Trial by Optics

Part Three: “Trial by Optics”

The courtroom becomes a stage — and justice is just the opening act

By RICHIE D. MOWREY for The Sassy Gazette
(Because when justice is on trial, we bring the spotlight and the sass.)

By the time Karen Read entered the courtroom in April 2024, it was no longer a trial — it was a full-blown production.

There were dramatic opening statements, a parade of expert witnesses, TikTok theories, and press saturation rivaling the O.J. trial. The cameras weren’t in the courtroom, but they were everywhere else — including in the public’s head.

And through it all, Karen sat still, eyes tired, watching as her life was turned into a narrative nobody seemed to control.

Prosecution witnesses faltered. The defense exposed sloppy police work and glaring inconsistencies. Lead investigator Trooper Michael Proctor? Exposed for crude, biased texts and removed mid-case. Jurors were left adrift in a sea of "reasonable doubt" so vast they came back with nothing — a hung jury, declared mistrial.

But even as the legal system paused, the court of public opinion didn’t.

Because this was never just a case. It was a spectacle — one staged to protect reputations, institutions, and illusions.

The prosecutors didn’t just argue in court. They argued in headlines. The defense didn’t just present a case. They fought a perception war. The public didn’t watch. They judged — instantly and endlessly.

Karen Read may not have received justice. But she exposed something far more important:

That in Massachusetts, sometimes the law isn’t about truth. It’s about control.

And when the curtain lifts for Trial #2, we better start asking who’s writing the script — and who they’re protecting.

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