Defense attorney Alan Jackson pressed first responder Timothy Nuttall on the night he arrived at the crime scene, pointing out supposed inconsistencies in Nuttall’s recollection of the night O’Keefe’s body was discovered.
Jackson and Nuttall sparred over Nuttall’s previous description of events, noting he told authorities Karen Read had claimed she “hit him,” twice, but testified earlier that she repeated the phrase three times.
Read’s defense attorney went on to note that the duty of first responders arriving on scene is not to preserve evidence, pointing out that O’Keefe’s clothing was not preserved in evidence bags upon being removed from his body.
Upon being questioned on what could have caused the lacerations on the side of O’Keefe’s face, a sidebar was called and the court broke for lunch.
Following opening statements, the prosecution called their first witness, first responder Timothy Nuttall. Nuttall was one of the first emergency responders on scene after John O’Keefe’s lifeless body was found in the snow.
Nuttall described finding O’Keefe lying on his back, cold to the touch with no signs of life. Upon attempting to render life saving aid, Nuttall testified to looking up and seeing Read standing near O’Keefe’s body with blood on her face.
Nuttall told the court Read told him, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” as first responders were gathering information regarding O’Keefe while trying to resuscitate him. Upon putting O’Keefe into an ambulance, Nuttall worked to maintain his airway while first responders removed O’Keefe’s clothes to regulate his body temperature.
Nuttall described various scratches found on O’Keefe’s arm along with a bump over his right eye and matted blood in his hair at the back of his head.
Brennan went on to show Nuttall dashcam footage from the moment first responders arrived at the crime scene, asking Nuttall to identify the individuals captured and describe what was happening in the footage as emergency personnel attempted to save O’Keefe’s life.
Attorney Alan Jackson began Karen Read’s defense team’s opening statements by highlighting text messages from now-fired lead investigator Michael Proctor, alleging Read was framed by a “corrupted” investigation.
“You will find that the Commonwealth’s case is the literal definition of reasonable doubt,” Jackson told the jury.
Jackson insisted the investigation was botched by an elaborate scheme to protect fellow Boston police officers who were present at Brian Albert’s home on the night of O’Keefe’s death, poking holes in the state’s allegations by claiming Read never told law enforcement she had struck O’Keefe.
“You will see from the evidence this case carries a malignancy, a cancer that cannot be cured, a cancer that cannot be cut out. And that cancer has a name, and his name is Michael Proctor.”
Jackson pointed to injuries found on O’Keefe’s body, claiming O’Keefe was not struck by a vehicle, but instead attacked – allegedly by the Albert family’s dog – while referencing expert analysis suggesting O’Keefe was not initially wounded in a cold climate.
Jackson went on to describe allegedly suspicious behavior from ATF agent Brian Higgins and Albert, claiming the men spoke in the hours following O’Keefe’s death before disposing of their cell phones, with Albert later selling his family’s home.
Toward the end of the state’s opening statements, prosecutor Hank Brennan pointed to an interview Karen Read gave to NBC’s “Dateline,” playing a snippet of the show in court.
“I didn’t think I hit him,” Read said in the interview. “But could I have clipped him? Could I have tagged him in the knee and incapacitated him? He didn’t look mortally wounded, as far as I could see. Or could I’ve done something that knocked him out and, in his drunkenness and in the cold, he didn’t come to again?”
Brennan told the jury the prosecution will show the court various interviews Read has given to the media, retelling the night O’Keefe died in her own words.
Special Assistant District Attorney Hank Brennan kicked off Karen Read’s retrial with opening statements centered around the state’s timeline of the evening John O’Keefe was found dead outside a fellow police officer’s home after a night of drinking on Jan. 29, 2022.
In a dramatic retelling, Brennan described the moments leading up to and immediately following when Read allegedly struck O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a drunken argument after a night of partying.
“We are here today because John O’Keefe was killed by the actions and conduct by that defendant, Karen Read,” Brennan told the jury.
Brennan went on to describe O’Keefe as a “family man,” and despite not having biological children he stepped up to help his sister with her two young children after their father died.
Brennan told the jury that Read and O’Keefe met during the pandemic, with the pair eventually spiraling into a contentious relationship marred by Read’s alleged jealous behavior. On the night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple enjoyed a night of drinking at local bars before eventually meeting up with a group of friends.
Citing cell phone data, prosecutors were able to retrace the steps of O’Keefe leading up to his death using information from health and navigation apps. Shortly after his final moments, Brennan revealed Read left several emotionally-charged voicemails on his cell phone, alleging this was the moment she began covering up O’Keefe’s murder.
John O’Keefe’s mother, Peggy, arrived for the first day of opening statements in Karen Read’s retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday. O’Keefe, 46, was found dead in the snow outside another police officer’s home after a night of drinking on Jan. 29, 2022.
An autopsy found the cause of his death to be blunt-force trauma to the head and hypothermia. O’Keefe had skull fractures, brain bleeding, swollen black eyes and cuts to his right arm, but the forensic pathologist held off on calling it a homicide, leaving the manner of death undetermined.
Karen Read arrives to the first day of opening statements in her retrial alongside her defense team at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday. Read is represented by Alan Jackson, David Yannetti, Victoria George, Robert Alessi and Elizabeth Little.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks after taking more than two weeks to seat a jury. If convicted, Read could face a maximum of life in prison.
The special prosecutor appointed to spearhead Karen Read’s second murder trial asked the court in a last-minute filing Friday to block her defense from shifting the blame to his fellow police officers or one of their dogs during opening statements.
In a two-sentence motion just days before the retrial was set to kick off with opening statements, specially appointed assistant district attorney Hank Brennan argued that defense plans to use photos of injuries to O’Keefe’s right arm could violate a prior order prohibiting the defense from trying to blame someone else for Read’s death before establishing the evidence at trial.
The motion came a day after Judge Beverly Cannone denied a prosecution motion to exclude a defense expert on dog bites and partially granted a defense motion to limit testimony from a prosecution expert on the same topic.
Read the full story here.
In the months since her first trial ended in a mistrial, the former lead investigator saw himself fired by the Massachusetts State Police over his handling of the investigation, which included sharing confidential materials in text messages that included lewd and unprofessional remarks about Read.
Michael Proctor joked that he’d searched her confiscated phone for nude photos, called her a “c—” and said he wished she’d kill herself.
The defense also raised evidence-collection and chain-of-custody concerns surrounding Read’s vehicle, fragments of the taillight authorities said they recovered at the scene and other key items. Close to the time of his death, she allegedly left him a voicemail saying, “I hate you.” The two had also argued the morning before his death, but they went out drinking that night.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks after taking more than two weeks to seat a jury.
Read could face a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
Karen Read’s retrial in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, kicks off Tuesday with opening statements, months after jurors deadlocked on the case and prosecutors had to start over.
Read, 45, is charged with murder, manslaughter and fleeing the scene for allegedly striking O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022. He was found on fellow officer Brian Albert’s front lawn hours later with signs of hypothermia and traumatic injuries to his head.
Read has pleaded not guilty, denied killing O’Keefe and alleged she is being framed, attempting to sow reasonable doubt in prosecutors’ claims and asserting that someone else killed O’Keefe and had ties to and influence over the investigation.
Read the full story here.
