DEDHAM, Mass. — A dog bite expert was back on the stand Tuesday morning as the high-profile Karen Read murder case returned to court for another pre-retrial hearing.
Good morning from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham where I'm seated with other reporters in the jury box for a pretrial hearing in the Karen Read case. We are in the same courthouse as the first trial.
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) January 7, 2025
The bulk of today's hearing will be focused on Dr. Marie Russell's…
The hearing is being held in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court.
WATCH LIVE: Dog bite expert in Karen Read murder case back on stand after recess.WATCH LIVE: Dog bite expert in Karen Read case faces more questions about John O'Keefe's injuries following afternoon recess.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Tuesday, January 7, 2025
WATCH LIVE: Dog bite expert grilled by prosecution as Karen Read murder case returns to court.WATCH LIVE: Prosecution continues questioning of dog bite expert as Karen Read hearing returns from morning recess.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Tuesday, January 7, 2025
WATCH LIVE: Dog bite expert back on stand as Karen Read case returns to court.WATCH LIVE: The battle over testimony from the defense's dog bite expert continues as the Karen Read murder case returns to court.
Posted by Boston 25 News on Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Read is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die in the snow outside the Canton home of fellow Boston officer Brian Albert after a night of drinking.
Dr. Marie Russell, a dog bite expert who testified for Read’s defense team during her first trial, was being questioned by the prosecution. Russell underwent questioning by the defense in December.
Brennan says Dr. Russell used "no science or standard" to determine the cause of John O'Keefe's arm injuries, "the truth is you don’t know," Brennan says.
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) January 7, 2025
Dr. Russell responds, "I disagree with that"
The defense wants to bring Russell back as a key witness for Read’s second trial, which Judge Beverly Cannone agreed to delay until April 2025, but the prosecution wants to block that.
Russell previously testified that the holes found in O’Keefe’s hoodie and the wounds to his arm were from a dog. Russell’s opinion is that O’Keefe’s injuries do not appear to have been caused by a vehicle.
“Those wounds were inflicted by a dog attack,” said Russell, former police officer and emergency room doctor.
The defense has sought to portray Read as the victim, saying O’Keefe was actually killed inside the Albert family home and then dragged outside and left for dead.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan wants to block Russell from taking the stand at Read’s retrial because he says her testimony has changed since the last time she was on the stand.
Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan's questioning is focused on Dr. Marie Russell's use of the word "possibly" in her previous testimony about wounds on John O'Keefe's being dog bites.
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) January 7, 2025
Brennan says Dr. Russell's opinion is "subjective".
Dr Russell responds that she has years of…
During the December hearing, Brennan only got an hour to question Russell. His questioning will pick back up on Tuesday.
Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury this past summer.
RELATED:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
