Yep, It's an Online Conspiracy Cult.
8 attributes of a cult, and how Karen Read's biggest mouthpiece, Aidan Kearney (Turtleboy), fits the cult leader profile.
Like flies to horse crap…
Narcissistic-type personalities can be found swarming Youtube (and other similar-type platforms) to foster a community willing to praise and worship them.
In this Wild West era of the internet, the public has seen a multitude of reckless individuals run amuck at the expense of innocent people.
Some of the most harmful ego-driven personalities I’ve personally witnessed are the conspiracist mouthpieces preaching from online pulpits in the true crime community.
These individuals tend to…
Glamorize and market criminals as the victimized underdog.
Sensationalize conspiracy theories and entertain speculations as facts.
Chronically demonize police as an entity and elicit public fear and outrage.
Point the finger of blame and suspicion at anyone other than the actual defendant and/or convicted persons.
Hold a large microscope over every single person when analyzing a murder case while simultaneously refusing to do the same for the *actual* murder defendants and/or convicted felons.
Amplify their own self-importance as a seeker of justice and truth while turning a blind eye to their very own destructive public comments and behaviors that re-victimize family and friends of the deceased and missing.
Over the past few years, the true crime community has seen an upturn in concerning online personalities covering murder cases. What was once more of a fellowship in helping victims and their loved ones find support and answers…
Has since morphed into avenues of aggressive advocacy and the dehumanizing of those who are involved in the cases being covered.
If you’ve read my previous articles than you know that…
I’ve followed the case of John O’Keefe’s death and his accused murderer, Karen Read, very close for over a year or so. Karen Read has a following of people who believe she was framed for the crime.
My first online encounters with the FKR (Free Karen Read) supporters was like walking into a room of teenaged delinquents ready to pounce on anyone that dared to ask questions or share opinions.
That’s when I realized these aren’t your average true crime community pals…
These are people in an aggressive crusade to control and dominate the narrative of the Karen Read case anywhere they could.
And the common denominator among many of them are their fanatical support of a man who identifies as “Turtleboy” (Aidan Kearney).
These people commune several nights a week on Turtleboy’s YouTube Live where he commonly rants about whoever he hates that day, as well as propagates his conspiracy theories in the Karen Read trial.
I’ve attempted to sit through his YouTube ranting, but I didn’t last long.
My moral compass was practically on fire in that virtual room.
I have no doubt that the Turtleboy Group is nothing more than an Online Conspiracy Cult fueled by speculations, hatred, and lost adult souls.
Let’s look at 8 attributes of why this group is characterized as an online Cult, and how Aidan Kearney is acting as their Cult Leader.
Ok, Here we go…
The leader of a cult is the ultimate authority in the group.
Narcissitc-type personalities like to amplify their own importance. In the case of Aidan Kearney, he uses alias names to represent himself as the ultimate leader in the group. These aliases are…
👉Daddy👉Journalism Jesus
👉Doctor Turtleboy (He’s not a doctor, just plays one online.)
👉Uncle Turtleboy
👉The White MLK
He also likes to remind the public that he once won a local blogging award by referring to himself as “award-winning” incessantly. Narcissists feel the need to TELL people HOW amazing they are because their actions won’t lead people to that conclusion on their own.
(This is Turtleboy wearing a shirt of his own face representing Jesus Christ)
Us versus Them mentality
The cult operates with the mentality that those who are not in agreement with them are the enemies. Turtleboy has doxxed, defamed, and tormented innocent people, and then has the arrogance to threaten those people to not sue him.
Aidan Kearney constantly rants on his youtube lives about the people he hates because they don’t support HIS beliefs and opinions, while his followers cheer him on.
In fact —
By villainizing people who don’t believe in his conspiracy theories, the cult mob group feels entitled & justified in their own awful behaviors towards those people. There’s an attitude of righteousness that emboldens them to outwardly share their hatred and take down their enemies.
One cult member decorated her front lawn recently for Halloween with tombstones of a witness, an officer, and the prosecutor in the Karen Read case with sentiments like:
“Rot in HELL” and “To hell I go”.
The Online Hate Cult truly believes these people deserve to be tormented while also claiming that this isn’t harassment, but simply peaceful advocacy and freedom of speech.
The group recently held a trivia night where they made a disturbing doll mocking one of the witnesses in the case, and they all posed with it.
