The second trial of Karen Read, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her Boston officer boyfriend, wrapped up its fourth day of full testimony on April 25.
Jurors visited the Canton, Massachusetts, address where Read, 45, was accused of deliberately striking Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe with an SUV and leaving him to die in the snow in January 2022.
After returning to the courtroom, jurors heard testimony about Read’s blood alcohol test that day from Dr. Garrey Faller and about her interaction with firefighter Jason Becker who helped transport her for a psychiatric evaluation. Court proceedings ended for the day at about 1 p.m.
Prosecutors in opening statements on April 22 said Read hit O’Keefe in a drunken rage. Her defense team, led by attorney Alan Jackson, said the incident never happened and that Read was framed for O’Keefe’s death.
The jury in Read’s first murder trial was unable to reach a verdict, leading to a mistrial in July 2024.
Read’s case has drawn national buzz, with internet sleuths dissecting arguments from each side. It’s also spurred multiple true-crime podcasts, movies and television shows. Supporters of both Read and O’Keefe are barred from demonstrating within 200 feet of the courthouse.
Physician pathologist Garrey Faller testified about the chemistry process used to test Read’s blood for alcohol on Jan. 29, 2022, the morning O’Keefe was found dead. The test showed a blood alcohol content of 93 milligrams per deciliter, Faller said. That converts to a 0.093% blood alcohol content by volume.
During questioning by Read’s defense attorney, Faller said that the type of alcohol test done in a medical setting for the purpose of diagnosing health issues is different than the type of test used in forensics and relied upon in a court of law. Faller said the serum testing is just as accurate as whole-blood testing.
The defense argued that Read’s anemia may have influenced the result of the alcohol test.
Jurors and the lawyers on both sides of the case departed the courtroom after brief instructions the morning of April 25 for a trip to the address where O’Keefe was found dead.
Judge Beverly Cannone told jurors the purpose of the viewing was to better understand the context of the location and evidence being discussed in the case. She said their observations during the viewing can be used when they eventually deliberate on the case.
“Your job is to simply stop and look. It’s really no more complicated than that,” Cannone said.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan and defense attorney David Yannetti each told jurors which aspects of the property they wanted them to pay attention to, including Read’s Lexus SUV at the site, a flag pole and fire hydrant.
“We’ll be asking you to take a good look a that Lexus. To stand next to it. To size it up. To take it in,” Yannetti said.
Five witnesses took the stand in the first three days of testimony, including O’Keefe’s mother, two of his close friends, a firefighter who was on the scene the morning he was found dead and a restaurant manager who provided surveillance footage to investigators.
Much of the testimony has revolved around Read’s actions in the days and hours surrounding O’Keefe’s death. Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino read aloud text messages between Read and O’Keefe for more than an hour on the stand.
In the messages, O’Keefe and Read discussed their strained relationship and both at different points acknowledged they were dissatisfied. “Things haven’t been great between us for a while,” O’Keefe wrote hours before he died.
O’Keefe’s mother, Peggy O’Keefe, cried on the stand recounting the day she found out her son died. She said she spoke by phone with Read, who told her she had left O’Keefe at a party.
CourtTV has been covering the case against Read and the criminal investigation since early 2022, when O’Keefe’s body was found outside a Canton home.
You can watch CourtTV’s live feed of the Read trial proceedings from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Proceedings begins at 9 a.m. ET
