Karen Read's defense attorney questions Canton police sergeant on ties to Brian Albert's family
DEDHAM - Witness testimony continued Tuesday in the high-profile Karen Read murder trial. Among those to take the stand was Canton Police Sgt. Michael Lank, who defense attorneys argued had personal connections to the home where John O'Keefe's body was found in 2022.
Who is Karen Read?
Read is a 45-year-old woman from Massachusetts who is charged with second-degree murder, leaving the scene of personal injury and death, and manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol
Read has pleaded not guilty. Her attorneys argue she is being framed as part of a coverup involving several people, including police.
Prosecutors say Read hit O'Keefe with her SUV after a night of drinking and left him to die in the snow. Read and O'Keefe were dating at the time of the crash.
Canton police sergeant questioned about ties to Albert family
Canton Police Sgt. Michael Lank was called to the stand Tuesday morning, but Judge Beverly Cannone said "not yet" and sent jurors out of the room.
Cannone addressed what defense attorneys Jackson and David Yannetti are allowed to ask Lank regarding his past interactions and history with members of the Albert family. O'Keefe's body was found in the yard of Brian Albert, a Boston police officer.
Read's defense attorneys say that in 2002, Lank intervened in a fight on behalf of Chris Albert, Brian's brother. Lank took the stand Monday to be questioned without the jury present ahead of his testimony.
On Tuesday, the jury was in the courtroom as prosecutor Adam Lally began questioning Lank about his response the morning O'Keefe's body was found. During direct examination, Lank held up a broken cocktail glass that was found during the investigation.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Jackson began questioning Lank about the 2002 incident, which happened while the Canton police officer was off duty.
Lank testified that he had been drinking, and Chris Albert told him two brothers were threatening him and his family. According to Lank, he pleaded with the group not to fight, but a fight broke out and he jumped in to help Chris Albert.
No one was arrested the night of the fight. A day later, one of the men involved in the fight went to the Canton Police Department with a complaint against Lank. Canton police then filed charges against the brothers for their role in the fight.
No charges were ever filed against Chris Albert, who in 2023 was elected to the Canton Board of Selectmen.
"Is that an example of you using your position as a police officer to come to the aid of one of the members of the Albert family?" Jackson asked Lank, who replied that he would describe it as coming to the aid of a citizen who was in fear for their safety.
On redirect, Lally asked Lank what "relevance or factor" the 2002 incident had on how he handled his response to O'Keefe's death.
"Absolutely nothing," Lank replied.
Lank said he recalls telling police dispatch after responding to the scene that he didn't know if O'Keefe had "been in a fight or whatever" due to his injuries.
Lt. Charles Rae, who has been with the Canton Police Department for 25 years, was the final witness to take the stand Tuesday. Proceedings were stopped for the day before he could finish, so Rae will be back on the stand Wednesday.
Judge asks attorneys to "move this case along"
Before Lank was sworn in, Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode concluded his testimony that started a day earlier. But first, there were several sidebars and breaks as the judge and attorneys addressed what evidence could be entered.
During one of the breaks with jurors out of the room, Cannone told both sides, "We're taking an awful lot of these jurors' time, days and weeks." Cannone added, "Let's not squander it" and asked both sides to "move this case along."
Previous witness accused of perjury
Read's attorneys have zeroed in on photos they say show Canton firefighter-paramedic Katie McLaughlin committed perjury. McLaughlin described herself as an acquaintance, not a friend, of Caitlin Albert, whose father is Brian Albert.
Defense attorney David Yannetti said he received a "deluge" of photographs following McLaughlin's testimony last week. He argued the photos show McLaughlin and Caitlin Albert are indeed friends.
"It's very clear that Katie McLaughlin perjured herself," Yannetti said on Monday before jurors were brought in.
Cannone told Yannetti she would hear the new information without the jury present in the coming days, but that did not happen on Tuesday. Yannetti asked for the discussion to happen soon, as Caitlin Albert is expected to be called as a witness midweek.
What has happened so far in the Karen Read case
On Monday, jurors heard from Canton police officers who investigated O'Keefe's death. Defense attorneys questioned their handling of evidence, suggesting there could have been cross-contamination.
Prosecutors played the 911 calls that were placed the day O'Keefe's body was found in the snow outside of Brian Alert's Canton home.
Tuesday marked the sixth day of witness testimony as the trial is in its second week.
Firefighters who were first on scene previously testified, with some saying they heard Read say "I hit him." Read's defense team has said those witnesses' stories have changed.