Judge dismisses jurors early after ‘confusion’ about witnesses on Day 3 of Karen Read’s retrial

DEDHAM, Mass. — The third day of witness testimony in Karen Read’s retrial came to an abrupt and unexpected end shortly before noon on Thursday after Judge Beverly Cannone said there was “confusion” over special prosecutor Hank Brennan’s witnesses.

Read is accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her SUV in January 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party in Canton. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene.

Before Cannone sent the jurors home for the day, Brennan played interview clips that showed Read discussing her alcohol consumption on the night of Jan. 28, 2022, in the hours before the death of O’Keefe. She was also shown talking about drinking and driving.

“I had like a normal amount, like a vodka tonic every 40 minutes,” Read said in one of the clips. In a separate clip, Read described the drinks at C.F. McCarthy’s as “weak.”

“It was just a really weak pour,” she told one interviewer.

Read said she “felt like I was buzzed” when she and O’Keefe left C.F. McCarthy’s for the Waterfall.

She also admitted to driving after drinking, saying in a clip played by Brennan, “I was fuzzier than I would have been if I had no alcohol.”

Read also claimed, “I know I wasn’t driving recklessly.”

Upon completion of the clips, Read and her legal team asked Cannone for permission to approach her bench, and the courtroom camera panned out of view.

When Read and her team sat back down, Cannone told the court, “Jurors, there was some confusion with counsel regarding witnesses. Those were the witnesses for today, so we’re done for today.”

Cannone added, “Counsel assures me that won’t happen again. More importantly, we’re on track, we’re on schedule, and the rest of the day won’t interfere with our schedule.”

Cannone also announced that jurors will be going on a “view” on Friday, which means they’ll be bused to see sites relevant to the murder case.

Judge abruptly ends Day 3 of testimony in Karen Read retrial over ‘confusion’ about witnesses

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino also returned to the stand Thursday. As part of the murder investigation, he was tasked with examining Read and O’Keefe’s cellphone data, as well as phones belonging to other witnesses in the case.

Guarino scrutinized call logs between Read and O’Keefe, and he read dozens of text messages the couple exchanged in the hours before O’Keefe’s death.

The texts read aloud by Guarino referenced smoothing things over from something that happened that morning and making plans for the rest of the night. Read and O’Keefe texted back and forth about whether or not to meet up, with Read also indicating that she was having problems with her hot water that required help from a plumber.

In one text exchange, O’Keefe said he was getting off his phone because Read still hadn’t decided if she was going to meet him at C.F. McCarthy’s in Canton.

Read, referencing their mutual friends Curt Roberts and Michael Camerano, responded, “I think the four of us together is toxic to this relationship. Would like to limit it...You said so yourself for probably a year now.”

Before Guarino returned to the stand, Brennan questioned Camerano, who testified that he didn’t notice any friction between Read and O’Keefe at C.F. McCarthy’s.

On Wednesday, John’s mother, Peggy O’Keefe, was called to the stand, marking the first time that she had spoken publicly since her son’s death.

O’Keefe did not testify in Read’s first trial and has never given any interviews. She was one of four people who took the stand for the prosecution on Day 2 of testimony.

O’Keefe described how Read spoke to her over the phone at Good Samaritan Hospital, where her son was pronounced deceased.

“As I’m walking down, I hear Karen Read yell, ‘Peg, is he dead? Is he dead, Peg?’ O’Keefe testified. ”I asked her what happened, and she said ‘I. We went to a party. I left him there.’ I said, ‘You just left him there.’ She said, ‘Yes’"

When leaving court earlier this week, Read expressed confidence in her team of lawyers to reporters.

“I feel great, today went well. We prepped hard, and I’m just proud of my team. I can’t be prouder, and we have the truth, so we forge ahead,” Read said.

Prosecutors allege Read intentionally backed into O’Keefe after she dropped him off at a house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense has claimed that she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O’Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party.

A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile.

The biggest difference in the current trial is the lead prosecutor, Brennan. Brought in as a special prosecutor after the mistrial, the former defense attorney has represented a number of prominent clients, including notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger.

Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.

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