Karen Read‘s second trial in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, continues on Wednesday in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court before Judge Beverly Cannone.
Read more: Recap of trial day 14
The trial was canceled at what appeared to be the last minute on Tuesday morning due to “unavoidable circumstances.” Several reports surfaced suggesting that Read was sick. A brief closed-door hearing was held Tuesday with prosecutors and Read’s lawyers.
People to know:
Sgt. Evan Brent, Massachusetts State Police trooperSgt. Zachark Clark, Massachusetts State Police trooper assigned to the Norfolk district attorney’s officeAdam Lally, assistant district attorneyDavid Yanetti, lawyer for Read
12 p.m. – ‘No damage’ to John O’Keefe’s car
Much like Clark, Brent worked for the state police crime scene services section in February 2022.
On Feb. 3, he was asked to respond to 34 Fairview Road. Brent photographed evidence recovered that day, documenting it in its place before it was bagged.
Some of the items were found on top of the snow, some of which had melted, while others were found buried under what he described as a foot or foot and a half of snow.
That day, he also responded to O’Keefe’s home at 1 Meadows Ave. He documented the camera above the garage and took photos of O’Keefe’s SUV.
Lally showed the jury several photos taken at the home that morning, including of O’Keefe’s car. Brent testified he saw no damage to the car or the garage door.
11:50 a.m. – Clark concludes testimony
Yannetti concluded his examination with a series of questions about Clark’s role documenting evidence found at 34 Fairview Road.
Clark said he was never called there after Feb. 1, despite evidence being found on several other dates. With Clark off the stand, Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally called another state police trooper, Sgt. Evan Brent, to the stand.
11:15 a.m. – Yannetti cross-examines Mass. State Police Sgt.
Yannetti focused many of his questions to Clark on the involvement of former trooper Michael Proctor in the case. (Proctor was fired over misconduct in the Read investigation).
Clark confirmed that it was Proctor who directed him to Read’s SUV on Feb. 1, 2022 and that he had no knowledge of how long Proctor had been with the vehicle before he arrived.
His involvement in the case didn’t end there. Clark and Proctor interviewed Colin Albert, whose uncle, Brian Albert, owned the home O’Keefe was found outside of.
Yannetti began questioning Clark about Proctor’s connection to the Albert family, prompting an objection from Lally. Yannetti asked to be heard at sidebar.
11:06 a.m. – Jury sees photos of Read’s SUV
With Clark on the stand, the jury saw several photos from the inside of Read’s Lexus SUV.
They saw photos of the vehicle’s odometer and its rear-camera backup system.
Lally concluded his questioning there.
10:46 a.m. – State Police Sgt. testifies about search of Read’s car
After O’Keefe’s niece concluded her testimony, Lally called Clark to the stand. Lally was the lead prosecutor during the first trial.
Clark is a trooper assigned to the state police detective unit in the district attorney’s office. He worked for the crime scene unit in February 2022 and conducted a search of Read’s SUV.
He said the search focused primarily on both the interior and exterior of the front passenger compartment. Clark said no “usable impressions” were found in the car.
On Feb. 1, Clark photographed the scene at 34 Fairview Road. He said the area appeared to be cleared and heavily trodden, with a lot of snow still on the ground.
His primary role was to photograph the area.
10 a.m. – O’Keefe’s niece testifies
Assistant District Attorney Laura McLaughlin conducted the direct examination of O’Keefe’s niece, now 17 years old.
Because O’Keefe’s niece is a minor, her testimony was not broadcast. Reporters inside the courtroom said her testimony focused mainly on O’Keefe’s relationship with Read.
She testified that their relationship had deteriorated in early 2022 and about the morning her uncle was found. On cross-examination, Yannetti established Read’s role in O’Keefe’s niece’s life.
9:40 a.m. – ‘We would’ve broken up,’ Read says in video clip
Proceedings got underway after a lengthy sidebar conversation.
Jurors entered the courtroom at about 9:30 a.m., and the judge gave a few statements about why the trial was canceled on Tuesday.
“Sometimes, during trials, things come up that are completely unavoidable,” Cannone said. She said she canceled as soon as possible to avoid jurors having to travel to court on Tuesday.
Before calling his next witness, Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan played two video clips of Read’s interviews, the first with Dateline and the second with ID Docuseries.
The interviewer asked in the first clip whether there was a “last date element” the night before O’Keefe died.
“That was not going on,” Read said. “John made it clear, ‘I’m never breaking up with you.’”
In the second clip, Read said she didn’t think that O’Keefe knew about flirtatious text messages between her and Brian Higgins. The text messages were shown to jurors on Friday during testimony by Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik.
“I’m not sure if he knew, he would’ve reacted very strongly,” Read said. “I think we would’ve broken up. I don’t think John would’ve lost it and caused a fight.”
Brennan called a juvenile as his first witness of the day. The court rules do not permit the broadcast of the minor’s testimony.
Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, who was found outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan. 29, 2022.
Norfolk County prosecutors say Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Read’s attorneys say her car never struck O’Keefe and that others are to blame for his death.
