Exclusive first interview with Aidan “Turtle Boy” Kearney from jail

The following is an exclusive, first interview with Aidan “Turtle Boy” Kearney. The journalist is currently being held in a Norfolk jail after his bail was revoked stemming from charges related to an alleged domestic situation just before Christmas. Kearney was out on bail after being charged with crimes related to intimidation of witnesses in the Karen Read murder trial. Read has been charged in the 2022 killing of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe. Kearney has been an outspoken supporter of Read and her innocence and has frequently detailed why he believes Read was framed. The case has garnered national attention, thanks to Kearney and his detailed series “Canton Cover Up.”

It should be noted that you’re answering these questions from a jail in Norfolk County, here in Massachusetts. Before we start, let me ask you about the facility where you are being held. How comfortable are you, what does your space look and feel like and how have your interactions with staff and inmates been?

I am alone and isolated in the medical wing in an 8×10 cell where I sit for 21 hours a day. Due to my isolation, I have limited interactions with staff and inmates. However, I get along well with every person I’ve come in contact with. It seems as though we all have a mutual respect for each other. They all respect the work that I’ve done exposing corruption in the Norfolk County DA’s Office.

In some of your statements from jail you have shared that messages and videos from supporters are appreciated. Can you share with me what some of those correspondences have been like and have you received any hate mail since you’ve been held?

I’ve received thousands of messages telling me about the positive impact that my reporting has had on people’s lives. Lots of people are having “withdrawals”. I have yet to receive a single negative piece of hate mail.

You have never been in jail before, so tell me what has been the biggest surprise to you in regard to your time in jail?

The biggest surprise, I guess, would be that the lunch is actually pretty good. I’m actually going to miss jail lunch.

After your initial arraignment, you would film yourself each morning at the bus stop, obviously anticipating there would be a day where you might get taken into custody. How really prepared were you for this, mentally, personally and professionally?

I always thought that I would be arrested for another bogus charge related to the existing charges. I did not anticipate that the corrupt police detective, Brian Tully, would be so desperate that he would attempt to use a mentally unstable woman to make up a lie about me because he couldn’t get me on another charge. So, I guess I wasn’t actually prepared to go to jail for more than a day on Christmas.

It seems a common theme you’ve been experiencing through the years is betrayal. Dating back to one of your first blog partners to a recent girlfriend and many in between, how surprised are you when someone you trusted turns on you in such a public way? How big is your circle right now and who can you trust?

That’s a good question. If I stop trusting people, then they win. I feel badly for them that their lives are so miserable and sad that they have to find comfort with a woman who lost two of her children to the state and has dedicated her life to obsessing over me. Depends on what you mean by “my circle”. While in jail, I have at least 10 people who I trust to operate my websites; social media; they’re doing an amazing job. I’m able to do this interview because I trust someone who I didn’t even know a couple of months ago. If you focus on people like Lindsey, you will be miserable. So, I choose to focus on the dozens of people who have good intentions and want to help. I’m grateful for the very close circle of friends and supporters I have that are doing this for me because they believe we’re doing something important.

Speaking of girlfriends, you know I have to ask. For someone who has made a name for himself exposing a fair number of Massachusetts “ratchets”, you seem to gravitate towards them. What are you thinking?

That’s a GREAT question. My strength and my weakness is that I see the best in people. With Lindsey, I saw a single mother of four and didn’t judge her at all. I thought that maybe she fell on some hard luck or had some bad boyfriends and that it wasn’t her fault. But when you have four kids with two baby daddy’s and one of them is in jail, you should probably run a background check on them, which I failed to do in this situation. Now that I have found out about her court history, she is attempting to silence me with a provision in the restraining order that tries to prevent me from disclosing public court documents. This is a First Amendment violation, and we will be appealing it.

It might be fair to say you have some regrets over the past year, whether it’s relationships, professional partnerships, maybe even texts or videos. What keeps you up at night that you wish you either hadn’t done or perhaps had done differently?

Nothing. There have been bumps in the road, but anything bad that’s happened to me has only made me stronger. The only way you learn in life is when you have setbacks. I’m going to come out of jail stronger than I’ve ever been, mentally and physically. I’m in the best shape of my life. When I emerge from jail, I know that I’m going to have the best stories to tell. I know that this will have a happy ending – I know it will. Ken Mello doesn’t get to win; I win.

Let’s pivot over to the Karen Read case. One could say that your investigative style of journalism was made for this case and although you have had other stories in the past that you have exposed, nothing has been like the murder and coverup of John O’Keefe. Talk a minute about the impact this case has had on your career and your professional reputation. Do you feel that the exposure you have received nationally about this case has been worth the personal persecution? Do you believe that your charges of intimidation of witnesses in the case have discredited you in any way?

The charges against me have only helped me professionally. As Howie Carr said, “This is a great career move”. Making me this famous is one of the greatest political blunders of all time, courtesy of Michael Morrissey. All this does is raise my profile. At the end of the day, I got to where I am because I work harder than any other reporter. That’s why the following has increased so much – I’m doing what no one else is willing to do: putting my own freedom on the line.

Absolutely no one knows this case better than you. Give me the top three reasons why you believe Karen Read did not murder John O’Keefe.

Supporters of Karen Read

#1 Lucky Loughran insisted that John’s body was not on the lawn at 2:30 am. Therefore, Karen Read could not have hit him at 12:30 am. Case closed.

