Karen Read murder trial continues, Brian Albert says O'Keefe never entered his house
DEDHAM - Testimony continued in the Karen Read murder trial Friday, and jurors in the Massachusetts case heard from the owners of the Canton home where Boston police officer John O'Keefe was found dead outside.
"He's out in the snow"
Nicole Albert, the wife of Brian Albert, testified about the moment she learned O'Keefe was found outside their Canton home at 34 Fairview Road on January 29, 2022.
Albert said that between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., her sister Jennifer McCabe came "bursting" into her bedroom.
"She's saying, 'he's out in the snow, we found him out in the snow, we don't know if he's OK.'"
Albert said she didn't immediately realize her sister was talking about O'Keefe.
"She told us ... 'John, John, remember John from last night at the Waterfall?" Albert recalled. "I'm like, 'what do you mean? How could he be outside?'"
During cross-examination, the defense questioned Albert's version of events that morning, saying cell phone records show that she answered two phone calls from her sister at 6:07 a.m. and 6:08 a.m.
"It says that, but I never answered a phone call from my sister Jennifer that morning," Albert said.
Albert was also asked why she and her husband never went outside when police were called to the scene early that morning. "We did not go outside because we did not know what was going on outside. We were sound asleep," she said.
Brian Albert says Read and O'Keefe never entered his house
Brian Albert was called to the stand after his wife. Brian Albert, his nephew Colin Albert, and his friend Brian Higgins, are the three men the defense claims could have killed John O'Keefe in a fight, an alternative theory to the state's case that Read hit O'Keefe with her car.
Albert, a retired Boston police officer, was also at the Waterfall the night O'Keefe and Read came in. He said he had only met O'Keefe twice before that night.
"Although I didn't know him well, I considered him to be a friend and our relationship was very, very good," said Brian Albert.
After returning to his home, he said his nephew Colin was there with a group of people, but he left within five minutes. He said O'Keefe and Read never went into his house that night. "John O'Keefe and Karen Read never entered my house," Brian Albert said.
Brian Albert said Jennifer McCabe burst into his room after 6 a.m. and he said she was "very upset, almost hysterical." She said the police were downstairs and he went down to talk to them. He said he called Higgins, saying he thought it was important for him to know what happened.
The Alberts eventually sold their home and when asked if O'Keefe's death prompted the sale, Brian Albert said, "Absolutely not."
Brian Albert will be back on the stand Monday.
"Turtleboy" can't be in court for certain witness testimony, judge rules
Read's trial was briefly paused Friday as Judge Beverly Cannone heard arguments about whether Aidan Kearney, the blogger known as "Turtleboy," could remain in court. Kearney, who runs "TB Daily News," was sitting with reporters in the courtroom during testimony for the first time.
Kearney was arrested and charged with witness intimidation in the Read case in October. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Judge Cannone said she found that Kearney's presence will have a "chilling effect" on testimony by certain witnesses. She said he will be excused from court during testimony by Julie Nagel, Christopher Albert, Colin Albert, Michael Proctor, Jennifer McCabe, Matthew McCabe, Brian Albert and Nicole Albert.
Outside court, Kearney criticized the judge's decision.
"They've used these trumped up charges to smear my name and paint me as some sort of dangerous intimidator," said Kearney. "I've never threatened anyone, I've never hurt anyone, none of those people are scared of me, none of those people are intimidated of me."
Julie Albert on the stand
Testimony left off Thursday afternoon with Julie Albert on the stand. She is the wife of Christopher Albert, whose brother Brian owns the home at 34 Fairview Road.
Julie Albert was out with a group at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton with O'Keefe, Read and others, just hours before O'Keefe died. Albert said she went home earlier than others that night at about 11 p.m. because she developed a migraine.
Albert said she found out about O'Keefe's death the next morning when she went to the Fairview Road home to deliver a birthday gift for her nephew.
"Everyone was visibly upset," Albert said.
The defense during cross-examination focused on Albert's relationship with Trooper Michael Proctor's sister Courtney. Trooper Proctor is the lead investigator on the case.
According to Read's lawyers, Julie Albert called Courtney Proctor dozens of times in the months after O'Keefe's death, including the day Read was arrested.
"Were you using Courtney Proctor as an intermediary to communicate with Michael Proctor about this case?" defense attorney David Yannetti asked.
"No I was not," Albert testified.
Julie Albert says she doesn't remember details of phone calls with Trooper Proctor's wife
When cross-examination resumed on Friday, Albert said she did not remember what was discussed in her phone calls with Courtney Proctor, and also said she did not remember calling Trooper Proctor's personal cell phone after a police interview at her house.
In previous hearings, the defense has said Brian Albert, ATF agent Brian Higgins, and Christopher and Julie Albert's son Colin are their suspects in O'Keefe's death.
Julie Albert testified Friday that her son, then a teenager, was at a friend's house before stopping by 34 Fairview to wish his cousin a happy birthday.
Christopher Albert testifies
The defense claims the Albert family is at the center of an alleged effort to frame Read. Canton Select Board member Christopher Albert was on the stand for nearly two hours on Thursday.
Albert testified that everyone in the group had a good time on the night of Jan. 28, 2022, and remembered Read coming into the bar with a glass under her jacket. Police say they found a broken cocktail glass at the scene, where Read is accused of hitting and killing O'Keefe with her SUV.
Christopher Albert says he was never inside Brian Albert's home the night O'Keefe died. Read's defense says O'Keefe was killed during a fight inside Brian Albert's home and dragged outside.
Who is Karen Read?
Read, 45, faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. The trial is taking place inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
She argues she is the victim of a cover-up involving several people, including law enforcement.
