Karen Read defense destroys crash expert who changed his slides days before testifying she killed Boston cop

A key prosecution witness just got caught red-handed making last-minute changes to his expert testimony. The timing couldn’t be worse for the state’s case.

The Defense Smells Blood in the Water

Defense attorney Robert Alessi wasn’t holding back during his cross-examination of Dr. Judson Welcher, the crash reconstruction expert brought in to bolster the prosecution’s case against Karen Read.

Read stands accused of fatally striking her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her 2021 Lexus SUV during a January 2022 blizzard.

But Alessi had ammunition that would make any defense attorney salivate.

A Case Built on Shifting Ground

The retrial comes after Read’s first trial ended in a hung jury, with jurors unable to reach a verdict last year.

Read has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, and her defense team maintains she never struck O’Keefe with her vehicle.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for both sides in this high-profile case that has captivated Massachusetts.

The Expert’s Confident Claims

Dr. Welcher had testified with apparent certainty that O’Keefe’s injuries lined up perfectly with Read’s shattered taillight.

“[O’Keefe’s injuries are] consistent with being struck by a Lexus and also contacting a hard surface, such as frozen ground,” Welcher told the court.

It seemed like damning testimony for the defense to overcome.

But Alessi had done his homework.

Judge Blocks Defense Strategy

Earlier in the day, Judge Beverly Cannone had handed the defense a setback, denying their request to question Welcher about previous testimony from the first trial.

The judge also blocked questions about the medical examiner’s findings, which notably did not rule O’Keefe’s death a homicide.

Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello had testified that O’Keefe’s fatal head injury was consistent with falling backward and hitting the ground, ruling the manner of death “undetermined.”

The Smoking Gun Emerges

But Alessi didn’t need those blocked avenues of attack.

He had something much more damaging: evidence that Welcher had made changes to his expert report just days before taking the witness stand.

The defense attorney systematically grilled the expert about whether he could know for certain how O’Keefe suffered his injuries.

The Devastating Revelation

The bombshell came when Alessi exposed that Welcher had edited his presentation slides in the days immediately before testifying.

For a jury already skeptical after the first trial’s hung verdict, the timing of these changes raises serious questions about the reliability of the expert’s conclusions.

Last-minute alterations to expert testimony can suggest uncertainty, bias, or worse – that the witness is tailoring their findings to fit the prosecution’s narrative.

What This Means Going Forward

The cross-examination will continue Thursday morning, giving Alessi more opportunities to undermine the prosecution’s key witness.

With the medical examiner having ruled the manner of death “undetermined” and now questions swirling around the crash expert’s credibility, the prosecution’s case appears increasingly shaky.

For Karen Read, whose freedom hangs in the balance, her defense team’s aggressive strategy may be paying dividends when it matters most.