Karen Learn’s protection saved her strongest witness for final, specialists inform Fox Information Digital, bringing in Dr. Andrew Rentschler to attempt to debunk the prosecution’s claims about how her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe, died.
Jurors have the time without work Thursday and can start deliberations after receiving directions from the choose and listening to closing arguments Friday.
Learn, 45, is accused of hitting O’Keefe, 46, together with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die on the bottom with a cranium fracture throughout a blizzard.
Her protection denies that her car ever struck O’Keefe, and Rentschler spent two days on the stand explaining how he got here to the conclusion that O’Keefe’s accidents have been inconsistent with a car strike on a pedestrian.
“I do not believe that injury is consistent with being struck by an SUV at approximately 24 miles an hour,” he testified.
O’Keefe had no damaged bones on his proper arm, solely superficial abrasions, he testified. Primarily based on his testing at ARCCA, a crash reconstruction agency, he mentioned that the arm ought to have sustained extra severe harm.
Rentschler mentioned he didn’t consider Learn’s SUV might have struck O’Keefe primarily based on his accidents and ARCCA testing.
However particular prosecutor Hank Brennan grilled him on cross-examination, questioning how thorough his testing was and forcing him to concede that he didn’t take note of shattered items of taillight on the bottom close to O’Keefe and embedded in his garments.
“The prosecutor will definitely zero-in on this in closing,” mentioned David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area prison protection legal professional and former prosecutor. “The closings will be key for both parties now. Brennan and [defense attorney Alan] Jackson are both strong personalities, so this is going to be big.”
Brennan additionally revealed Wednesday afternoon that he won’t name a rebuttal witness to the stand earlier than the case goes to jurors.
In what might boil all the way down to a so-called battle of the specialists, authorized analysts say Rentschler was a strong selection to shut out the case.
“He methodically explained why the DA’s theory of an SUV-pedestrian strike doesn’t hold up,” mentioned Mark Bederow, the New York Metropolis-based legal professional representing Learn ally and Canton blogger Aidan Kearney. “The lack of arm injuries, the lack of holes in the hoodie, which doesn’t come close to corresponding with the amount abrasions, the final location of John O’Keefe not making sense.”
He argued that Rentschler’s exhibiting might have prompted Brennan to “wave the white flag” quite than name Dr. Judson Welcher again to the stand for rebuttal.
Welcher drew the alternative conclusion from Rentschler – testifying that in his opinion, Learn’s SUV clipped O’Keefe with a glancing blow, knocking him off-balance earlier than he fell and cracked his cranium.
“The defense could not have finished the trial any stronger than they did,” Bederow mentioned.
Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts choose and Boston School legislation professor, mentioned having Rentschler go final was each a normal technique and a great one.
“What stood out is that he was steadfast that Dr. Welcher’s testimony about simulating the contact was fallacious. Counterpoint: so was Rentschler’s,” Lu informed Fox Information Digital.
He mentioned each are a part of a profit-based consulting business and at factors, their testing got here throughout as absurd.
“You have a disembodied arm hitting a Lexus, versus a grease-painted expert getting hit at low speed by a Lexus,” he mentioned.
Cannone gave jurors the time without work Thursday so the edges can maintain a charging convention.
The panel returns Friday for jury directions and shutting arguments.
