Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Testimony resumed on Monday for the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court.
Karen Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, by hitting him with her SUV on Jan. 29, 2022. 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.
In the first week of testimony, Canton firefighter and paramedic Katie McLaughlin 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 Trial Resumes With Day 4 Of Testimony
McLaughlin testified that she went to high school with Brian Albert’s daughter Caitlin, but they had never discussed the case and were not friends.
Defense Argues Prior Witness "Perjured Herself"
Before testimony started on Monday, the defense announced that they had new evidence. Read’s lawyer David Yannetti said they received numerous photographs of McLaughlin with Caitlin Albert, arguing that McLaughlin “perjured herself.”
Caitlin Albert will be called as a witness for the Commonwealth during the second week of testimony, before which Judge Beverly Cannone said she would take up the issue.
Canton Police Lt. Paul Gallagher Testifies
Canton Police Lt. Paul Gallagher, one of the first officers at the scene the night O’Keefe’s body was found, took the stand on Monday. The jury watched a video of Gallagher using a leaf blow to uncover evidence buried by falling snow. He said they found a broken cocktail glass and blood at the scene.
“I was removing the snow layer by layer. You can see it exposing the cocktail glass. You’re [going to] see red spots appear as I remove it layer by layer. These pink spots start to turn to be dark red spots,” said Gallagher.
In cross-examination, the defense questioned Gallagher on why the location of O’Keefe’s body was estimated instead of providing an exact location. Gallagher said the first priority was giving first responders room to work on O’Keefe.
The defense also questioned Gallagher about why he did not search the house, asking if it had to do with the fact that the retired Boston Police Officer Brian Albert owned it. Gallagher said the reason was that they did not have probable cause.
Further along in cross-examination, the defense asked questions about how Gallagher handled gathering evidence that night, citing that officers used red solo cups borrowed from a neighboring house. Gallagher said the blood evidence was frozen in the snow, so they used an unconventional method to grab the sample.
Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode Testifies
The second testimony on Monday came from Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, who was also one of the first officers to respond to the scene. The jury listened to 911 calls from Read's friends, Kerry Roberts and Jennifer McCabe, from before and after O'Keefe's body was discovered.
The prosecutors asked questions about what he saw at the scene. Goode said he had asked if she drove to the scene, but he stopped asking questions to Read "because of her state."
"She couldn't keep her train of thought," said Goode.
Goode also testified that he heard Read say, "Is he dead?"
This article will be updated as testimony continues. Last updated 3:10 P.M.
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