Despite An Arrest and Multiple Charges, Turtleboy Continues to Report on the Karen Read Case

The murder trial of police officer John O'Keefe has been a wild one to follow. Karen Read was accused of hitting John with her vehicle in early 2022, though she and her legal team claim that she's the subject of an elaborate coverup.

If a potential coverup of the murder of a police officer isn't already a wild story to follow, it takes another turn when you find out who one of her most vocal supporters is.

Aiden Kearney, aka Turtleboy, has been outspoken about his belief that Karen has been framed. On his independent media outlet, TB Daily News, he's published multiple pieces arguing for her freedom, attempting to interview various witnesses connected to the case. As a result of this, he was arrested. What happened to him?

In October 2023, Aiden was arrested and charged with witness intimidation, with the filings alleging that he was harassing the various people listed as witnesses for the case. His website has published multiple pieces where he confronts the various witnesses in public, asking them questions about the alleged coverup. He was also accused of working with someone connected to the Avon Police Department to illegally collect data.

Aiden has denied the charges, claiming his reporting is an exercise of his rights under the First Amendment.

"They will never shut me up, they will never, ever, ever stop me from reporting the truth about what happened to John O'Keefe," Aiden said during a press conference following his arrest, per CBS News. "Reporting the news is not harassment. Asking questions is not harassment."

Throughout Karen's trial, Aiden has spoken with Karen numerous times since her trial began, accumulating more than 40 hours of phone conversations along with various text messages through the Signal app. The prosecutors allege that through these methods, Karen has shared information with Aiden that was not yet available to the public. Some of this information he has since shared on his website.

Though he was released from prison following the charges in February, Aiden has continued to report on Karen's case, even sitting with reporters during testimony.

"They've used these trumped up charges to smear my name and paint me as some sort of dangerous intimidator," he said. "I've never threatened anyone, I've never hurt anyone, none of those people are scared of me, none of those people are intimidated of me."

Not long after, Aiden was allowed to sit in on the testimonies from members of the Massachusetts Police Department, with the judge ruling "the troopers will be testifying in their official capacity and the presence of Kearney in the courtroom is not likely to have a chilling effect on their testimony."

Currently, Aiden is being charged with charges of harassing a witness, intercepting wire or oral communication, eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, and five counts of picketing a witness.

At this time, it's not clear if there is a personal connection between Karen and Aiden beyond the latter's devotion to reporting on the case. The online creator has found himself in a litany of legal trouble since he began his investigation, though he persists in his coverage.