The ramifications of the Karen Read trial have had a large impact outside of the Dedham, Massachusetts, courthouse and in Canton, the case has the town divided.
In an unprecedented move back in November, nearly 2,000 Canton residents came together for a special town meeting and in the end, many of them voted to launch an independent investigation into the town's police department, as they felt police weren't being transparent about the Read case.
However, the excitement nationally could be in part because of Aidan Kearney, the controversial blogger known as "Turtleboy," and for months, he has been documenting the case, drumming up support for Read.
Though in some cases, police said, going overboard and it led to him being hit with several charges for witness intimidation — and actually spent 60 days in jail.
He is also accused of colluding with Read through an intermediary in California to leak sensitive information about the case, favorable to the defense.
It remains to be seen how these outside factors influence the case but one thing is clear: it’s lead to a lot of eyes invested in the outcome.
