Latest news with #Read
San Francisco Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Investigator and jurors speak out about Karen Read murder trial in aftermath of not guilty verdict
Two jurors and the lead investigator in murder trial of Karen Read have come forward to comment about the case since a jury returned a not guilty verdict earlier this week. Read, 45, was charged with second-degree murder by authorities who said she intentionally hit Boston police officer John O'Keefe with her car after a night of drinking in the suburbs. The high-profile case culminated in a not guilty verdict on murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene charges Wednesday. The jury found Read guilty of operating a vehicle while under the influence. The trial has centered in part on lead investigator Michael Proctor, who defense attorneys described as biased against Read from the beginning. The State Police Trial Board found Proctor guilty of sending crude and defamatory text messages about Read while leading the investigation into her. He was fired and has drawn ire from Read supporters who believe he played a key role in a cover-up to frame her. Proctor told NBC's 'Dateline' that the idea he is corrupt and framed Read is a 'ridiculous' accusation. He specifically said an accusation that he cracked Read's taillight to make it look like she backed into O'Keefe is 'absolutely not" true. 'I laugh because it's such a ridiculous accusation,' Proctor told the program. 'There's not one piece of evidence or fact to support that because it did not happen.' The judge in the case announced via court papers Wednesday that the jurors' names would be sealed from public view due to safety concerns. But one of the jurors, who identified himself only as 'Jason' in an interview with TMZ, said he did not believe Read collided with O'Keefe. He also said he did not think investigators planted taillight pieces at the scene to frame Read. 'I don't really know if there was a cover-up or not. I know that's the big conspiracy about it but I don't really know. All I know is there was a lot of holes in their investigation,' the juror said. Another juror, Paula Prado, told local news stations her mind changed about the case over the course of the last three weeks. At first, she thought Read was guilty of manslaughter, but her opinion changed as the case progressed. 'As the weeks passed by, I just realized there was too many holes that we couldn't fill. And there's nothing that put her at the scene in our opinion, despite just dropping John O'Keefe off,' Prado told media. Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that it extends its 'sincerest condolences to the loved ones of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.' The statement said the the events of the last three years have 'challenged' the department to reviews it actions and improve accountability and oversight. 'Under my direction as colonel, the state police has, and will continue to, improve in these regards. Our focus remains on delivering excellent police services that reflect the value of professionalism and maintain public trust,' Colonel Geoffrey Noble said in the statement. The jurors, state police and Proctor are not the first to speak out about the verdict. Some of the key witnesses in the trial released a joint statement Wednesday in which they called the not guilty ruling a 'devastating miscarriage of justice.' The joint statement was issued by several people including Brian Albert, who owned the home where the party took place, and Jennifer McCabe, Albert's sister-in-law, who was with Read and O'Keefe on the night of O'Keefe's death. Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said only: 'The jury has spoken.'
