DAVID BIENICK HE IS ON THE PHONE WITH US RIGHT NOW. DAVID HAS BEEN IN THE COURTROOM AND DAVID, YOU'VE BEEN COVERING THIS TRIAL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. UM, CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING IN THERE RIGHT NOW? WE SAW THE JUDGE COME INTO THE COURTROOM A LITTLE BIT AGO, BUT THEN ONCE AGAIN, WE SAW THAT INFAMOUS FAN SHOT. SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOMETHING HOLDING UP THESE CLOSING ARGUMENTS, RIGHT BY NOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT THE JUDGE HAS QUESTIONED ONE OF THE JURORS. ONE OF THE JURORS WAS BROUGHT IN AND BROUGHT UP TO THE BENCH FOR ABOUT A BRIEF FIVE, FIVE MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH THE JUDGE. UM, WE DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY, BUT THE JURORS SESEEM TO HE A VERY DETERMINED LOOK ON HER FACE. UM, THE JUDGE ASKED HER TO STEP AWAY FROM THE BENCH WHILE SHE CONTINUED SPEAKING WITH THE THE ATTORNEYS IN THIS CASE. AND THEN? THEN THE JUDGE ASKED ONE OF THE COURT OFFICERS TO TAKE HER OUT OF THE COURTROOM. WE DO NOT YET KNOW IF THIS JUROR HAS BEEN DISMISSED OUT. HUH. OKAY. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. ALL RIGHT. DAVID, CAN YOU TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ABOUT THE MOOD? WE UNDERSTAND THAT SEVERAL OF THE WITNESSES WHO TOOK THE STAND EARLIER IN THE TRIAL ARE PRESENT WITH SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS THERE. THAT'S RIGHT. DIRECTLY SEATED BEHIND JOHN O'KEEFE'S FAMILY IS COLIN ALBERT. JEN MCCABE, BRIAN ALBERT AND KERRY ROBERTS. THEY WERE FOUR WITNESSES IN THIS CASE AND AT LEAST TWO OF THEM, COLIN ALBERT AND BRIAN ALBERT. THE DEFENSE HAS TRIED TO IMPLICATE THEM IN THE IN O'KEEFE'S DEATH, SAYING THAT THEY MIGHT BE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN FACT RESPONSIBLE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY HAVE BEEN BACK IN THE COURTROOM SINCE THEIR TESTIMONY ON THE STAND. UM, AND THEY ARE SEATED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, JUST INCHES AWAY AS WE'RE STANDING BEHIND THEM AND BEHIND THE O'KEEFE FAMILY. DAVID, YOU'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COURSE OF THIS TRIAL TO GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT THE EMOTIONS ARE LIKE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THE SENSE IS INSIDE THE COURTROOM THIS MORNING? YOU KNOW, OVER THE TWO MONTHS OF THIS TRIAL, THERE HAS AT TIMES BEEN KIND OF LIKE A JOVIAL, NOT JOVIAL, BUT PERHAPS JUST LIKE A COMMUNAL ATMOSPHERE WHERE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RELAXED AND TALKING WITH EACH OTHER. TODAY IT IS COMPLETELY SILENT. NOBODY IS SAYING A WORD WHEN PEOPLE DO TALK, THEY SPEAK IN HUSHED, IN HUSHED VOICES. UM, THERE IS A VERY DEFINITE, UM, TENSE ATMOSPHERE IN THE COURTROOM TODAY, UNLIKE ANYTHING THATAT I HAVE SEEN DURING THE PREVIOUS TWO MONTHS. IS IT THERE THAT SENSE THAT WE HAVE NOW COME TO THE END OF THE ROAD, WHERE IT'S NOW GOING TO BE IN THE HANDS OF THE JURY? IS THAT IS THAT KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT THEN? EXACTLY. EVERYBODY IN THE IN THE COURTROOM KNOWS THAT THESE CLOSING ARGUMENTS WILL BE KEY. WE'VE SEEN A FEW SHOTS OF KAREN REID. THERE WHEN THEY DID HAVE THE CAMERA ON IN THE COURTROOM. DAVID UM, CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT HER DEMEANOR, HER BODY LANGUAGE THIS MORNING? ARE THERE ANY SMILES? IS THERE JUST TRULY A LOT OF TENSION ANDND A LOT OF WAITING WITH BATED BREATH IN THAT COURTROOM RIGHT NOW? WHEN SHE CAME IN, SHE DID HUG ONE OF HER FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WERE SEATED BEHIND HER, GAVE THEM A HUG, AND AT TIMES SHE'S, UH, GIVEN THEM A SMILE. BUT SHE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE SUBDUED TODAY THAN THAN SHE WAS YESTERDAY. SHE LEFT THE COURTHOUSE. UM, ALMOST JUBILANT YESTERDAY AFTER HER DEFENSE RESTED WITH TWO DEFENSE WITNESSES, THREE DEFENSE WITNESSES, IN FACT, YESTERDAY, UM, SHE SEEMED VERY CONFIDENT OF A NOT GUILTY VERDICT. UM, SHE DECIDED IN THE END NOT TO TESTIFY HERSELF, BUT SAID THAT THAT ENDED UP BEINGNG AN EASIER DECISION THAN SHE THOUGHT. IT WOULD BE. AGAIN, FOR HER NOT TO TESTIFY. SHE WILL ASK MARTHA COAKLEY WHAT HER THOUGHTS ARE ON ON THAT AS WELL ABOUT KAREN REID DECIDING NOT TO TESTIFY. BUT OF COURSE, THIS WOULDN'T BE THAT UNUSUAL. HULL IN THESE CASES, UM, FOR A DEFENDANT NOT TO GET UP THERE. OF COURSE, WE'VE SEEN THAT RECENTLY IN SOME VERY OTHER HIGH PROFILE, HIGH PROFILE CASES.
