said. The defense is exploring the possibility of having Solomon attend court virtually in the future, but the district attorney says the victims want him to be in the courtroom. "This was an incredibly tragic and traumatic incident for all the people who are present," Dougherty said. "This is a hard and serious case for them, and we're going to make sure we do everything we can to fight for justice." Solomon's arraignment is set for Sept. 9, which comes just a few days after Solomon's federal trial is scheduled to begin.
CBS News
30-06-2025
- CBS News
North Texas bounty hunters charged with murder after boxing in, shooting man in Dallas
Two bounty hunters are facing murder charges after fatally shooting a man they attempted to take into custody in Old East Dallas, an arrest affidavit revealed. Rodney Brown, 34, and Jorge Moncivais, 23, were arrested in connection with the shooting death of 33-year-old Drew Knowles, the Dallas Police Department said. Apprehension gone wrong According to the arrest affidavit, Brown is a licensed private investigator and bounty hunter. He, along with his partner, Moncivais, claimed they were trying to serve a warrant at Knowles' home on June 26, but Knowles wasn't there. Brown and Moncivais, who are employed by a security company, told authorities they used an automated license plate reader to help find Knowles' car at 2700 Florence Street in Dallas, where they attempted to box in Knowles' car with their vehicles. Brown reportedly exited his vehicle with a gun drawn to command Knowles to surrender, and Knowles tried to evade the box-in by driving into Brown's and Moncivais' vehicles, the affidavit said. Once Knowles was able to get free from the box-in, he tried to speed away, and Brown opened fire. Then, Moncivais exited his car and opened fire too. Knowles was struck multiple times, according to the affidavit. DPD said at about 8:45 a.m., officers responded to the shooting call near the intersection of Cantegral and Live Oak streets. When they arrived, officers determined the two suspects, later identified as Brown and Moncivais, followed the victim, Knowles, until he crashed into a light pole at the intersection. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded and pronounced Knowles dead. Brown and Moncivais were both taken into custody. Rodney Brown, 34, and Jorge Moncivais, 23, were arrested in connection with the shooting death of 33-year-old Drew Knowles, the Dallas Police Department said. Dallas Police Department Video shows bounty hunters were not in immediate danger DPD said Moncivais wasn't wearing any clothing that identified him as a bounty hunter and said Brown was wearing a vest with the writing "warrant services" in the top corner. After reviewing surveillance video in the area, DPD said Brown and Moncivais were not in danger of being run over as they fired shots at Knowles' vehicle. "The suspect by firing at the complainant in a moving vehicle intentionally caused his death," the affidavit said.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- RNZ News
Papua New Guinea police blame overrun system for prison breakouts
PNG's courts and prisons are completely overrun, Clement Dala says. Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades Police in Papua New Guinea say the country's overrun courts and prisons are behind mass breakouts from police custody. Chief Superintendent Clement Dala made the comment after 13 detainees escaped last Tuesday in Simbu Province, including eight who were facing murder charges. Dala said an auxiliary policeman who had the keys to a holding cell at Kundiawa Police Station is also on the run. Police are investigating a claim by local media that he is the partner of a female escapee who was facing trial for murder. Six police officers on duty at the time have been suspended for 21 days while investigations continue. "The auxiliary officer is not a recognised police officer and should not have had the key, but it appears he was helping the sole police officer on cell duties," said Dala, who is the acting assistant commissioner for three Highlands provinces. Dala said it appears the auxiliary officer wandered off for a meal and left the cell door open at the entrance to the police station. "He may have played a role in assisting the escapees, but we are still trying to find out exactly what happened." "If we find it was deliberate then he will definitely be arrested. He is probably hiding somewhere nearby and we'll get to him as soon as we can," he said. As of Wednesday, none of the escapees had been caught. Police are relying on community leaders to encourage them to surrender. But this could take a month or longer and police fear some could reoffend. He said the police have previously been told not to use auxiliary officers in any official capacity as they are community liaison officers. "This is a symptom of our severe staff shortages, but I have reissued an instruction banning them from front-line duties," he said. Dala said PNG's courts and prisons are completely overrun, and this is the main reason detainees in police custody escape. He said on any given day there could be up to 200 people on remand in police cells under his command and many bring in weapons and drugs. "We have different cells for different remandees, but if we are overcrowded we have to keep prisoners in the main corridor, especially those who have committed minor crimes," he said. Dala said some remand prisoners are being kept in police holding cells for more than a month. He said the police have faced a lack of political to deal with severe staff shortages, a lack of training across the force and outdated infrastructure.