Politico
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
The Karen Read race
CASE CLOSED, RACE OPEN — The drama surrounding the drawn-out Karen Read murder trial finally reached its courtroom conclusion Wednesday. Now, it's about to hit the campaign trail. Read was acquitted Wednesday of the second-degree murder charge prosecutors retried her for, accusing her of killing her boyfriend, John O'Keefe. The made-for-TV trial and retrial (now part of an HBO docuseries with a three-part Netflix film on the way) attracted a flurry of attention across the country and outside the courthouse. It also drew scrutiny to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office, particularly after one of the lead investigators on the case, Michael Proctor, was suspended and then fired after an investigation found he shared details of the case with non-law enforcement personnel and disparaged Read in a series of texts. Morrissey has already drawn two Democratic challengers — Craig MacLellan, a former prosecutor in Suffolk County, and Djuna Perkins, a former assistant district attorney in Suffolk County— who both launched their campaigns amid the messy trial last year. Perkins called on Morrissey to step down in a lengthy Facebook post in the wake of the verdict, criticizing the cost of retrying the case. Republicans are also eyeing the office. The MassGOP put out calls to potential candidates on social media over the past few days. Morrissey's campaign didn't respond to an inquiry yesterday. A poll conducted shortly after the verdict showed Morrisey's support flagging. Only about 4 percent of the more than 1,100 registered voters who responded to the Opinion Diagnostics survey — which ran from 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday after the jury announced their verdict — said they believed he had performed his job as Norfolk County District Attorney well enough to deserve reelection. Sixty percent said they believed it's time for someone new to fill the role. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. Based on those results, 'It is impossible for me to see how he is going to be reelected in 2026 either by winning a Democratic primary, or winning a general election,' pollster Brian Wynne told Playbook. Morrissey, who hasn't faced an electoral challenge in more than a decade, still has a cash advantage. He has $426,696 in his campaign account as of the end of May, more than both Perkins ($30,517) and MacLellan ($25,002). GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Stay cool and stay off the Mass Pike this weekend if you can help it. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at Embrace Boston's 'Embrace Ideas Festival' at 1 p.m. in Boston. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at a ribbon cutting for Martha's Vineyard Hospital & Navigator Nursing Home's workforce housing initiative at 5 p.m. in Edgartown. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the Pine Street Inn job training graduation at 10:45 a.m. in the South End. THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Katherine Clark is on WBZ's 'Keller @ Large' at 8:30 a.m. and NBC 10 Boston Weekend Today at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@ DATELINE BEACON HILL — Senate putting reproductive rights bill on floor next week by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'The Senate plans to vote next week on legislation updating a 2022 law that shields reproductive and transgender care providers from out-of-state legal action, Senate President Karen Spilka said Wednesday. Marking a response to the shifting policy landscape under the Trump administration, the Senate Ways and Means Committee plans Wednesday to advance the bill (S 2522) that top Senate Democrats pledged to pursue more than two months ago.' — Massachusetts state lawmaker 'lucky' to avoid serious injuries in hit-and-run by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: 'Rep. Steven Xiarhos — a Republican who represents Sandwich and parts of Barnstable and Bourne — was involved in the hit-and-run on Route 3 in Braintree, while en route to the State House from Cape Cod, at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday. 'Another driver, operating recklessly at a high rate of speed, struck the rear of Rep. Xiarhos' vehicle on the highway and narrowly missed colliding with a nearby motorcycle,' Xiarhos' office posted on social media Thursday afternoon.' MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — Mexican workers arrested in immigration raid in South End by Kevin G. Andrade, The New Bedford Light: 'In what may be the largest single immigration detention in the city since January, federal agents detained multiple men near a popular South End restaurant on Thursday. Between five and eight Mexican men on their way to work in the building trades were detained in an operation at the corner of South Second Street and Cove Street in the South End, according to Corinn Williams, director of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts.' — Advocates push for juvenile fingerprint data sharing to end, as ICE detains Chelsea teens by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: 'In Chelsea, at least five minors who were recently arrested by the Chelsea Police Department were detained by federal immigration authorities after their release from police custody. The similarities of these incidents have many in the community feeling extreme distress. In Massachusetts, it's standard practice for police to collect fingerprints of the people they arrest, and share those fingerprints to a database with the FBI.' THE RACE FOR CITY HALL BIG SPENDERS — The money keeps flowing in Boston's mayoral race. The 'Your City, Your Future' that's backing mayoral hopeful Josh Kraft also reported a spate of new donations Wednesday, including $100,000 from billionaire John Paulson, who was floated as a potential Trump Treasury secretary after the president won his second term. The pro-Wu 'Bold Boston' super PAC also reported its first fundraising haul Wednesday night. The PAC has raised $743,000 so far this cycle, a number that includes a $100,000 donation from 1199 SEIU MA PAC, $175,000 from the Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund and $100,000 from Karen Firestone, the mother of Mike Firestone, Wu's chief of policy. — McCauley stepping down from Ward 5 for likely mayoral run by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News: 'Revealing that he has known for months that he would not be seeking another term representing Ward 5, City Councilor Jim McCauley shared why he is seriously considering a run for mayor. 