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EXCLUSIVE: Compelling Pictures, the production and financing outfit behind TriStar’s Whitney Houstin biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, has secured the exclusive rights to tell the twisty true story of Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney, a key figure in the explosive murder mystery that found Karen Read twice on trial for the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
Accused (and eventually acquitted) of killing O’Keefe by hitting him with her car in Canton, Massachusetts in January 2022, Read was recently depicted in a Lifetime film and HBO Max docuseries, but up until now, Kearney has never given his side of the story, from the perspective of a dogged online journalist who became consumed with championing the innocence of a woman he felt had been railroaded by nefarious players within the local Massachusetts law enforcement community.
Kearney is a former teacher and boys varsity track coach, based in Massachusetts, who began blogging as a hobby before seeing his work turn into something much more high-profile. Widely known by the name “Turtleboy,” he rose to prominence through his confrontational, anti-establishment style of online journalism, as the founder and primary voice behind the Turtleboy Sports blog. At first focused just on sports and local culture, the blog later became heavily focused on politics, crime, media criticism, and what he has characterized as government and institutional corruption.
Kearney got involved with Read’s case after writing about multiple instances of alleged misconduct by the Massachusetts State Police. When the high-profile local criminal case of Commonwealth vs. Karen Read came to his attention, he came to believe Read was framed for murder, organizing protests on her behalf.
Read’s first trial in 2024 ended without a verdict when jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Subsequently, in 2025, she was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of O’Keefe, though she was found guilty of the lesser charger of operating a vehicle under the influence and sentenced to one year of probation. In the aftermath of the case, Rachael Rollins, former United States Attorney for Massachusetts, praised Kearney for his advocacy on the social media platform X, writing, “His relentless reporting — in the face of repeatedly being told by law enforcement that he was wrong & there was ‘nothing to see here’ – cracked this case wide open.”
Kearney did, however, pay a price for his unconventional reporting. The rough-edged and acerbic firebrand was arrested and charged in 2023 with witness tampering, conspiracy, and picketing a witness as a result of the peaceful protests he participated in, which he believes fall under the umbrella of free speech. After being released on bail, he had it revoked amid allegations that he assaulted a former girlfriend. Kearney was released in February 2024, though in 2025, a Massachusetts grand jury added two counts of intimidation against him related to an incident involving a trial witness. The tide turned yet again when a judge dismissed six counts against him and he was found not guilty of violating a restraining order obtained by his one-time girlfriend. One intimidation charge against Kearney was dropped this past October, though other cases against him in relation to the Read trial remain active.
Kearney and Compelling plan a two-pronged approach to telling his side of the story as they’re already in production on a docuseries that tracks Kearney and the Turtleboy following that has sprung up over the course of Read’s two trials. Simultaneously, Compelling is in talks with filmmakers to fast track a feature film that will take tonal inspiration from unflinching Boston movies like Spotlight, Manchester by the Sea, and Mystic River.
Jeff Kalligheri (I Wanna Dance with Somebody) and Denis O’Sullivan (Bohemian Rhapsody) will produce the feature and the documentary, with Steven Garcia serving as executive producer on both projects. Dennis Casali and Matthew Gallagher will also executive produce alongside Garcia, with Braden Joe and Mark Chauppetta co-producing.
On the impetus for taking on these projects, Kalligheri told us, “This story hits close to home: My cousin Brian was John O’Keefe’s friend and former partner in the Boston Police Force. Having followed the case since soon after the tragic incident took place, our aim is to shine a light until the entire truth is shown. Aidan’s perspective on this American tragedy as a citizen and journalist allows the unique opportunity to see it from all angles. We are eager for the audience to follow that through-line to wherever the still emerging facts lead.”
Kearney himself said, “Journalism is not a crime, at least it wasn’t until I began investigating and writing about the coverup of John O’Keefe’s murder and the subsequent framing of Karen Read. For 15 months the Commonwealth and the people responsible for John’s murder got away with what they were doing because it wasn’t getting much attention. That all changed after I started covering the story, which is why I had to be stopped. I look forward to providing new insight and details about my coverage of the case that has never been told before.”
Industry vets Kalligheri and O’Sullivan formed Compelling Pictures in 2019, with the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody as their debut release. Currently, they’re in post on The Collaboration, an adaptation of the 2023 Broadway play, starring Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat. They’re also currently prepping the Emily Blunt-led romance Walk the Blue Fields, to be directed by Brooklyn‘s John Crowley.
Compelling is repped by Jay Cohen and by Evan Krauss of Eisner Law.
English (US) ·