Karen Read and Aidan "Turtleboy" Kearney sued for defamation by key trial witnesses

Four key witnesses in the high-profile Massachusetts murder trials involving Karen Read have filed a defamation lawsuit against Read and Aidan Kearney, the blogger who writes under the name "Turtleboy."

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Barnstable Superior Court on behalf of Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins.

Karen Read trial witnesses

Read was charged with murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe and stood trial twice. Read was accused of hitting O'Keefe with her SUV during a blizzard after a night of heavy drinking and leaving him to die in the snow outside of a Canton home. That home was owned at the time by Brian Albert and his wife, Nicole.

McCabe was with Read and another woman when they found O'Keefe's body in the snow early the next morning. 

Colin Albert is Brian Albert's nephew who, during the first trial, but not the second, was portrayed by the defense as one of the people who could have been responsible for O'Keefe's death. 

Higgins, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who exchanged flirty text messages with Read, was also pointed to by the defense as a potential third-party culprit.

Read's attorneys claimed that O'Keefe was never hit by a vehicle, but was instead killed inside the home during a fight and then brought outside.

Read's first trial ended in a mistrial due to hung jury. During her retrial in 2025, Read was acquitted of the most serious charges and found guilty of operating under the influence of liquor. She received one year of probation.

Aidan "Turtleboy" Kearney included in lawsuit

Kearney covered the case for his website, often recording himself confronting witnesses. He was arrested on charges of witness intimidation related to the case. The blogger has argued in court that he was exercising his First Amendment rights.

"For years, we have done the right thing by assisting authorities in the hope that John's family would find justice and peace. As a result, we and our families have been subjected to relentless false accusations, harassment, and intimidation based on a deliberate campaign of lies," the four witnesses said in a joint statement. 

"These lies have torn our community apart and caused immense suffering. We are bringing this lawsuit to hold the defendants accountable for what they have done to us, the O'Keefe family, and our community. In doing so, we hope to protect future witnesses from experiencing the devastation and cruelty that we have endured."

In the new lawsuit, the witnesses say that Kearney "consistently hustles his followers to donate directly to him," claiming that he has estimated his monthly income to be $45,000-$50,000 per month.

"In coordination with Read, and at her behest, Kearney spread elaborate and false narratives about the Plaintiffs because doing so attracted attention, personal notoriety, and a buying audience. He deliberately stokes social anxiety and political discord in his listeners, because distrust in government and cultural tribalism motivates those listeners to buy his products," the lawsuit alleges.

Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder and Hinckley Allen & Snyder are the two law firms representing the witnesses in the defamation suit.

Kearney's lawyer, Timothy Bradl, told WBZ-TV they are reviewing the allegations and that "proving the truth of the allegedly defamatory statements is an absolute defense." 

"In essence, the plaintiffs have invited Mr. Kearney to defend the suit by prosecuting them in civil court for the murder of John O'Keefe," Bradl said.

Legal representatives for Read said "this latest lawsuit is not about truth - it's about retaliation."

"After years of scrutiny, cross-examination, sworn testimony, and the introduction of extensive evidence related to them in open court, these plaintiffs are now trying to rewrite the narrative through a civil complaint filled with accusations that are unproven, conclusions that are unsupported, and allegations that lack any factual basis," her defense team said in a statement. "In other words, it's desperation on a page."   

Read is currently facing a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed by the O'Keefe family.

Scope of First Amendment  

Greg Sullivan is an attorney out of Hingham and leads the New England First Amendment Coalition. He said as private citizens, the plaintiffs in this case have to reach a lower burden of proof, but it can still be a tough bar to reach given the scope of the First Amendment. 

"There are four defenses to a defamation case and one of the big ones is opinion," Sullivan said. "So, people often mistake opinions as actionable statements of fact for defamation and that's not the case."   

Sullivan said about 90% of these cases are settled before they ever reach a trial.