Dedham, Mass. — Jurors in Karen Read’s retrial on Friday morning visited the Canton home where the Mansfield woman’s Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, was found dead in the snow in January 2022.
Read is accused of striking O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert following a night of drinking. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene.
After the jury returned from the field trip, the prosecution called Doctor Garrey Faller, a local pathologist, to the witness stand. He detailed the procedures and protocol for the testing of blood serum. Canton Firefighter Jason Becker was next up.
WATCH LIVE: Day 4 of witness testimony in Karen Read’s retrial
During Read’s first trial, Becker testified that Read told him she and O’Keefe had been fighting.
“She had said that they had gotten into an argument,” Becker testified. “She was sad because that was the last thing she had said to him.”
After Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed the jury early on Day 3 of testimony on Thursday over “confusion” with witnesses, jurors got to step out of the courtroom and were bused to 34 Fairview Road to see where O’Keefe’s body was found and his proximity to the street and the home.
The Lexus SUV that Read was driving when she allegedly struck O’Keefe while dropping him off on that stormy winter night is also expected to be brought to the scene. Jurors in Read’s first trial saw the vehicle last spring.
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Before Cannone sent the jurors home early, they were played interview clips that showed Read discussing her alcohol consumption in the hours before O’Keefe’s death. She was also shown talking about drinking and driving.
“I was fuzzier than I would have been if I had no alcohol,” Read said in one of the clips.
Also on Thursday, jurors were read and shown a slew of contentious text messages that Read exchanged with O’Keefe in the hours before his death.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Guarino, a digital forensics expert, presented a Cellbrite data log of the texts at the request of special prosecutor Hank Brennan.
As part of the investigation into O’Keefe’s death, Guarino testified that he was tasked with extracting data from cellphones belonging to Read, O’Keefe, and other witnesses connected to the case under the direction of now-fired lead investigator Michael Proctor.
Prosecutors allege the messages show their relationship was strained and in a bad place.
The texts revealed that the couple appeared to be discussing a fight that they had on that morning and trying to smooth things over.
In one text, Read wrote, “Can you pls admit your head is out of the game w us?” O’Keefe responded, “Sick of always arguing and fighting. It’s been weekly for several months now.”
See all of the texts in the video player below:
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.
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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