'Last fall, I made a decision not to run for reelection in my ward. And over the last six or eight months, I've seen some things that I think we could do better with a change. I think I can represent that change,' McCauley said, earlier this week while sitting down with Daily News staff.' — West Springfield town councilor, a former cop, aims to silence mayor's 'echo chamber' by Aprell May Munford, The Springfield Republican: 'Over the last 10 years, town government has been on a spending spree, Town Councilor Daniel M. O'Brien says. To oppose that, O'Brien is running for mayor. He took out papers June 2 to run against incumbent Mayor William C. Reichelt in the November election. Reichelt says O'Brien's statements are not true, that town spending is reasonable, and residents are getting value for their money.' PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — MassDOT goes with Irish service plaza operator over local objections by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: 'The MassDOT board of directors has awarded a 35-year service plaza contract to an Ireland-based company over the hundreds of objections offered against the deal. The board sat through more than an hour of complaints about the deal during their regular meeting on Wednesday, with dozens of speakers arriving in person to voice their displeasure and hundreds of opinions offered to them in writing, before overwhelmingly approving the contract selected by a committee formed for that purpose.' ON CAMPUS — UMass Amherst sounds the alarm amid federal uncertainty by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: 'As the federal government cuts back on research and curtails foreign student enrollment, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is sounding the alarm and preparing for the worst, according to a Wednesday email from school administrators. All academic and administrative departments on campus have been asked to develop budget scenarios that include 3% and 5% reductions, according to the administrators. The departments are also being instructed to only hire for positions deemed critical to university operations. Hires that cost more than $50,000 must be approved by the vice chancellor or provost, the administrators wrote.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Markey wants answers from Verizon over lead in old phone lines by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: 'U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey D-Mass., wants to know where Verizon's old lead-sheathed telephone cables are and what the legacy phone company is doing to protect its workers and the public. A sediment sample collected by federal inspectors from a telephone worker manhole under Central Street in Springfield in January was found to be 3% lead.' FROM THE 413 — Déjà vu: Northampton City Council fails to pass budget for second straight year by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'In a repeat of last year's outcome, the City Council on Wednesday failed to approve Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra's budget for next fiscal year, owing in large part to the council president's legal inability to cast the deciding vote. Under the city's charter, the city budget must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the nine-member council, or with six votes. But Council President Alex Jarrett, who represents Ward 5 and spoke in support of the mayor's $145 million budget, could not take the final vote on the budget due to his daytime role in running the Pedal People co-operative collection service.' — Residents petition Amherst to help curb ICE actions in town by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'Amherst residents are petitioning the Town Council to push back on Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions that might lead to immigrants being held against their will and possibly being deported from the United States. At Monday's council meeting, the second held following the late May incidents in which two Amherst residents were picked up by ICE, an appeal was made by residents for police officers to take a more active role in helping immigrants living in the community, and identifying the legitimacy of federal agents who may be operating in town.' THE LOCAL ANGLE —Worcester city councilors fear for their safety amid rise in threats and harassment by Sam Turken, GBH News: 'Worcester city councilors say they've received an increasing number of threats in recent weeks, as tensions across the community remain high following an immigration arrest that turned chaotic. During a City Council meeting Tuesday, Councilor Etel Haxhiaj said she has been stalked, accosted at public events, and sent messages targeting her sons and calling for her to be raped and killed.' — Bridgewater-Raynham teachers speak out ahead of override elections by Emma Rindlisbacher, The Taunton Daily Gazette — How New Bedford is reviving vacant properties by Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light. WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING — Five years after COVID closed schools, Massachusetts parents still worry about pandemic effects on kids by Maria Probert, The Boston Globe. — Whistleblowers claim 2024 psychedelics ballot initiative violated campaign finance laws by Jack Gorsline, HorizonMass. — Fall River plows forward amid tariffs and harsh immigration policies by Omar Mohammed, The Boston Globe. HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Sen. Sal DiDomenico, Mark Gardner, The Boston Globe's Samantha J. Gross, Eagle-Tribune alum Breanna Edelstein, Tom Tripicco, Sydney Asbury, and Anastasia Nicolaou. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to former state Rep. James Dwyer and Mason Reynolds, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is 76; state Rep. Tram Nguyen, state Rep. Kay Khan, Matt Sheaff and Brendan Concannon.
