Lost in his bid to lift restrictions following a charge of witness intimidation in a murder case involving the death of a police officer from Braintree, a blogger going by the name “Turtleboy” failed in his attempt to overcome the imposed restrictions after being arrested and charged in October. The blogger, Aidan Kearney, was urged to steer clear of witnesses involved in the case against Karen Read, accused of killing Boston police officer John O’Keefe, a Braintree native. The incident occurred when Read hit O’Keefe with her vehicle after a drinking session outside a home in Canton. Despite claims of victimization, prosecutors maintain that Read caused the accident. The Dedham Superior Court Judge, Peter Krupp, refused Kearney’s plea to lift the restrictions in a 22-page order. WCVB reported that Krupp, on the other hand, permitted Kearney to attend hearings in the case, even if that brought him within 100 feet of the witnesses.
Krupp’s ruling took into account Kearney’s support of the defense, stating that “To say defendant has taken a pro-defense position on the Read case is to understate the level of his partisanship and advocacy.” The judge also noted Kearney’s aggressive tactics, describing how he “has berated witnesses in the Read case, badgered them despite their reluctance to engage with him, and pressured them to alter their testimony.” These actions, according to Krupp, have contributed to Kearney’s substantial online following through his provocative coverage and inflammatory blog posts about the case.
This article was originally published in The Patriot Ledger: Judge rules against ‘Turtleboy’ blogger in Karen Read murder case
