DEDHAM, Mass. — Will Karen Read’s dog expert testify at her retrial? That was the focus of a hearing Thursday in Dedham.
Dr. Marie Russell testified at Read’s first trial.
The defense wants to bring her back, but the prosecution wants to block that.
[ Watch live: Karen Read returns to court for hearing on dog bite expert, new retrial date ]
“Those wounds were inflicted by a dog attack,” said former police officer and emergency room doctor Marie Russell.
She says the holes in John O’Keefe’s hoodie and the wounds to his arm are from a dog. Unwavering in her approach, she described her theory down to the teeth.
“The ones closest to the shoulder...were caused by the canine teeth, the upper canine teeth of the dog,” she said.
And she took it even further.
Dr. Russell’s opinion is that O’Keefe’s injuries do not appear to have been caused by a vehicle.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan wants to block Dr. Russell from taking the stand at Read’s retrial.
He says Russell’s testimony has changed since the last time she was on the stand – because previously she wasn’t certain what type of animal was involved.
Brennan also had a lot of questions about her qualifications, asking whether or not she was an expert in accident reconstruction or orthopedics, to which Dr. Russell replied, “No.”
Hank Brennan only got an hour to question Dr. Russell.
He will pick up that questioning when this hearing continues on January 7.
[ Everything you need to know about the Karen Read case ]
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