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The Karen Read retrial may be over, but we'll never truly be free of the case. (And now what do we do with ourselves?)
Advertisement All around the world, people who couldn't even believe they cared held their breath until, finally, the verdict was read in open court: Karen Read was not guilty of murdering John O'Keefe. Not guilty of manslaughter. Guilty only of operating a vehicle under the influence. Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up The defense team hugged. The victim's family disappeared from view, as if they had done something wrong. Law enforcement mustered on the steps of the courthouse. The pink bosoms heaved, their hearts full, their eyes on the courthouse doors. It was like waiting for the royal family, or maybe the pope, to take the balcony. Finally, their icon appeared. Read and attorney Alan Jackson flashed the American Sign Language sign for 'I love you.' Attorney David Yannetti pumped his fists. Advertisement 'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have,' Read said. It was glorious — the release they'd all been waiting for — but eventually the stars left the stage and climbed into dark cars and pulled away, and the crowd dispersed and the traffic in downtown Dedham began to flow, and that seemed to be that. The end of an era. Supporters of Karen Read react after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday in Dedham. Josh Reynolds/Associated Press Or, was it? Painful as it is, perhaps now is a good time to recall the Indeed, no sooner had the jury delivered its verdict than the last three and a half years began to feel like merely the prelude to an even juicer season, starting, of course, with the hunt for the real killer! 'The time has come to scrutinize the actions of [people] who were caught lying — committing perjury during the trial,' a Read supporter wrote on Facebook. On the X platform, the snark and 'gotchas' continued with zest, as if the trial hadn't ended. 'Imagine getting convicted of a DUI and you walk outside to streets full of people cheering you on,' one post read. 'The saddest part of the Karen Read saga is John O'Keefe is still dead and the people who actually murdered him will never be punished thanks to the thin blue line,' read another. It was the same story outside the courthouse, where Read supporters were trying to propel the action forward. 'Bev needs to go! Bev needs to go!' the crowd chanted, waving American flags and gunning for Judge Beverly Cannone. Advertisement Aidan Kearney, the now-supercharged blogger known as Turtleboy, announced that he was at last free to reveal that he's involved with a The plot points kept coming. Some of the trial's witnesses put out a somewhat ominous statement. 'While we may have more to say in the future, today we mourn with John's family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories,' read the statement from Jennifer McCabe, who was with Read when she found O'Keefe's body in the snow; Brian Albert, who lived at the home where O'Keefe's body was found, and others. The town of Canton, apparently desperate to move forward (as if), put out its own declaration. 'We encourage members of the community to move forward together, treating one another with respect through civil, constructive dialogue,' it said. And throughout the region, regular citizens began to face a scary reality: themselves. What would they turn to to take their minds off their own lives now? What are people going to do now that they don't have the Read trial to watch or discuss or argue over? Sure, there are books to read, hobbies to develop, and nonprofits at which to volunteer. Then again, considering the pending Beth Teitell can be reached at
Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Boston Globe
After Karen Read debacle, Michael Proctor's work in other murder cases faces scrutiny
They have asked judges to grant them access to Proctor's work and personal cellphones, his work iCloud account, and disciplinary records for him and some State Police colleagues and supervisors in the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey, court records show. Proctor did not testify in the retrial of Read, who was acquitted Wednesday of any responsibility in the 2022 death of O'Keefe, after a mistrial last year. But his role in the initial Read investigation could tarnish his other work. Advertisement 'I believe that the district attorney's office is going to find it harder and harder to run away from Proctor in the other cases that Proctor was involved in,' said attorney Rosemary Scapicchio, who represents three men being prosecuted for murder in cases investigated by Proctor. In