Authorities arrested a Massachusetts blogger twice on allegations that he intimidated witnesses involved in the case of a Canton woman he believes is being framed for her boyfriend’s murder. 

Aiden Kearney, who goes by “Turtleboy” online, emerged as a vocal supporter of Karen Read following her arrest and indictment on murder charges involving the death of Boston Police officer John O’Keefe. 

Read reportedly found O’Keefe unresponsive in the yard of a Canton, Massachusetts home on January 29, 2022. 

Read was indicted for second degree murder in June 2022 and her case gained traction after she spoke about her innocence during a pre-trial hearing in April 2023.  

The prosecution argues that Read intentionally hit O’Keefe with her vehicle while leaving a friend’s house after a night out. The defense argues Read is innocent and that O’Keefe was killed by someone else. 

You can find a timeline of events here and Who’s Who breakdown of the Karen Read case here. 

Alleged Witness Tampering

Kearney, aka “Turtleboy,”  found himself in legal jeopardy in October 2023 for alleged witness tampering after filming multiple witnesses involved in the case and uploading the videos to his online blog and social media accounts.  

Kearney was arrested in October 2023 on conspiracy and witness intimidation charges but was released shortly after and was ordered to have zero contact with the individuals he’s accused of intimidating.

In December 2023, Kearney faced additional allegations of witness intimidation and assault and battery after an alleged incident with his ex-girlfriend. Kearney was rearrested and the judge revoked his bail.  

Kearney is currently keeping a journal on his popular blog about his time in jail, which as of January 14 was 20 days. 

Alleged FBI Probe

According to an investigation by Boston 25 News, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey wrote a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) pushing back on a probe led by the U.S Attorney’s Public Corruption Unit into the investigation.

Boston25 reports Morrissey sent the letter to the DOJ requesting that “the federal probe…be transferred out of Massachusetts.” The station’s FOIA request for the letter was denied. 

According to Boston25, the denial cited that the letter is exempt from FOIA because it discloses confidential and privileged information regarding an ongoing criminal investigation.  

Several individuals received subpoenas to testify before a grand jury back in April 2023, according to files obtained by Boston25. 

The FOIA request sent by Luna Shark was rejected by the clerk of court because the files we requested were “impounded.” 

Local stations report Kearney’s ex-girlfriend was one of the individuals who allegedly appeared in front of the grand jury. 

There is a motion hearing regarding Karen Read’s scheduled for January 18. 

Keep an eye out for our upcoming Corruption Watchlist for updates in this case. 

As always, stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. 

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