We ended yesterday talking about how Voss states that the federal investigation into the death of John O'Keefe "ultimately went nowhere." Anyone who has watched the second trial knows this not to be true. Information used in both trials came from the federal investigation. Witness testimony from the federal grand jury was addressed in cross examination. Changing stories (and outright lies!) came from the federal investigation and were discussed at trial. Even if the public or the jurors didn't know this type of information was gleaned directly from the feds - since it wasn't allowed to be directly discussed - it did, and it was. So, the federal investigation did, in fact, go somewhere.
Of course, the federal investigation lent legitimacy to Karen Read's defense. This is a no-brainer. But public perception and the presentation to the jury are two different ways in which it did so.
Voss now gives us a salacious tidbit - the Hos Defendants (I can no longer refer to them as "witnesses") have hired Chris Mattei. She brags about his Sandy Hook CV, and the historic defamation verdict. She fails to mention the courts found him liable because of his refusal to follow court orders and hand over requested evidence. This wasn't a fight Mattei one. Alex Jones forfeited.
We get a tidbit from Jen Jen Jen. She loved John. And she "loved Kayley." (Does she not anymore?) All she did was answer the phone at 4:53am that morning. And now her life has been "destroyed."
Has it though, Jen? Who's lives have really been destroyed here. Maybe the lives of the two people you just fucking mentioned??
We move on to a bold heading, so we know that we're moving to a different part of the story, like the start of a new chapter in a novel.
We open on a blogger journalist typing furious in the late hours of April 18, 2023. Aidan is working on his first in what will become a Series on the Canton Coverup. Gretchen explains to us that he is texting back and forth with Natalie Wikileaks or something or other, and that she is actually a vessel that Karen Read has inhabited, like the movie Ghost, because Karen is talking through her.
And maybe she is. I'm not sure I give two shits. Is it wrong for the subject of a piece to ask to review or request changes in an article being written about them? I don't think it is. The writer would have no obligation to make changes, but I think this happens more often than we know - I feel like I remember a story in which some celebrity wouldn't allow an article to be published because the journalist wouldn't edit in certain way - the journalist tossed the piece, for fear of lawsuit or negative attention. I wish I could remember the players. It's just something I saw on like 60 Minutes 100 years ago.
But I digress.
Gretchen shares the story of Natalie and Aidan's meet-cute: Facebook. This was like a week before 4/18/23. We're moving around in time to make it confusing. Karen allegedly blessed Adian using Natalie as a source, and then Natalie and Karen sent Aidan some screenshots of social media pics. Colin's knuckles. A pic of Jen McCabe so Aidan would know what she looked like. I can personally picture Aidan being like, "does Natalie not think I could get this stuff myself? But, okay... make my job easier for me!")
And we learn that Natalie now regrets helping. I don't know much about all that, and whatever falling(s) out she's had with Aidan, Karen or anyone else - but she is really not a character in any of this so I don't actually care.
We'll wrap be quicker today because I'm pressed for time. I'm only 5 Word pages into this 20-page, 8300-word article.
Gretchen Voss lets us know, in her very next paragraph, the following:
"Kearney was an unlikely person to take on this role. Less
than two weeks after O’Keefe’s death the prior year, he addressed
the case on a YouTube livestream. “No doubt she killed him, because
obviously the taillight was out, but who the fuck intentionally kills someone
by backing into them?” he told his fans. He speculated that Read was drunk and
had driven into her boyfriend by accident."
She wants us to know what his motivation could be to get involved. Attention? Money? We'll later hear about his new Lexus, which is also mentioned in her 2023 article.
Funny - something she doesn't EVER mention is Aidan saying something along the lines of I think the news said there's ring cam footage of her hitting him? I dunno, sad, but yeah, anyway. Moving on.
Because Aidan didn't know yet that there wasn't video footage of the incident, or that there was even a story worth talking or writing about.
Comments