cases that prosecutors do distance themselves from Proctor, she added, defense attorneys should be able to inform the jury and ask, 'Why do you think that is?' Advertisement As recently as Tuesday, a judge granted access to some records from Proctor's work and personal cellphones to Scapicchio and other defense lawyers in two pending murder cases, court records show. The identical rulings also ordered Proctor to provide his personal cellphone as well as carrier information to prosecutors and preserve the device and its data. In his orders, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Michael P. Doolin wrote that he had reviewed an independent report about data pulled from Proctor's work phone that found communications that 'support the defense theory that police bias played a role' in the cases. The communications do not 'specifically address' the defendants, Doolin wrote, but they 'demonstrate a pattern of bias and misconduct by Proctor in conducting investigations that fairly suggests there may have been similar impropriety in this case that casts doubt on his credibility as an investigator generally.' He didn't elaborate. Proctor, who has State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble, who took the helm of the force last year, Doolin's ruling involved prosecutions stemming from two fatal shootings that Proctor handled as a lead investigator. Advertisement Shawn Johnson and Jovani Delossantos are charged with murder stemming from the fatal shooting of Ivanildo Cabral, 29, outside of Mojitos Country Club in Randolph on July 4, 2022. King, Johnson, and Delossantos have pleaded not guilty. Proctor was also the lead investigator in the death of Ana Walshe, 39, who prosecutors allege was killed by her husband, Brian, on New Year's Day following a gathering at the couple's Cohasset home. Morrissey's office has said it doesn't plan to call Proctor to testify at that trial. Brian Walshe has pleaded not guilty. But Walshe's lawyers sought a copy of all data extracted from Proctor's work cellphone and iCloud account as well as disciplinary files for him and other troopers assigned to Morrissey's office, and records from a separate federal investigation examining the death of O'Keefe. Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diane C. Freniere declined to grant Walshe's lawyers access to the full scope of records they've sought, though she allowed some requests. 'Simply alleging that there was demonstrated bias by Trooper Proctor against a particular defendant in a different case does not entitle the defendant to access to confidential internal affairs records in order to search for other potential impeachment evidence,' Freniere wrote in the decision. Since then, the prosecution and defense have reached agreements on protective orders governing access to Proctor's internal affairs records, an independent report of data extracted from his work cellphone and iCloud account, and text messages he sent about Read, court records show. Walshe has also asked a judge to toss some of the evidence against him, and a hearing is scheduled for next month to consider his request to dismiss the murder charge, court records show. Advertisement Attorney Larry Tipton, a lawyer for Walshe, declined to comment Thursday. Proctor is also being scrutinized for his role in an investigation that began before he was assigned to Morrissey's office. In 2017, Proctor was the first officer to arrive at the scene of a fatal shooting on Interstate 93 that claimed the life of Scott Stevens Jr., 32, as he drove a motorcycle through Boston, court records show. Scapicchio, who represents Holloman, has pending requests in that case for a range of records concerning Proctor, court records show. Chris Dearborn, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, said Proctor's widely publicized misconduct in Read's case made him vulnerable to challenges to his work in other investigations. 'There's a compelling argument that if you acted that inappropriately and unprofessionally in one case, arguably compromising and infecting that investigation, it stands to reason that he might have acted similarly in other investigations,' Dearborn said. Yet how much of Proctor's work will be turned over to the defense in those prosecutions, and whether juries get to hear it are unclear, he said. 'Judges are going to have to make case by case determinations,' he said. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at
New York Post
17 hours ago
- New York Post
John O'Keefe pal slams Karen Read for claiming she fought for ‘justice': ‘More evidence that points to her than anybody else'
