Emotional estimony from John O’Keefe’s mom

Boston police officer John O’Keefe’s mom was known as to testify on Wednesday within the retrial of Karen Learn, the Massachusetts lady accused in connection together with his demise. Peggy O’Keefe didn’t testify throughout Learn’s first trial.Below direct examination, she emotionally described seeing Learn at Good Samaritan Hospital after her son’s physique was taken there. Peggy O’Keefe mentioned Learn shouted at her, “Peg, is he lifeless?”She additionally described chatting with Learn by cellphone whereas on the way in which to the hospital. Peggy O’Keefe mentioned Learn instructed her that she left John O’Keefe at a celebration.”She simply mentioned, ‘I left him there,'” Peggy O’Keefe testified. Learn, 45, of Mansfield, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, has pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide and different prices.The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, together with her Lexus SUV exterior of a house in Canton throughout a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following an evening of ingesting. Learn’s attorneys once more plan to pursue a third-party offender protection technique, arguing that another person was chargeable for killing O’Keefe and that Learn is the sufferer of a regulation enforcement cover-up.Video under: Peggy O’Keefe’s full testimonyAlso on Wednesday afternoon, Trooper Nicholas Guarino testified about how knowledge was obtained from cellphones belonging to Learn, O’Keefe, Kerry Roberts and Jen McCabe. Paramedic Daniel Whitley was known as to testify about being ordered to take Learn to the hospital for a psychiatric analysis. Video under: Prosecution’s opening statementVideo under: Protection’s opening statementKerry Roberts, one in every of O’Keefe’s associates, testified that earlier than his physique was discovered, she went with Learn and Jennifer McCabe to his dwelling. Roberts mentioned that, as they left, Learn identified that one in every of her taillights was broken. She mentioned Learn requested, “Do you suppose I hit him?” and famous {that a} piece of taillight from Learn’s SUV was lacking.Roberts was with Learn after they discovered O’Keefe mendacity within the snow exterior the Canton dwelling. She mentioned when the EMTs arrived, Learn was working round saying, “Did I hit him? Did I hit him?” On cross-examination, Roberts acknowledged that she didn’t point out the damaged tail gentle in her preliminary interview, however did point out it in subsequent interviews.The protection is in search of to persuade the jury that the taillight was damaged by police after they impounded the automobile as a part of their investigation.Earlier than Wednesday’s lunch break, particular prosecutor Hank Brennan performed a clip from Learn’s interview with reporter Gretchen Voss by which the defendant described choosing items of taillight off her SUV and dropping them in O’Keefe’s driveway earlier than going to search for him. What to know concerning the case:Karen Learn, 45, of Mansfield, pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide and different prices. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, together with her automobile exterior of a house in Canton throughout a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following an evening of ingesting. Learn’s protection crew argues that another person was chargeable for killing O’Keefe.The protection centered on allegations of a cover-up involving members of a number of regulation enforcement companies. They are saying O’Keefe was crushed inside the house, bitten by a canine after which left exterior.Testimony in Learn’s first trial started on April 29, 2024, following opening statements. It ended on July 1, when jurors reported being hopelessly deadlocked, and a mistrial was declared.Learn’s crew vowed to maintain preventing, and her protection has waged a substantial battle throughout a number of courts, making an attempt to get prices dropped or have the case thrown out completely. In the meantime, a federal investigation into the case concluded with none prices being filed in opposition to police.Finally, jury choice for Learn’s retrial started on April 1 and continued by April 15. Eighteen jurors had been chosen, and 12 of them will deliberate on the verdicts. Alternates might be chosen and separated from the deliberating jurors earlier than deliberations start.