New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.

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What new evidence is being presented in Karen Reed's retrial?

Andrea Canning 1:15
As we head into a summer of big trials, Sheriff James Brown tells us what it's like trying to keep people safe inside and outside the courtroom.
Sheriff James Brown 1:23
You just have to have a lot of plans and flexibility to be able to address any threat that comes up.
Andrea Canning 1:29
Before all that, we've got the latest from Dedham, Massachusetts, and the retrial of Karen Reed.
Judge 1:36
Hey, hey, hey. All persons have any business before the Honorable Beverly Canody, Justice of the North, or Superior Court. The court is now open. You may be seated.
Andrea Canning 1:45
It's the start of another day in the second trial of the woman accused of drunkenly hitting her police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowbank three years ago.
Court Clerk 1:54
All right. Good morning, counsel. Good morning, Ms. Reed. Good morning, jurors. Good morning. Good morning.
Andrea Canning 2:00
Karen Reed denies the charges against her and claims that after she dropped John O'Keefe off at a party, he got beaten up by some of the people there, attacked by a dog, and dragged onto the front lawn to die in a blizzard. Last summer, a jury deadlocked after five days of deliberation. This week at Karen's retrial, the new prosecutor on the case painstakingly laid out a timeline of what he says happened the night John died. He introduced some fresh evidence and also brought back old witnesses. Here to tell us how that played out in the courtroom is Dateline producer Sue Simpson, who joins us now from Massachusetts to give us the latest.

How does cell phone temperature data impact the Karen Reed case?

Andrea Canning 2:37
And Sue, did you win the lottery this week and get a seat in court? I have not won the lottery yet, but there's always next week. Last week, you and I talked about how Hank Brennan, the prosecutor, promised to take the jury step by step through the events using data from John's and also Karen's phones. So what story is he telling?
Sue Simpson 2:58
So last week, Andrea, we heard investigators read text messages from Karen's phone establishing that John and Karen had a fight in the hours before John's death. Those text messages show that they made up, two of them made up, but the prosecutor wanted jurors to know that their relationship was far from perfect. The prosecutor's next big witness on Monday morning was someone who could use John's phone to tell jurors what happened next in the timeline. The prosecution's version of events, of course.
Andrea Canning 3:26
You were talking about digital forensic examiner Ian Whiffen, and he's a witness we've been looking forward to because some of this is new testimony this time around.
Sue Simpson 3:37
Yes, yes. Prosecutor Brannon got Ian Whiffen to talk about the temperature of the battery in John's cell phone. something I honestly knew nothing about until this retrial started.
Andrea Canning 3:46
Yeah, me neither. And that was a big point during opening statements. Why does cell phone temperature matter?
Sue Simpson 3:54
So the prosecution's theory is that John O'Keefe was lying grievously wounded in a blizzard, so you'd expect his phone, if he had it with him, to get colder and colder and colder from the moment Karen drove away. Remember, this is the prosecution's POV. So apparently our phone batteries log their own temperature often. and that's to make sure they don't overheat.

What challenges do sheriffs face in keeping courtrooms safe during high-profile trials?

Karen Johnson 0:45
They learned that there were some really bizarre purchases a short time before the fire started.
Andrea Canning 0:52
In Dateline Roundup, we've got the latest on two blockbuster cases, the sex trafficking trial of music producer Sean Combs and the murder trial of Brian Koberger. And an unexpected development in the case of the Florida businessman accused of murdering his estranged wife in Spain. Some pretty shocking news. Plus, for the first time on the podcast, we're joined by a sheriff.

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