A close friend of slain Boston cop John O'Keefe slammed Karen Read for proclaiming she's fought for justice in her beau's case harder than anyone else — just after she was acquitted of his murder. The officer's pal, John Jackson, told The Post that Read, who was accused of hitting O'Keefe with her car and leaving him to die in the snow, wasn't there for him when he desperately needed her. 'The irony of that, right? How hard was she fighting between 12:30 and 6 in the morning on Jan. 29, 2022?' Jackson said Thursday. 8 Karen Read speaking outside of Norfolk County Superior Court after she was found not guilty of murdering her boyfriend John O'Keefe on June 18, 2025. David McGlynn 8 Read claimed that she is fighting for O'Keefe to receive justice after she was acquitted. Courtesy of David Yannetti 'You want to fight for justice now, fine. But in the moment when he needed you, you weren't there. You caused it and you weren't there.' O'Keefe was left to die in a snowbank for hours overnight and his frozen body was discovered the following morning after Read dropped him off at a house party in Canton in January 2022 — setting off the explosive legal spectacle. The longtime pal of O'Keefe ripped into the financial analyst, claiming 'there is more evidence that points to her than anybody else' and eviscerated her obsessive legion of fans that went wild after she was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges. Read, 45, was accused of striking O'Keefe, 46, with her Lexus on Jan. 29, 2022 after dropping him off at a house party in Canton more than three years ago. She was quickly charged, but her legal team claimed the investigation was shoddy and argued she was being scapegoated by law enforcement. 8 A friend of John O'Keefe blasted Read's claim about seeking justice for the late police officer. AP 8 Read crying in the courtroom after the verdict was read. Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images She took a victory lap after the acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges, boldly claiming to her crowd of supporters, 'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have.' She was only convicted of drunk driving and given a year of probation. Her first trial ended in a hung jury. About 12 hours after the verdict was revealed, Jackson was still downtrodden while noting O'Keefe's family was 'surprised' and 'heartbroken' by the jury's decision to only convict on the drunk driving charge. 8 O'Keefe's mother Peggy O'Keefe in court during jury deliberations on June 18, 2025. Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool 'The reality is whether it's beyond a reasonable doubt or not in the eyes of the jury, there is more evidence that points to her than anybody else,' Jackson, 49, said. 'And for us, that's a shame because we feel like it's a missed opportunity for justice.' 'The story is she was there the last time he moved,' he also claimed. 'She was there the last time he moved with her car. If you want to believe anything else, that's your prerogative. I would suggest you don't let other people tell you what to think.' One of the unavoidable scenes during the months-long retrial was the hordes of Read supporters congregating outside the courthouse to support the former college professor. 8 A crowd of Read's supporters outside the Massachusetts courtroom on June 18, 2025. David McGlynn 8 A supporter of Read celebrating the not guilty verdict. David McGlynn The fanatics wore pink and would flash a silent hand gesture that means 'I love you' in American Sign Language. Jackson said her supporters must've suspended 'all critical thinking' to root for Read and questioned if they longed to be part of a community. 'To turn around and see grown men wearing pink shirts and holding signs,' Jackson said. 'Really? That's what you want to do on a Saturday? You have time for that?' 8 Read making an 'I love you' hand sign to supporters at the courthouse. David McGlynn Jackson, who was a pallbearer at O'Keefe's funeral, said some supporters have harassed O'Keefe's family and friends during the legal saga that spanned over two trials and started more than three years, including doxxing anyone who spoke up against Read. 'I think there is some social control there,' Jackson said when asked if he thought the pro-Read group was like a cult. 'Whether it be the pull of wanting to belong to something greater than yourself … but you can fulfill that need by doing something good, something greater than supporting someone who the evidence doesn't point to anybody else but her.' Meanwhile, he remembered his late friend as an 'incredible man' who stepped up to raise his orphaned niece and nephew after their parents died. 'He didn't think about it. He did it,' Jackson said. 'That is a real hero.'