Unfortunately, I could keep going with all the vile things I’ve seen and heard from these people.
I’ll end this section with a few quotes by Turtleboy speaking publicly on video and directing many of his statements to witnesses who he believes are the real murderers, as well as their friends and family. (Note: Turtleboy is currently charged with over a dozen witness intimidation charges in the Karen Read case, and is currently out on bail pending a trial).
Group Name
A group name like “Turtles” or “Turtle Riders” gives the community of followers a sense of belonging. It’s a basic tribal instinct we all fall into, however, it can also be a manipulative method of creating a false sense of meaning and superiority.
The Turtleboy brand also allows Aidan Kearney to sell more merchandise $$$.
At the moment he has 448 products in his online shop.
Leader is the only source of info
Here’s a video of him telling members to “use your brain” to “trust him”.
In other words — he wants them to think they’re being thoughtful in their approach by just allowing him to do the thinking for the group. **HUGE RED FLAG**
Leader worship
I’ll spare you (and myself) with the overwhelming praise this man gets from his cult members, as well as the reactionary swarms of followers who get excited to help him doxx, shame, and humiliate people. The online attacks are highly disturbing.
Rigid Rules, Lies, and Double Standards
Aidan Kearney slanders and libels people, yet he’s also simultaneously threatening lawsuits of people who he says are defaming him.
He demands Free Speech for himself, including a right to harass and torment witnesses in a murder trial (even refers to himself as a “victim”), yet immediately tries to suppress, shame, and instill fear in those he wants to remain silent.
The moment the public was told that special prosecutor Hank Brennan is joining the team in the Karen Read trial, Aidan Kearney took to social media to doxx the prosecutor’s wife’s place of work.
His intentions were clear. He did what he’s done to every attorney that doesn’t align with his turtle feelings…Attempt to intimidate and smear.
Information Control
Immediate threats, doxxing tactics, gaslighting, lying, ad hominem attacks, and shaming of people who disagree with the cult mentality.
Here he is blatantly lying to his listeners about not tormenting John O’Keefe’s family. He owes anchor Julie Grant money on that very provable bet he personally made.
Here he is boasting about shaming a juror from the Michael Chesna trial because the juror didn’t come back with the same conclusion as Turtleboy.
Aidan Kearney refers to himself as a journalist…
However —
His blog has been clearly used as a marketing campaign for the Karen Read defense.
One instance is the photo of Trooper Proctor (investigator in the Karen Read case) and what he claims were the witness, Jen McCabe’s kids. They are not her kids. This is a fact. His readers will never know that unless they paid attention to the motions and hearing leading up to Karen Read’s trial.
On top of this info manipulation…
He uses his blog as a weapon to silence and shame people.
His efforts to blatantly control a narrative and to keep his fans hyped up on hate is reckless. He instills fear in people that they will be humiliated on his blog if they don’t remain silent or do as he says.
Fear of asking the wrong the question, as well as giving the leader feedback or critical inquiry
Recently on a YouTube live (or what I refer to as the Online Hate Cult meetings), several of Turtleboy’s followers mentioned how his audio was capturing his loud breathing. This is likely a simple microphone fix or positioning from the microphone…
However —
The cult leader threatened to ban anyone if they mentioned it again.
Hence, they were the problem. Not him.
Conclusion:
Many things surrounding this man and his followers should cause concern for the average citizen…
His vile behavior, manipulation tactics as a claimed ‘journalist’, erratic tantrums, ego-maniac rants, ease of lying and gaslighting, pushing conspiracy theories…
BUT —
There is one thing that TRULY has me disgusted the most…
THIS is the man that defendant Karen Read and her defense team aligned with to help push the conspiracy theory narrative that she was “framed”.
In this video you will see Karen Read walking into the courthouse for her trial last Spring. She’s seen winking at Aidan Kearney while her attorney, David Yannetti, follows suit by patting him under the butt in an “atta boy” manner.
Note: Aidan Kearney had JUST spent the night prior smearing the prosecution’s witness, a firefighter-medic (who was testifying that week on the stand that the defendant admitted to hitting John).
The medic took a leave of absence soon after due to the stress of harassment.
Here are links to other articles and YouTube videos showing more concerning behaviors of Turtleboy and his cult. Innocent by Intimidation, Canton Witch Trials , Who is Framing Who in the Karen Read Case?