America’s ‘happiest homicide defendant’ Karen Learn has teased that she is keen to take testify as she stands accused of murdering her Boston cop boyfriend.
Learn, 44, has lengthy denied having any involvement in her boyfriend John O’Keefe’s demise in January 2022 – as a substitute claiming she is being framed by police in an enormous conspiracy.
She now says she want to show her case herself.
‘I might wish to fill in some holes and proper some lies,’ Learn advised reporters outdoors the Norfolk County Superior Court docket on Tuesday.
‘Nevertheless it’s as much as the attorneys and so they’ll make the decision – in all probability on the eleventh hour.’
‘I am there or not there,’ she continued. ‘I defer to them.’
Karen Learn, 44, advised reporters on Tuesday she is keen to take the stand in her homicide trial
Learn went on to elucidate why she want to take the stand.
‘I am an outspoken particular person and I’ve by no means not been capable of communicate up for myself in my protection besides when it issues most,’ she mentioned.
‘I’ve received to depend on them and their experience,’ Learn mentioned of her protection crew. ‘I will defer to the attorneys.’
Learn’s look outdoors the courthouse on Tuesday got here as attorneys on each side have been arguing whether or not to permit sure protection witnesses.
They subjected the potential witnesses to questioning with no jury, because the trial is about to proceed with the prosecution wrapping up its case on Thursday.
However Learn derided the arguments the prosecution has made to this point, telling reporters on Tuesday: ‘There isn’t a case in opposition to me.
‘After eight weeks, it is smoke and mirrors, and it is going by way of my non-public life and making an attempt to contrive a motive that was by no means there.’
John O’Keefe, a 16-year Boston cop, was discovered lifeless round 6am on January 29, 2022, outdoors a home the place Learn dropped him off for an afterparty round 12.45am
Prosecutors have claimed Learn and O’Keefe’s relationship was on the rocks on the time
O’Keefe’s was discovered unconscious in a snowbank outdoors a home Learn dropped him off on the evening earlier than, with cranium fractures, swollen eyes and hypothermia at round 6am on January 29, 2022.
He and Learn had earlier gone out to rejoice the acceptance of his niece into non-public faculty, and pictures from one of many bars, CR McCarthy’s in Boston, confirmed her embracing O’Keefe – hugging and kissing the person she is accused of killing simply hours later.
However prosecutors declare Learn and O’Keefe’s relationship had been on the rocks amid allegations he was dishonest and tensions over the 2 kids in O’Keefe’s care – his orphaned niece and nephew.
They declare she then hit O’Keefe outdoors of the home celebration along with her SUV that evening and left him to die – pointing to fragments from her automobile that have been left on the scene.
The 2 had gone out consuming at a Boston bar earlier than she dropped him off on the celebration
Prosecutors have additionally claimed that witnesses on the scene heard Learn yell ‘I hit him!’ when she and two associates discovered his physique, together with ‘that is my fault. I did this.’
Learn’s protection, nonetheless, was capable of get cops to acknowledge they by no means truly heard her say she hit O’Keefe, who was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Division.
Protection attorneys additionally refuted the concept there was hassle with the connection, with O’Keefe’s associates on the bar testifying that the couple appeared content material that evening.
As a substitute, they declare O’Keefe was crushed up by individuals on the celebration and thrown outdoors the place he died on the garden.
They argue that the police didn’t then correctly examine O’Keefe’s demise, and have singled out Massachusetts State Trooper Lt. Michael Proctor for his shut relationship with a variety of legislation enforcement linked to the case – together with the proprietor of the house the place O’Keefe was discovered, Brian Albert.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor admitted final week to sending textual content messages disparaging Learn
Proctor, who led the investigation into O’Keefe’s demise, has since admitted in courtroom to sending textual content messages disparaging Learn and denying that Albert would face any repercussions.
He known as Learn a ‘whack job’ and a ‘cunt’ and referred to her as a ‘babe’ with ‘no ass,’ whereas additionally making gentle of her ‘Fall River accent’ in some textual content messages to associates, whereas in others he joked about rummaging by way of her telephone for nude pictures in the course of the course of the investigation.
In different messages, Proctor texted his associates that there’ll ‘be some critical prices introduced on the woman,’ referring to Learn.
He claimed within the messages that Learn ‘waffled him’ and that ‘she hit him along with her automobile,’ in keeping with the Boston Globe.
‘We’ll lock this whack job up,’ he wrote in one of many messages.
On the stand final week, Proctor repeatedly apologized for the textual content messages, calling it ‘poor language’ that had ‘no bearing’ on the investigation.
He mentioned that ‘these juvenile, unprofessional feedback had zero influence on the info, the proof and the integrity of the investigation.’
