Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Wednesday was the seventh day of testimony in the Karen Read murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court.
Karen Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022 by hitting him with her SUV after drinking.
Read has pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
Her defense attorneys argue that she was set up by local law enforcement.
In the first week of testimony, Canton firefighter and paramedic Katie McLaughlin and other witnesses testified that Read said “I hit him” while on the scene of the Canton home where O’Keefe’s body was found. The home was owned by retired Boston Police Officer Brian Albert.
Read More: Karen Read Murder Trial Resumes With Day 5 Of Testimony
On Monday, two members of the Canton Police Department testified about how evidence was gathered at the scene and how Read acted when the body was found.
Testimonies continued on Tuesday, including from Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, Sgt. Michael Lank, and Lt. Charles Rae.
The prosecution alleged that pieces of taillight found at the scene show that Read hit O'Keefe with her car, breaking the light and leaving behind evidence.
The defense called into question the unorthodox methods of collecting evidence at the scene due to snowy conditions. They also asked why officers didn't search the entire Albert house that morning, where just outside O'Keefe's body was found.
Read More: Karen Read Murder Trial Resumes With Day 6 Of Testimony
On Wednesday, Rae continued his testimony. He did a wellness check on O'Keefe's niece and nephew the morning his body was found.
The prosecution also called witnesses to the stand who had been drinking with O'Keefe hours before.
Michael Camerano took to the stand, who was with O'Keefe and Read hours before the incident.
The jury watched video footage of them drinking at a bar.
Read's lawyers focused their cross-examination on how she and O'Keefe were acting. Camerano said that everything seemed normal between them when they got to the bar.
The defense argued that Read and O'Keefe were a normal couple, pointing to Camerano's testimony that Read spoiled his niece and nephew and the couple would bicker about it sometimes.
Camerano's wife, Katherine, was called as a witness next. She testified that Read called her "frantically screaming" and asking to talk to Michael the morning O'Keefe's body was found.
Katherine said that Read texted her that "he's dead" that morning as well.
Then, Curt Roberts, a friend of O'Keefe's who was also with him that snowy night in January, gave his testimony. While being cross-examined by the defense, he said he did not observe any problems between the couple.
The next witness was a bartender at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton, Rebecca Trayers, who gave a brief testimony about the night in question and her background as a Canton native. She said Brian Albert and his wife were at the bar as well.
The prosecution also called Nicholas and Karina Kolokithas to the stand, who were at the Waterfall that night. Nicholas described a large group of people sitting together, including Jennifer McCabe, Read's friend who was at the scene when O'Keefe was found, and the Alberts.
Both Kolokithases said Brian Albert invited the group back to his residence, but they didn't go. Nicholas added that he noticed Read and O'Keefe being affectionate toward each other.
Karina also testified that Read explicitly said how much she admired O'Keefe that night at the bar, including how he took care of his niece and nephew.
Karina testified seeing O'Keefe and Read leave the bar together, which she specifically noticed because she remembered Jen McCabe wanting Read to go with her instead.
WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.
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