Karen Read supporter denies intimidating witnesses with rubber ducks and fake $100 bills

BOSTON (AP) — The Karen Read murder case has inspired crowds of pink-clad supporters, divided a Massachusetts town and provided juicy content for true crime podcasters. Now, rubber ducks are in the mix.

On Wednesday, one of Read's ardent supporters pleaded not guilty to intimidating witnesses, harassment and littering. Richard Schiffer Jr. admits that he's been placing dozens of yellow rubber ducks and fake $100 bills around town, but says he's got a First Amendment right to support the defense theory that Read has been framed in the polarizing murder case.

Read now awaits a January retrial, accused of ramming into her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving the Boston police officer to die in a snowstorm. Read’s attorneys have argued that other law enforcement officers were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. A judge declared a mistrial in June after finding that the jurors couldn’t reach agreement.

The 65-year-old Schiffer didn't speak during his brief appearance in Stoughton District Court, but greeted several dozen supporters outside. Several wore T-shirts emblazoned with rubber ducks, while some carried American flags or placards supporting Read. One woman brought her pet parrot, who was wearing a cape with the words “Quack Quack" while another person had a huge flag with the words “Are they ducken crazy.”

“I'm overwhelmed by the support from everybody,” Schiffer said, before opening a bag someone handed him. It contained a silver duck.

“When I did this, I didn’t think it would go this far,” he said to shouts of “We Love You.”

Schiffer has said he got the ducks idea after thinking about a defense lawyer's closing argument that Read was framed. Alan Jackson told jurors that “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck.” The police report also mentioned the connection between Jackson's comments and the ducks.

“I wasn't looking for any notoriety, anything,” he added. "I know I am doing the right thing and am on the right side of all this.”

Schiffer's attorney, Timothy Bradl, said he would move to have the charges dismissed on First Amendment grounds before their next court date in November.

“This is what our country is all about, assembling on the courthouse steps, speaking out against ridiculous government overreach,” Bradl told the crowd. “What is going on here is viewpoint discrimination. They don't like the message. The Canton cops don't like the message ... They should be embarrassed. There is no crime here.”

The defense alleged that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home of his fellow Boston officer Brian Albert and then dragged outside. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider law enforcement officers as suspects.

Schiffer has been among the dozens of Read supporters who accuse state and local law enforcement of a widespread coverup. Their demonstrations have led to angry confrontations, especially in the town of Canton where the murder happened, between those who support Read and others who believe she is guilty.

Schiffer, who owns Canton Fence and has said that he knows practically everyone in town through his contracting work, is accused of placing some of the ducks outside a pizza shop run by Brian Albert's brother, Canton Selectman Chris Albert. Other ducks appeared in O'Keefe's neighborhood.

Also facing charges of witness intimidation is the blogger Aidan Timothy Kearney, better known as “Turtleboy," whose prolific postings have raised doubts about the prosecution and rallied supporters to her cause.

“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us,” Turtleboy said outside the court Wednesday, wearing a black T-shirt with a huge rubber duck on it. “Poor Rich did nothing wrong at all. He dropped duckies with words on it that they didn't like ... The First Amendment has been attacked by the Norfolk District Attorney's Office and we're never going to stop fighting.”

Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, greets supporters on the steps outside Stoughton District Court following his arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, holds a duck as he greets greets supporters on the steps outside Stoughton District Cour following his arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Richard Schiffer Jr., center, who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, greets supporters outside Stoughton District Court following his arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Supporters of Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, display a flag outside Stoughton District Court before Schiffer's arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Supporters of Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, stand outside Stoughton District Court before Schiffer's arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Supporters of Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, stand outside Stoughton District Court before Schiffer's arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Richard Schiffer Jr., who faces witness intimidation and other charges related to the Karen Read case, holds a duck as he greets greets supporters on the steps outside Stoughton District Court following his arraignment, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in Stoughton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)