Norfolk DA: Information given by feds in Karen Read case relevant to 4 other murder cases
Norfolk County prosecutors uncovered evidence they believe to be relevant to at least five unrelated cases during their review of the materials turned up by the federal government's investigation of the Karen Read case .
First Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Lisa Beatty did not detail what exactly the materials were or when they would be turned over to the defense lawyers . Instead, she told Judge Peter Krupp at a Monday afternoon hearing, state prosecutors were "continuing to have conversations and negotiations" with federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office.
"What steps we take from there, I don't know at this point in time," Beatty said.
The issue of the federal materials from the Read case first arose in mid-July, when prosecutors filed notice in several unrelated cases that a federal court order required them to return or destroy the materials by July 18 — 30 days after Read was acquitted.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise Casper eventually extended that deadline several times, most recently to Oct. 21, to allow state prosecutors time to review and potentially disclose relevant information in the materials. Prosecutors have thus far turned over only the communications sent by former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor during his investigation, which were uncovered by federal authorities.
The affected cases include several cases worked on by Proctor, who was fired in March. Krupp has held hearings on the issue related to five cases: those of Brian Walshe , Myles King , Shawn Johnson, Jovani Delossantos and Bianca Chionchio. All but Chionchio are charged with murder.
As the issue continues to drag on, prosecutors are coming up against that October deadline, which coincides with the beginning of Walshe's trial a day earlier.
"We're 35 days away from the destruction order, and as far as I can tell, we're not very far advanced as to where we were 25 days ago," said Rosemary Scapicchio, who represents King and Johnson, during the hearing.
But Krupp, who has presided over nearly every hearing on the issue, countered that prosecutors completing their review of the materials was a step forward.
Krupp set a further hearing on the issue for Sept. 25 at noon.
The exact contours of the federal investigation in the Read case are unclear, but its existence was revealed in court filings and hearings ahead of Read's first trial. Federal prosecutors convened a grand jury to hear evidence during their investigation of the Read case, and several key witnesses, including Proctor , testified before it.
The investigation ended this year , according to Hank Brennan, the special prosecutor assigned to the Read case. A letter sent to Beatty in connection with the federal materials issue appears to confirm Brennan's representations.
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