How ‘Turtleboy’ blogger nearly derailed the Karen Read murder case before the trial started

Karen Read’s high-profile trial has gained notoriety and attracted a media storm fanned by true crime bloggers, but it was nearly derailed before it even began thanks to one named “Turtleboy.”

Aidan Kearney has written about her case and trial extensively for the local blog, Turtleboy Daily News. He has publicly questioned the investigation in his social media posts and published articles, accusing some of the witnesses of being the true culprits.

The blogger posted his attempts to contact some of the witnesses, spoke of many of them using crude language and brought followers to “protests” outside their homes, The Patriot Ledger reported.

Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the January 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe, who prosecutors claim she struck with her SUV and left him out in the snow to die after a night of drinking.

Read’s attorneys, however, argue that she is the victim of an elaborate coverup by several people, including law enforcement, at the Canton home of Brian Albert where she found her boyfriend’s snow-covered body in the front yard hours after she dropped him off.

The defense called only a handful of witnesses over two days, but used its time in cross-examining prosecution witnesses to raise questions about the investigation, including conflicts of interest and sloppy police work.

The theory was echoed by a chorus of supporters who often camp outside the courthouse. One of them is the “Turtleboy” blogger, who has also been known to film himself confronting witnesses in public.

Kearney now faces legal troubles of his own after being accused of intimidating and harassing witnesses related to Read’s case. He was first arrested and charged in October 2023.

At a press conference following his arraignment and release, Kearney told reporters he will not be silenced.

“They will never shut me up, they will never, ever, ever stop me from reporting the truth about what happened to John O’Keefe,” he said. “Reporting the news is not harassment. Asking questions is not harassment.”

A grand jury further indicted him on more charges in December, all related to witness tampering and intimidation. At the same time, a judge revoked his bail and he was sent to jail.

Additional charges were added in February, at which point Kearney was released from jail on personal recognisance. He is due back in court on July 11.

Prosecutors claim the blogger used his platform to intimidate witnesses, such as by posting the phone number of a police officer who investigated the case.

Meanwhile, Kearney denies any wrongdoing and said he is exercising his right to free speech. Kearney also launched a fundraiser for legal fees, receiving more than $100,000.

Now, as Read’s trial nears an end, Kearney is once again back in the news.

According to NBC10 Boston, a heated confrontation broke out between Kearney and another Canton resident outside CF McCarthy’s and D&E Pizza on Sunday.

Cellphone video shot by Kearney’s girlfriend, according to the local outlet, shows a woman approaching Kearney and attempting to rip his phone out of his hands.

She is heard calling him names and yelling “enough is enough,” as she accuses him of harassing her family, which NBC reported to be the Alberts.

“Why are you so involved in my family’s life? Why don’t you mind your own business?” she asked.

“Because they killed John O’Keefe,” Kearney fires back at her.

Canton police confirmed to NBC10 on Monday that Jillian Daniels and James Farris were charged with assault and battery on Kearney.

The confrontation happened a day before closing arguments kicked off in Read’s trial, in which jurors were presented with two starkly different accounts of either a callous girlfriend who drove off after running over her boyfriend or an innocent victim of a frame job to cover up a beatdown by the victim’s fellow police officers.

Read, 44, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, along with manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.

The manslaughter charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison, and the other charge has a maximum penalty of 10 years.

“Turtleboy” was mentioned in the trial for the first time on May 22 when Jennifer McCabe was on the stand answering questions about a Google search she made on the morning of January 29, 2022 about how long it takes a person to die in the cold.

The prosecution claims the search was conducted at Read’s urging after O’Keefe’s body was found. But the defense argued that McCabe made the search hours before he was discovered.

When defense attorney Alan Jackson asked McCabe if she remembered what she searched for, she said yes “because you’ve put it out on social media.”

Jackson told the court he did not put the information on social media and then McCabe replied: “’m sorry. Turtleboy did.”

McCabe had previously referred to Kearney as “some named blogger that I think the defense is very familiar with.”