Dateline: True Crime Weekly
New evidence in Karen Read's retrial. Cold case arrest in Ohio. And a big ruling in Sean Combs case.
Thu, 1 May 2025
In Massachusetts, Karen Read's retrial continues with new evidence and an emotional witness. In Ohio, an arson plot involving a latex mask and a wig points investigators to a decades-old murder. Plus, the latest pre-trial rulings for Sean Combs and Bryan Kohberger. And a sheriff on keeping courtrooms safe. Find out more about the cases covered each week here: www.datelinetruecrimeweekly.com Listen to Andrea's reporting on the Nevaeh Kingbird case here: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/dateline-missing-in-america-podcast/dateline-missing-america-podcast-covers-october-2021-disappearance-nev-rcna86829
Chapter 1: What new evidence was presented in Karen Read's retrial?
Yes. So this is a security video that was broadcast by CNN in May of last year. So four months before Combs' arrest. It allegedly shows him assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie, in a hotel hallway in 2016. Prosecutors referred to the video in their indictment and want to show it to the jury as a part of their criminal case against him.
The defense asked the judge to throw the video out, arguing the video is wholly inaccurate, having been altered, manipulated, sped up, and edited to be out of sequence. All claims that CNN has denied. And on Friday, the federal judge overseeing the case ruled that the video can be shown in court.
And there have been some other big rulings recently which have gone against the defense.
Yeah. So the judge agreed to grant anonymity to alleged victims two, three, and four in the indictment. And he also refused to grant a delay in the trial, which the defense had asked for. But there was a partial victory for Combs' attorneys. They had asked the judge to throw out the testimony of a prosecution witness by the name of Dawn Hughes.
She's a clinical and forensic psychologist with expertise in sexual abuse.
And Alex, the judge didn't throw out her testimony completely, but he did limit it, right?
Yeah. So she will be allowed to testify about why sexual assault victims might delay disclosing their abuse and stay in relationships that are abusive. But she won't be able to testify about coercive control or how perpetrators act to control their victims.
And Alex Combs has, of course, pleaded not guilty to the five charges against him. And at this latest hearing, the prosecutor revealed the government offered him a plea deal.
We don't know any details of the deal that was offered, but we know that Combs rejected it.
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Chapter 7: What were the courtroom dynamics in Karen Read's retrial?
So David's arrest was almost a year ago. What is the latest now?
So in some pretty shocking news, David Konezovich was found dead on Monday morning at the federal detention center in Miami where he was awaiting trial that was supposed to start in June. His defense attorney confirmed that he died by suicide and asked for a thorough investigation. Hmm.
My goodness. How has Anna's family responded to this news?
Yeah, so I spoke to Santa, her best friend. You know, she's definitely shocked and still processing the whole thing. She was getting ready for trial. She was planning on being there. Her family has also released a statement that said, the suicide of Anna's murderer closes a painful chapter in our lives previously filled with the dread that he might not face justice.
Now we may never know where he put Anna's body.
Alex, thank you for that and for all these updates. We appreciate it.
Thank you, Andrea.
Courthouse security has come up a lot on the podcast recently. Think about the buffer zone set up around the courthouse for Karen Reed's latest trial or the stun belt Lori Vallow Daybell wore under her clothes at her Arizona trial. But tensions run high in all kinds of courtrooms.
In Wisconsin earlier this month, a convicted killer was tackled to the ground by bailiffs after she lunged at her attorney. In California last year, a defendant stabbed his own attorney with a pen. And who can forget the judge in Las Vegas that was attacked by a defendant? Hi, Sheriff Brown. Good afternoon. So I'm sure you've seen all those examples we just gave. Very dramatic.
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