Jennifer McCabe, one of the last people to see John O’Keefe alive, was on the stand for the entirety of the seventh day of testimony in Karen Read’s murder retrial on Wednesday.
McCabe testified for hours and at times sparred with the defense as she recounted the morning that John O’Keefe’s body was found on January 29, 2022.
McCabe says Read admitted to striking O’Keefe and showed damage to Lexus’ taillight.
The prosecution alleges O’Keefe’s body was on McCabe’s sister’s front lawn when McCabe left that home late at night.
McCabe testified that she never saw it.
Read attacked McCabe’s credibility after listening to a full day of her testimony.
“Another witness, another instance of perjury. Or instances I should say,” Karen Read said outside court.
“I did not tell Jen to make a Google search,” Read said of McCabe’s infamous “hos long to die in cold” search on the morning of O’Keefe’s death.
Read’s lawyers have said that McCabe’s search happened hours before O’Keefe was discovered, which could implicate her rather than Read. McCabe has said she made the search later at Read’s insistence after they found O’Keefe.
Jurors listened to the 911 call McCabe made upon the discovery of O’Keefe’s body.
“I need someone to come immediately to 34 Fairview Road Canton, Mass,” a recording of McCabe’s voice played in court.
“What’s going on?” a dispatcher replied.
“There’s a guy unresponsive in the snow,” McCabe said.
McCabe said that Read announced that morning, “I hit them! I hit them! I hit them!” McCabe testified that the memory was “just as fresh today as it was three years ago.”
Defense attorney Alan Jackson challenged that and argued McCabe never mentioned that Read incriminated herself in previous testimony.
“Not one time. Miss McCabe, did you utter the phrase,” Jackson said.
“We found one of my closest friends on the front lawn, and she was saying crazy things and acting crazy,” McCabe replied.
McCabe also confirmed federal law enforcement agents came to her Canton home to question her in April 2023.
McCabe revealed she made five phone calls, including one to her brother-in-law Brian Abert, before agreeing to speak with the FBI, but initially she told agents she only made two; one to her husband Matt and another to Kerry Roberts.
“That would be a lie by definition,” Jackson pried.
“No, it’s not a lie,” McCabe said
“Is there some shade of lie that I’m not aware of?” Jackson replied.
McCabe says it was an oversight and she reached out to the federal investigators by phone a short time later to tell them about the other calls.
As 25 Investigates has reported, the federal investigation closed months ago with no indictments.
McCabe also said she didn’t hear any engine revving or yelling outside 34 Fairview at the time the prosecution says Read struck O’Keefe there.
There is no court on Thursday but McCabe will be back on the stand for a couple more hours on Friday.
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