David Yannetti, one of Read’s attorneys, had said in the motion to add Alessi that he has “specialized skill and knowledge in representing defendants in manners of this nature.”
Alessi, according to his biography on the firm DLA Piper’s website, usually works with businesses on energy and financial matters. The biography does note that he has applied his “scientific and technical background” as a criminal defense lawyer in the past and that he’s argued before the US Supreme Court.
Read, 44, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of personal injury resulting in death. Her first trial ended in July with a hung jury, and her retrial is tentatively scheduled for January, though both sides have asked Cannone to push it back to April.
Prosecutors allege Read was drunk and intentionally backed her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, after dropping him off outside a Canton home early on Jan. 29, 2022 following a night of bar hopping. Her lawyers say she was framed and that O’Keefe entered the house, owned at the time by a fellow Boston officer, where he was fatally beaten in the basement before his body was planted on the front lawn.
Read’s defense team in the criminal case now includes Yannetti and Alessi, as well as Los Angeles attorneys Alan Jackson and Elizabeth Little who both previously represented actor Kevin Spacey in a groping case on Nantucket that was dropped. The defense has also retained prominent Boston attorney Martin G. Weinberg for its appeal that remains pending before the state Supreme Judicial Court.
The SJC is weighing a request from Read’s attorneys to drop the murder and leaving the scene counts, on the grounds that multiple jurors told them, either directly or through intermediaries, that the jury unanimously acquitted on those charges and only remained deadlocked on manslaughter. It’s not clear when the SJC will rule.
Separately, O’Keefe’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Read in Plymouth Superior Court. She’s represented in that matter by attorneys Christopher George, William L. Keville Jr., and Marissa K. Palladini, records show.
During a Tuesday hearing in the criminal matter, prosecutors pressed their case for why they believe Cannone should order the release to the government of cell phone records from Read’s parents, saying they’re crucial to proving she was aware she hit her boyfriend and left him for dead on a snowy night.
O’Keefe’s snow-covered body was discovered on the front lawn by Read and two other women when she returned to the home shortly after 6 a.m., according to legal filings and trial testimony. Prosecutors say Read’s phone records show she called her mother three times — at 1:14 a.m., 4:38 a.m., and 4:42 a.m. — but none of those calls were answered.
Little opposed the prosecution’s motion for a month of phone records from Janet and William Read, calling it a “fishing expedition” and an invasion of their privacy.
“The Commonwealth is asking this court to sanction this gross invasion of her father’s privacy so the Commonwealth can sift through Mr. Read’s electronic data for information that is already in the possession of the Commonwealth,” she said during the hearing.
Cannone did not immediately rule on the phone request.
The next hearing in the criminal matter is scheduled for Dec. 12, records show.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
Source link
Attorneys and law firms can elevate their online presence with professionally written content from SEO Content Writing Services monthly plan. Our team of experienced writers specializes in crafting blog posts, articles, and written content that accurately reflect the expertise and knowledge of our clients in the legal field. With a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of legal terminology, we provide high-quality writing that helps our clients stand out from their competition and engage with their target audience. Trust SEO Content Writing Services for one time article writing or monthly written content to handle all of your written content needs and showcase your law firm's expertise.
If you need written content, blog posts, or articles professionally written for your website, we can help. Go HERE to find out more.
or email us here: myseowritingservices@gmail.com
To find out more about our article writing or blog post services, fill out the form, thank you.
