DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Day 17 of testimony in the Karen Read retrial has ended at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.

Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s defense team claims she is innocent and is being framed.

Read More: Karen Read Murder Retrial: Day 15 Of Testimony

Before witness testimony began, Judge Beverly Cannone instructed jurors not to make any visible or audible reactions to the evidence, telling them to "just listen."

MSP Crime Lab Forensic Expert Andre Porto Testimony

The first person to take the stand Friday was Andre Porto, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab.

Porto testified about DNA swabs taken from various pieces of physical evidence found at 34 Fairview Rd. in Canton, the scene of O'Keefe's death. Porto said swabs taken from the taillight of Read's SUV, a broken drinking glass, and stains on part of O'Keefe's jeans matched three DNA profiles: John O'Keefe and two other, unknown contributors.

Porto also tested O'Keefe's fingernail clippings and stains on O'Keefe's orange t-shirt, which he said only matched O'Keefe.

Defense attorney David Yannetti asked Porto about other DNA contributors on certain pieces of evidence. Porto testified that he did not know who those contributors are. When questioned on whether he was asked to compare the DNA to either former Boston Police Sgt. Brian Albert or ATF Agent Brian Higgins, Porto said he was not.

MSP Crime Lab Forensic Expert Ash Vallier Testimony

The next witness to testify was MSP Crime Lab forensic scientist Ash Vallier.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally asked Vallier about her analysis process while showing photos of packaged evidence from the scene. Vallier described how some of the fragments of broken taillight fit together at the edges, showing they were originally a single item. Vallier also testified about dirt and pieces of plastic found in debris recovered from O'Keefe's clothing.

During cross-examination, Yannetti asked Vallier to confirm if there was a piece missing from her reconstruction of the taillight. Vallier said there was. Yannetti then asked if Vallier was ever given pieces of taillight to complete the reconstruction and Vallier said no.

Yannetti asked Vallier if she has confidence in the chain of custody procedures. Vallier said yes. It was brought up that former MSP Trooper Michael Proctor was the one who submitted the clothing evidence to the lab six weeks after O'Keefe's death. Yannetti asked Vallier if she could confirm where the clothing was stored in the meantime. Vallier said she could not and concluded her testimony.

Testimony Resumes Monday

Cannone dismissed the jury for the day just before 12:30 p.m. Testimony will continue on Monday. Jurors will have a half day on Thursday and there will be no court on Friday.

Cannone Makes Decision About New Crash Reconstruction Report

After the jury left, Cannone made a decision about an issue raised Thursday over a new report from the prosecution's crash reconstruction expert.

Read's legal team has tried to stop the expert's opinion from entering trial, saying the report changes the time that Read allegedly hit O'Keefe with her SUV by less than a minute. Defense attorney Robert Alessi argued Friday that the trial would need to be delayed four days to allow time to address the report.

Special prosecutor Hank Brennan said there was nothing in the report that changes the timeline.

Cannone ruled that the new report can come in, saying she was "not persuaded" by the defense's team arguments.

Listen LIVE for the latest updates on the Karen Read murder retrial.

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