Body cam footage that could exonerate fired officers is missing, attorney says

PITTSBURGH — An officer accused of covering up an alleged road rage case is hoping to get his job back after the discovery that crucial evidence may be missing.

Officer Kaelen O’Connor is accused of covering up for an alleged road rage case involving Officer Robert Kramer. Both officers were fired, but Kramer was acquitted of criminal charges by a jury.

Now, Target 11 has learned that body camera footage of an incident that may be related has gone missing.

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“Obviously we are very interested in getting that and obviously, as you know, nothing is better than tape recorded or video recorded,” said defense attorney Bill Difenderfer

Difenderfer filed this motion for his client O'Connor

In that missing footage, a driver allegedly told a third officer he would “get him fired, just like he did to Officer Kramer and Officer O’Connor.”

That officer said his body camera was rolling but, according to the motion, that portion of the tape is now missing.  All of the other video from that day is still there.

The court filing contends it may be the result of an intentional cover-up.

"First of all, I don't know why it would ever be recorded over. I don't get that. And for this one section of a tape to be omitted, erased, whatever, is just extremely concerning," Difenderfer said.

The district attorney's office declined to comment on the motion.

Difenderfer is requesting a hearing on the body cam video. If it was deleted or taped over, he wants to know who did it.

Cox Media Group