Overview

• The prosecution rested Thursday after about a month of testimony, including forensic analyses and witnesses who heard Read repeatedly say “I hit him.”
• Crash reconstruction expert Judson Welcher testified that taillight damage and SUV telemetry indicated the vehicle struck Officer John O’Keefe at around 24 mph, a finding defense attorneys rigorously challenged.
• Prosecutors highlighted shattered taillight fragments, DNA from a broken cocktail glass and digital data from the Lexus’s modules to support their theory of the collision.
• Special prosecutor Hank Brennan streamlined the case by omitting previously discredited investigators and officers from the witness list to minimize bias challenges.
• The defense plans to present a “more robust” case with over 90 potential witnesses and renewed attacks on evidence integrity and claims of a police framing conspiracy.