Karen Read murder trial testimony focuses on broken taillights found at Canton scene

DEDHAM - The Karen Read trial continued Monday with witness testimony from police and forensic experts about physical evidence collected at the scene of the Massachusetts murder case. 

Read is accused of hitting and killing her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow in January of 2022 in Canton. The defense argues that he was actually killed during a fight and dragged outside.

Massachusetts State Police lieutenant testifies in Karen Read trial

The first witness called by the prosecution Monday was Massachusetts State Police Lt. Kevin O'Hara. He has been team commander for the agency's Special Emergency Response Team since 2014.

O'Hara said Massachusetts State Police Lt. Brian Tully reached out to him for help with the scene at 34 Fairview Road, where O'Keefe's body was discovered. The search for evidence was done in "blizzard conditions," said O'Hara, who arrived on scene shortly before 5 p.m.

"Lt. Tully had informed us that the victim in this case was struck by a vehicle," O'Hara testified. "He believed there would be broken pieces of taillight in the area."

O'Hara said a search in the snow drifts uncovered multiple pieces of red and clear taillights on the street between a flagpole and fire hydrant, as well as O'Keefe's missing sneaker. 

The defense has previously suggested that those pieces of taillight were actually planted at the scene to frame Read.

During cross-examination, attorney David Yannetti focused on the exact distance between pieces of evidence and the integrity of the crime scene.

"Were you aware at that time that no one had been controlling [the scene] for about six-to-seven hours before you were called?" Yannetti asked. 

"I was not aware of that, sir," O'Hara said.

Forensic scientists from crime lab testify about broken taillight 

After O'Hara, the prosecution called to the stand Maureen Hartnett, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab. She testified about the damage she observed to Read's Lexus SUV.

"There was a dent in the trunk door, there were scratches on the rear bumper and there was a broken taillight," Hartnett said, adding that she noticed "apparent glass" and "apparent hair" on the bumper. 

Hartnett said a test for blood on the vehicle came back negative. She also tested O'Keefe's ripped clothes for blood and other damage.

Additionally, Hartnett said she was told that O'Keefe could have been bitten by a dog, so she collected evidence to send out for testing. 

A dog DNA expert testified earlier in the trial. Read's attorneys claim that O'Keefe was attacked by a dog at Brian Albert's home at at 34 Fairview Road before this death. 

In cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Jackson asked Hartnett about how evidence remained on Read's SUV after it was driven to Dighton and towed back to Canton in a snowstorm.

"According to your notes, the glass pieces that we're looking at on the back of this bumper would've traveled - let's call it for round figures - about 60 miles in the blizzard before you saw it?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know when the glass pieces ended up on the bumper, so I couldn't say," she said. 

Will Trooper Michael Proctor testify?

As jurors learn about the investigation after John O'Keefe's death, one question hangs over the case: Will Trooper Michael Proctor testify?

WBZ-TV's Kristina Rex asked Alan Jackson about it outside court Monday afternoon. "If you get some info about whether Trooper Proctor is going to testify, let me know," Jackson said.

Rex asked if he was waiting to find out. "You're damn right I am," Jackson responded.

Proctor was the lead investigator and has been accused by the defense of covering up the truth to protect witnesses who are friends. He's currently under internal investigation by the Massachusetts State Police for "a potential violation of department policy." He has denied any wrongdoing and remains on full duty during the investigation.

WBZ legal analyst Jennifer Roman says the state will want to call Proctor to the stand. "They know what his weaknesses are, and they almost want to get ahead of it with the jury," Roman said.

But if he does not appear in this trial at all, Roman says there's one likely reason why: the Fifth Amendment.

"He would have to assert the Fifth Amendment privilege outside of the purview of the jury," Roman said. "The jury will never know that he asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. He just wouldn't testify for either the prosecution or the defense." 

What happened last week in the Karen Read trial?

There was only one day of testimony in the trial last week.

ATF agent Brian Higgins, who the defense argued is one of the men who could have killed O'Keefe, completed his testimony. 

Among the other witnesses called were O'Keefe's niece and nephew. The teenagers, whose names were not used during testimony, told the jury about a strained relationship between Read and O'Keefe.

Prosecutors then called several experts who testified about Read's blood alcohol (BAC) level the morning of January 29, 2022. Doctors said had a BAC of 93 milligrams per deciliter, or 0.093%. The legal BAC when driving in Massachusetts is 0.08%.

Another expert testified about "retrograde" testing that estimates what a person's BAC would have been hours before an official test was taken. 

Using a formula, the expert estimated that Read's BAC would have previously been a minimum of 0.135% or a maximum of 0.292%.

On cross-examination, the defense argued that there were variables in the test and it may not have been reliable. 

Who is Karen Read?

Read is a 45-year-old woman from Mansfield, Massachusetts who was dating O'Keefe when he died. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.

What's the schedule for the Karen Read murder trial this week?

A full day of testimony is scheduled for Monday and Wednesday this week. A half-day is planned for Thursday. There is no court on Tuesday or Friday.

Judge Beverly Cannone said last week that she may shorten the jury's lunch break from an hour to 45 minutes and let court continue an extra half hour until 4:30 p.m. on full days of testimony in order to speed up the trial.

So far, the prosecution has called more than 50 witnesses from its list of 87. The defense has a list of 77 possible witnesses, but 20 have already been called for the prosecution.

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