Aidan Kearney (journalist)

Aidan T. Kearney (born December 1981) is an American journalist, blogger, author, and conservative activist, also known as Turtleboy. Kearney is the senior editor of the website and podcast TB Daily News. He gained notoriety for his coverage of an ongoing case regarding the killing of John O'Keefe, a Boston Police officer, and the ensuing prosecution of Karen Read, additionally organizing protests in support of Read.

Early career
Kearney is the son of a former attorney and Worcester School Committee member Mary Mullaney and Kevin Kearney. He was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Kearney attended South High Community School, graduating in 2000. Kearney coached boys varsity track at Doherty Memorial High School in Worcester, circa 2007, and worked as a history teacher at Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley, Massachusetts, for 11 years, until late 2014.

In 2021, Kearney ran for Wachusett Regional School Committee, but was not elected.

Writing career
As a hobby, Kearney started an online blog called AidanFromWorcester.com, where he posted on a variety of issues. After he resigned from teaching, Kearney started the supposedly anonymous website, Turtleboy Sports, which he eventually turned into a full-time career. Turtleboy is a nickname for the Burnside Fountain in Worcester, which he began using upon the suggestion of a former student.

As Turtleboy
After founding the online publication Turtleboy Sports, Kearney wrote investigative articles anonymously under the pen name Uncle Turtleboy and Clarence Woods Emerson. He grew the site into a team of contributors who contributed articles anonymously under a variety of pseudonyms. In 2015, his identity was unmasked and he began openly using the Turtleboy alias in his writing. He changed the name of his publication to TB Daily News in 2017.

In 2018, Kearney wrote articles about Facebook and Google, citing online censorship. This prompted him to write and publish a book titled, I Am Turtleboy: A Teacher Turned Blogger Battles Big Tech Censorship, Threats, and Political Correctness to Protect Free Speech and Democracy.

In 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union provided legal defense for Kearney in a case against a Rhode Island judge who ordered the removal of “any and all posts, blogs, and comments” regarding a person who sued him for libel. The case cited a violation of the First Amendment.

Massachusetts State Police scandal
In 2018, Kearney covered alleged misconduct within the Massachusetts State Police regarding a K-9 trooper's history of drug dealing and money laundering. In the early 2000s, the trooper participated in a large scale marijuana business run by her then-live-in boyfriend. The trooper failed to disclose this criminal activity when applying for the State Police, but was uncovered during a testimony against her former boyfriend. The uncovering of this information led the State Police to implementing new background checks and hiring protocols. Because of her criminal history and subsequent dishonorable discharge from the force, cases she participated in during her tenure were called into question. Three District Attorney cases were thrown out due to her involvement.

Kearney was also cited as the first to break news of a Massachusetts state trooper who faced disciplinary actions for including incriminating details in an arrest report concerning a judge's daughter.

Commonwealth vs. Karen Read
In April 2023, Kearney began covering a Massachusetts woman named Karen Read, who was accused of killing her boyfriend John O'Keefe, a Boston Police officer, by hitting him with her car outside of a home in Canton, Massachusetts, in January 2022. Kearney supported Read's claim that she did not hit O'Keefe and is being framed for his death. He has organized protests in Canton in support of Read, including at related pre-trial hearings, where he coined the phrase "Free Karen Read". The case has garnered national attention as the result of Kearney's coverage of the case in a series called Canton Coverup and due to investigation, into prosecution of the Karen Read case, by the office of U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

In December 2023, Kearney was indicted on "eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, and five counts of picketing a witness" related to the Read case. Initially released on bail, Kearney's bail was revoked after he was accused of assaulting a former girlfriend who had received a summons to appear before a grand jury related to the witness intimidation charges. He spent approximately two months in jail until being released in February 2024, amid new charges of witness intimidation and wiretapping related to the alleged assault of his former girlfriend.

Awards and recognition
Under the Turtleboy Sports name, Kearney has won four Worcester Magazine Best of Worcester awards, winning Best Local Blog in 2015 and 2016 as well as Best Local News Source in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Turtleboy was also among five nominees to be selected for The Valley Patriot's First Amendment Award, a designation given to those who have "made a significant difference in holding public officials accountable, fought for transparency in government, and gone above and beyond the call of duty to defend and protect our right of free speech, a free press, freedom of religion, and/or has been a whistle-blower against corruption".

Kearney has been a recurring guest with Howie Carr on The Howie Carr Show. Kearney has also been featured on Court TV to provide commentary on the Karen Read case and Kearney's own felony witness intimidation charges related to the investigation of the case.