Jurors see key piece of evidence during Day 9 of witness testimony in Karen Read trial

For the first time in Karen Read’s second murder trial for the death of John O’Keefe, jurors were able to see a key piece of evidence.

Retired Canton Police Lieutenant Paul Gallagher displayed a broken cocktail glass from where John O’Keefe’s body was found outside 34 Fairview Road on January 29, 2022.

Gallagher, one of six people who took the witness stand Monday, says he found the glass and several drops of blood in the snow with a leaf blower.

The blood was collected in red solo cups and placed in a paper Stop & Shop bag.

Canton firefighter Katie McLaughlin testified she heard Karen Read incriminate herself at the scene.

“She repeated. ‘I hit him. I hit him,’” McLaughlin detailed

“How do you remember she made those statements?” special prosecutor Hank Brennan asked.

“I won’t ever forget those statements,” McLaughlin replied.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson asked why McLaughlin failed to document the alleged confession.

“You’re also aware that not a single police officer out at the scene wrote that down either?” Jackson asked before Brennan objected.

Ryan Nagel told the jury he saw a woman believed to be Read parked outside 34 Fairview when he drove by around 12:35 am.

Hannah Knowles, a forensic scientist and toxicologist at the Massachusetts State Police crime lab, testified that Read was still intoxicated the morning after O’Keefe was killed.

She analyzed a blood sample Read gave around 9 in the morning. She says the reading was right around the legal limit of .08 at that time

In addition, she calculated that Read would have been 2 to 3 times the legal limit after midnight, when police allege she struck John O’Keefe with her SUV.

The defense asked Knowles if she was asked to test anyone else’s blood:

“Were you ever asked to determine the blood alcohol level of Brian Albert?” asked David Yanetti.

“No,” Knowles replied.

“Were you ever asked to determine the blood alcohol level of Brian Higgins?”

“No,” said Knowles. “My only involvement with this case in my unit, was the request to perform these calculations on this individual.”

Read has not denied drinking vodka sodas that night.

None of the six people who testified remembered seeing John O’Keefe on the lawn or entering the home.

Read did not speak to reporters at the end of court today but her father called it a good day for the defense.

A full day of testimony is scheduled for Tuesday.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group