The dispute over two iPhones Massachusetts State Police seized from Karen Read nearly 2 years ago has intensified since an October court hearing, with back-and-forth court filings obtained by 25 Investigates.
The conflict revolves around Special Prosecutor Robert Cosgrove’s push to search the phones for evidence that Read plotted with controversial content creator Aidan Kearney (“Turtleboy”) to intimidate witnesses.
Read’s newest criminal defense attorney, Benjamin P. Urbelis, who spoke to Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel by Zoom, said he believes the search is driven by pressure on the DA’s office to “get her for something” after the murder acquittal.
For the first time, Special Prosecutor Robert Cosgrove responded directly to 25 Investigates by email, stating that any suggestion that his ongoing investigation of Read is an act of “retribution” is “unfounded public relations spin.”
“During the Read retrial, before any verdict, I filed a memorandum in another case in which I explicitly advised the court that I considered the conspiracy investigation to remain open,” Cosgrove wrote.
The State Police, through an affidavit from Lt. Brian Tully, confirmed in November 2025 that Read’s passwords are needed to access the iPhones. Tully argued that since Read and Kearney communicated using the highly secure “Signal” app, Read’s device may contain Kearney’s replies that weren’t found on Kearney’s phone.
Kearney’s phones were seized several months before Read’s. He’s facing witness intimidation and other related charges which he denies on the grounds of free speech.
Read’s lawyers are strongly challenging the validity of Lt. Tully’s affidavit, arguing that Read has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Tully personally. They argue this suit creates a major conflict of interest and suggests Tully is “impermissibly biased” against Read, given his role in the previous murder case and his recent disciplinary reassignment.
The prosecution claimed Read “assented to the delay” in the search because she waited to file a motion, but Read’s legal team fired back, arguing her silence during the murder trial was simply her asserting her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. They said it would have been “highly-concerning” for her to voluntarily provide her phone passcode while facing a murder charge.
At a hearing in October, Judge Peter Krupp did not appear opposed to a search, but the legal filings since then have complicated the matter.
Cosgrove maintains he works independently of the Norfolk DA’s office and that the investigation was moving forward regardless of the outcome of Read’s murder trial. Judge Krupp will ultimately decide whether to allow the search to proceed or order the phones returned to Karen Read.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
