Federal agent Brian Higgins testified about exchanging flirtatious texts with Karen Read before John O'Keefe's death.
Phlebotomist Nicholas Roberts testified that Karen Read had a BAC of minimum 0.135 and maximum 0.292 around 12:45 a.m.
The legal limit for drunken driving is 0.08.
In the ongoing trial of Karen Read, accused of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, on January 29, 2022, testimony focused on two key pieces of evidence: a destroyed phone and blood alcohol content (BAC).
Federal agent Brian Higgins testified that he exchanged flirtatious texts with Karen Read before O'Keefe's death. However, he admitted to destroying his phone and SIM card a few months after the incident. Defense attorneys argued that this action was suspicious and raised questions about potential evidence.
Phlebotomist Nicholas Roberts testified that he drew Karen Read's blood just after 9 a.m., the day O'Keefe died. The minimum BAC in her blood was determined to be 0.135, and the maximum level was 0.292 around 12:45 a.m.
The legal limit for drunken driving is 0.08, and Read's defense team argued that she had not been driving her SUV when O'Keefe was killed. They claimed that he had been beaten by others inside the home of Boston police officer Brian Albert.
Prosecutors maintain that Read maintains her innocence and claims she is being framed. The trial continues with more testimony expected in the coming days.
. Read asked 'Did I hit him?' before or after John O’Keefe was found
. Peak blood alcohol level for Karen Read was between .135% and .292% based on last drink at 12:45 a.m.
. Defense argues investigators focused on Karen Read as a ‘convenient outsider'
. Brian Higgins, a federal agent, exchanged flirtatious texts with Karen Read before O’Keefe’s death
. Higgins threw away his phone and SIM card the day before being served with a court order to preserve evidence
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy and a dichotomous depiction. The appeal to authority occurs when the credibility of the argument is based on the credentials or status of the source rather than its content. In this case, the author relies on the testimony of Nicholas Roberts, a former state police toxicologist, to establish Karen Read's blood alcohol level at different times. This lends an air of expertise and authority to the evidence presented but does not inherently validate it. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction fallacy in the way the article presents the defense's argument: either Karen Read was framed by John O'Keefe's friends or she had help from other suspects. The article does not consider that there could be other explanations or combinations of circumstances. Furthermore, while not explicitly naming sides, it seems to cast doubt on the credibility of certain witnesses and implicated individuals through inflammatory rhetoric.
The highly publicized trial entered its fifth week...
O'Keefe had been raising his niece and nephew, and they told jurors Tuesday that they heard frequent arguments between him and Read...
Higgins, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [...] acknowledged extracting only those messages before throwing away his phone during the murder investigation...
Brian Higgins destroyed his phone and SIM card a few months after Karen Read was charged with murdering John O’Keefe.
Phlebotomist drew Read’s blood just after 9 a.m. on the day O’Keefe died.
Minimum blood alcohol content in Read’s blood was determined to be 0.135 and maximum level was 0.292 around 12:45 a.m.
Accuracy
Peak blood alcohol level for Karen Read was between .135% and .292% based on last drink at 12:45 a.m.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction in the statement 'Read maintains her innocence and claims she’s being framed. Her attorneys contend O’Keefe was beaten by others inside the Albert home – and possibly bitten by the family dog, Chloe – before being left outside to die.' This creates a false dichotomy between Read's version of events and the prosecution's version, implying that only one of these versions can be true when in fact both could be possible. Additionally, there are several instances of appeals to authority throughout the article. For example, 'Nicholas Roberts, a field service engineer for the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific, testified that he analyzed the blood sample and determined Read’s minimum blood alcohol content was 0.135 and her maximum level was 0.292 around 12:45 a.m.' This statement implies that Roberts' analysis is definitive proof of Read's intoxication at the time of the alleged crime.
]Read maintains her innocence and claims she’s being framed. Her attorneys contend O’Keefe was beaten by others inside the Albert home – and possibly bitten by the family dog, Chloe – before being left outside to die.[
Nicholas Roberts, a field service engineer for the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific, testified that he analyzed the blood sample and determined Read’s minimum blood alcohol content was 0.135 and her maximum level was 0.292 around 12:45 a.m.
Massachusetts State Police requested footage from Canton’s security cameras for the intersection of Washington and Sherman Streets between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., and between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., on January 29, 2022.
Two cameras have a view of the specified area in Canton’s security system.
The town keeps security footage for at least 30 days.
