The most notable aspects of A Body in the Snow are its repetitiveness, the deep inside look at Karen Read and her defense and a fairly choppy view of the trial.
Whether it was just padding or an attempt to make each episode stand alone re. The case (assuming sporadic viewership?), some episodes repeated such large blocks of the previous episode I thought I'd accidentally mis-clicked. Simply eliminating all the repeat content could've easily shaved off two hours.
And made for a more compelling watch.
I was most interested in the trial itself, specifically the evidence about John O'Keefe's injuries and the police investigation.
It's a shame there wasn't greater focus on the actual legal proceedings-versus, say, 'turtle boy' and the 'free Karen Read' or 'lock her up' brigades.
Was the medical examiner even asked (after two expert witnesses were somewhat contradictory) if JO's arm injuries were consistent with dog bites? Was KR's blood alcohol tested that morning? It's unclear. Did anyone really need to see the defendant curling her hair and steaming her clothes?
One of the more surprising aspects of ABITS was, for a very PR-savvy defense, what an unflattering portrait of Karen Read emerged.
Someone should've advised KR before filming to try to lower her volume-and come across as sad about John and less self-centered. The scene where she's giddy over having 'zero empathy' about the harassment of a witness' teenage daughter was unnerving.
Given defense attorneys are known for their bullishness, when *everyone* on the defense team comes across as more likable than the defendant, that's really saying something.
In a case where many facts remain elusive, ABITS clarified at least two things.
First, Karen Read was clearly overcharged; *if* she hit JO, it wasn't deliberate and she had no idea. Those angry and hurt voicemails she left him were well beyond acting. No one could be convicted of second degree murder with this mound of mishandled evidence.
Second, the defense needs to take it down some notches around the conspiracy theory. Why even speculate JO was placed on the lawn? *If* something happened inside, it's far more likely he left on his own steam, after being ordered out or fleeing a dog attack. Particularly since he was still alive. When you look at where he was found, it makes no sense anyone would take that kind of risk.
It appears a number of people lied on the stand. ABITS is, as much as anything, a spotlight on crappy human impulses.