#2 The autopsy photos do not align with someone who was hit by a car. Cars do not have teeth. Cars cause bruising and broken bones to your body, which John did not have.

#3 The forensic data. John’s Apple phone data shows ascending and descending stairs. Jennifer McCabe’s Google search at 2:27 am for “Hos long to die in cold” is undeniable proof that he was inside the house and there is a conspiracy to kill him by placing him in the cold.

The wheels of justice are slow and it will most likely be a very long time before the family of John O’Keefe sees justice for his murder. I know how you want this story to end, but when it’s all said and done, how do you really think this will all play out? Will those responsible for his murder ever be held accountable?

If I were a betting man, I would bet that this will end with the arrest of at least: Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Michael Proctor, and probably Brian Tully. That’s at the bare minimum. I would love nothing more than to see Michael Morrissey, Chris Albert, Colin Albert, Yuri Bukhenik, Adam Lally, and anyone else who has anything else to do with this cover-up, spend significant time in jail.

You are often criticized for your style of journalism. From the language you use, the subjects you chose to write about and your take on social and political issues, critics maintain you are nothing more than a blogger with no credibility. On your social media pages, you say you are “Journalism Jesus”. Yet you have amassed a large following of supporters, many of which pay to keep your platforms up and running. How do you define yourself in the industry and why do you think so many people gravitate to your style of reporting?

I have three hats that I wear – you can’t put me in a box: 1. Journalist, 2. Activist, 3. Entertainer. I break major news stories, but I don’t stop there. I take a firm position on the stories I’m writing about, and I try to fix whatever problem that I’m highlighting – that’s my activist side. On the live show, you see a more laid-back version of me, making people laugh and talking about the things that I’ve uncovered. My language is not for everyone, and my biggest critic is my mother. So, I’m cognizant of the fact that I swear too much & I’m trying to work on that – I promise. But my heart is in the right place & I can just come across as rough around the edges. When in reality, I’m a big softy.

The “Canton Coverup” series is currently at part 265 at my time of writing this. This story has dominated your platforms, most likely to the rejoice of “ratchets” and “gutter muppets” throughout the Commonwealth. Who’s keeping tabs on all these bad characters now that your focus has been on bigger stories? Do you miss the days of Ratchet Madness brackets, and do you think you will ever go back to those kinds of stories?

The ratchets are running wild for sure, but I feel like I’ve outgrown them. I will still do the occasional ratchet story, here and there. But no-one cares about the Fall River gutter muppet selling her food stamps on Facebook. It’s just not that important. However, I would argue that Jennifer McCabe and Chris Albert are ratchets in disguise. Next year’s “Ratchet Madness” is going to be completely Canton-based.

13. Special Prosecutor Ken Mello calls your supporters “minions” but they are more known as “turtle riders”. You have a very large following of devoted supporters that has only grown since you took on the Karen Read case. Many of these supporters have shown up at not only Karen Read court events, but yours as well. Some supporters, such as the Canton 9, have done more than support you online and are now facing their own legal issues. Can you explain what these supporters mean to you personally as well as professionally?

Aidan Kearney and supporters. Photo: Clarence Woods Emerson Facebook

Ken Mello is even less mediocre than Chris Albert’s Chicken Parm. He was the 12th choice to be a special prosecutor because no-one else was foolish enough to declare war on the First Amendment like he has. My supporters, like the Canton 9, are like family to me. I would do anything for those people and I know that they would do the same for me. These are not minions – they are highly educated, deeply concerned, tax-paying citizens who refuse to remain silent as Oompah Loompah Ken Mello tramples on the First Amendment.

What would you say is the biggest misconception about you that you want to set the record straight on?

That I’m out to hurt or attack people. I am the person who stands up to bullies. That’s not attacking people. That’s defending people.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to ask this next question, so you can just say no comment if you can’t answer. You are obviously a devoted, hands-on father and being away from your son and daughter is clearly the hardest part of this whole ordeal. First of all, how are they doing without their dad and secondly, how hard is it to stay focused on justice for both Karen Read and John O’Keefe when there are such big repercussions like time away from your family?

This is the hardest part about going to jail, for sure. But I know that years from now, when this story is being told, my children will be able to look at it and be proud of their father. I’m doing this because I want them to grow up in a world that’s better than it is right now. Karen Read is someone’s daughter and the way her father fights for her, inspires me.

Elaborate, if you can, on the notion that the charges against you are nothing more than a way to stop you from exposing evidence and theories in the Karen Read murder trial. The fact that you are being charged for alleged crimes by the very department that you are exposing for corruption is hard to deny.

Kearney outside court. Photo: Curt Maxon

I would say to just read the charging documents and look at how ridiculously flimsy they are. I am being charged with Witness Intimidation for calling Michael Proctor on the phone and leaving a voicemail asking him questions about the case. Cops should be embarrassed to say that being asked questions is “intimidating”. Or how I’m being charged with Witness Intimidation for doing an impression of Mr. Tough Guy – Colin Albert. You know that your case is weak when you have to lie about imaginary pizzas that I allegedly ordered and never picked up.

Hopefully, one day in the near future, you will be out of jail. Have you thought about how you are going to spend your first day back in society?

I am going to hug and kiss the two most important people in my life, shove McDonalds in my face and go pick up my new puppy – who I’m going to name Ryder.