Karen Read trials cost taxpayers nearly $1.5M, records show

Flint McColgan, Boston Herald on Sep 4, 2025

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Prosecution costs in the Karen Read trials cost taxpayers about $1.5 million and ended with only a conviction for drunken driving.

That figure comes from the second installment of Norfolk County District Attorney records obtained by the Herald by a records request.

The Herald previously reported that special prosecutor Hank Brennan, who led the prosecution in Read’s second trial earlier this year, was paid a total of $566,000 for his work.

But now we see that there were also some huge costs toward witness payments and expenses — and a boatload of professional transcripts of everything from hearings to defendant Read’s numerous media interviews and appearances. Total expenses across both trials approach $900,000, according to court records.

The biggest cost of all was the work of forensics company Aperture LLC, whose expert Judson Welcher was the prosecution’s star witness. The other prosecution witness for the company, Shanon Burgess, was embarrassed on the stand when the defense roasted him about including a bachelor’s degree he hadn’t earned on both his curricula vitae, which is a type of résumé, his LinkedIn page and even his company biography.

Aperture ended up raking in a total of $599,753.45 for its work ahead of and in the second trial, with the first invoice dated Sept. 30, 2024 and the last June 18, 2025, which included expert testimony.

The next highest earner was a paralegal, Mary Ellen Grey, who charged the prosecution a rate of $50 an hour for legal work and trial prep and took in a total of $67,535 from October 2024 through June 2025.

Next up was digital forensics expert Jessica Hyde, whose company, Hexordia, offered the DA’s office a discount of 25% off her normal rate, which is policy for law enforcement agencies. Even still, her total bill across both trials was $54,774.39.

Then came renowned neurosurgeon Aizik Wolf, who charged a total of $28,800 — with $20,000 of that just for his court appearance.

Then came the court reporters and transcribers. Of the court reporters, Paula Mills earned $21,493, Christine Blankenship $14,082.00, Diane Cercone $904, Valerie O’Hara $253.46 and Nancy King $28.50. The transcriptionist firm McGill & Associates, which provided transcripts of both court activity and Read’s TV and other interviews, billed $11,017.50.

Of particular note is opposition and juror research.

The New York City firm Asher Research LLC charged $20,000 for background research on proposed defense witnesses that the firm only identified on the invoices by initials — but through context clues the witnesses are clear. The firm Becker & Company charged $5,400 for “lawful and ethical” background research on the 18 jurors “to identify any potential bias or prejudice for or against the defendant,” according to its contract.

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