Man accused of using rubber ducks to intimidate witnesses in Karen Read murder trial – Boston News, Weather, Sports

Rubber ducks were inspired by court statement, police say

Canton police say they used traffic cameras, surveillance footage, witnesses and other evidence to link the canards and counterfeit $100 bills to Schiffer, 65, who lives in nearby Stoughton.

The rubber ducks appear to refer to a statement made at a pretrial hearing in January, when defense lawyer Alan Jackson told the court: “If he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, It’s a duck,” police said.

The first documented incident occurred in early March — more than a month before Read’s trial began — when counterfeit bills were found scattered near D&E Pizza & Subs in Canton, police said.

The restaurant is owned by the brother of the owner of the Fairview Road property where O’Keefe’s body was found.

Over the next five months, more counterfeit $100 bills and rubber duckies were discovered outside a handful of other nearby homes and businesses, including O’Keefe’s home, the two bars where he is returned shortly before his death and a restaurant belonging to the sister of a witness.

Some of the rubber ducks had stickers with a message implicating a nephew of the Fairview Road home’s owner, while the counterfeit bills were stamped “Justice for BPO John O’Keefe,” police said.

The nephew, who was a minor at the time of O’Keefe’s death, was at the Canton home that night but said he did not see O’Keefe and testified at Read’s trial that there was no animosity between them.

Investigators also found yellow rubber ducks and stickers in Schiffer’s Toyota Tundra in May after executing a search warrant, police said.

Rubber ducks were also found outside the home of Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case.

Proctor was accused of missteps in the investigation and admitted to sending a series of sexist and offensive texts about Read in a private group chat, calling her a “moron,” mocking her medical problems and telling colleagues he found “no nudes” while searching his phone for evidence.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey sharply criticized Proctor’s behavior. After the trial, Proctor was suspended from the force without pay.

Schiffer says he has a legal right to free speech

Read’s trial lasted more than two months and attracted national attention. His supporters watched the proceedings online and dissected them daily on social media, including on Reddit and on private Facebook pages created to discuss evidence and theories about the case.

Police said the rubber ducks and counterfeit $100 bills helped spur a social movement that harassed witnesses by implying “they can’t ‘dodge the truth’ about John O’s death.” Keefe.”

During an online fundraiser seeking help with his legal fees, Schiffer admitted to placing rubber ducks around Canton and surrounding areas.

“Through the First Amendment and my right to free speech, I have expressed my opinion and belief that Karen Read is innocent. The fundamental right to free speech is granted to us by the Constitution of the United States,” he wrote.

In support of a second online fundraiser, Schiffer wrote: “Accusing innocent citizens of fabricated crimes is using our justice system as a weapon to silence law-abiding citizens. »

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