The latest on the Karen Read murder case
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Evidence in Karen Read’s case under the microscope as forensic scientist testifies at trial
Maureen Hartnett, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, answered questions Wednesday about the damage to Read's SUV and a hair found on its bumper.
On the stand Wednesday:
- Maureen Hartnett, Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab
- Sgt. Brian Gallerani, Needham Police Department
- Sgt. Evan Brent, Massachusetts State Police
- Sgt. Zachary Clark, Massachusetts State Police
- John O’Keefe’s niece
4 p.m. update: State Police forensic scientist testifies about testing Karen Read’s taillight, other evidence
Forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett testified she noticed damage on the rear passenger side of Karen Read’s Lexus SUV as she examined the vehicle at the Canton Police Department on Feb. 1, 2022.
Prosecutors allege Read used the vehicle to ram her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, shortly after midnight on Jan. 29 that year. As it sat in police custody days later, the SUV had scratches, a dent, and a broken taillight, according to Hartnett, who works at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab.
She testified she swabbed for blood on various parts of the vehicle’s undercarriage, but the negative test results indicated that either no blood was present, or that there was not enough blood to be detected.
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Turning her attention to the SUV’s rear bumper, Hartnett told jurors she spotted scratches and apparent glass shards resting there. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan displayed a photo of the bumper, and Hartnett pointed out the pieces of apparent glass she collected.
Looking at other photos of the SUV, Hartnett also noted an apparent hair she discovered on the back of the vehicle, as well as a cluster of scratches, chipped paint, and a dent. She explained she wanted to collect and preserve the broken taillight housing, but she struggled to remove it from the SUV and a Canton police officer offered to disconnect it with tools he had on hand.
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Hartnett held the taillight housing aloft for the jury, and it was visibly missing large segments of its plastic covering.
Forensic scientist walks jurors through some of her testing
Following a lunch recess, Brennan asked Hartnett about loose pieces of evidence located at the bottom of the bag containing the taillight housing. Hartnett testified she didn’t know when those other items were placed in the bag and couldn’t testify as to whether they were consistent with the taillight housing. She also said she didn’t know whether any of the pieces had broken off of the taillight housing.
According to Hartnett, the taillight was missing pieces but had no loose parts when she retrieved it from the Canton Police Department. However, Brennan emphasized that the taillight has passed hands many times since it was first entered into evidence three years ago.
Hartnett testified she swabbed the taillight in hopes of collecting biological material from its exterior. She said she also collected a sample from one of the plastic Solo cups Canton police used to collect apparent blood evidence from the scene at 34 Fairview Road.
Brennan displayed several photos showing the clothing O’Keefe was wearing when he was found unresponsive outside the house, and Hartnett explained she put markings on O’Keefe’s sweatshirt to note areas of damage. In one photo shown to jurors, markings were clearly visible along the right arm of the sweatshirt.
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Hartnett said she also tested red-brown stains on O’Keefe’s clothing for blood and collected debris from the sweatshirt. She noted general dirt and debris on O’Keefe’s jeans, which had visible stains on the seat.
Read’s lawyers put Hartnett in the hot seat
Putting Hartnett’s process and findings under the microscope during cross-examination, defense attorney Robert Alessi pointed out the forensic scientist’s analysis can’t determine when the damage to Read’s SUV occurred.
“You had no way on Feb. 1, and you have no way today of knowing whether any or all of that damage was pre-existing before Jan. 29 of 2022, correct?” he asked.
“That’s correct,” Hartnett replied.
“So it’s possible that all the damage that you’ve discussed could have existed before Jan. 29 of 2022?” Alessi pressed.
“Yes, that’s possible,” Hartnett confirmed.
Alessi showed a photo of the wounds on O’Keefe’s right arm, asking if Hartnett could say whether the injuries were caused by a vehicle. However, Hartnett said offering conclusions about injuries would be beyond the scope of her expertise. She gave a similar answer when Alessi asked if she observed anything on the SUV that could have caused the wounds on O’Keefe’s right arm.
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Hartnett also confirmed she didn’t find anything of note on the undercarriage of Read’s vehicle.
Turning his attention to the Solo cups, Alessi asked Hartnett whether she’d ever collected samples from one of the red plastic party staples before working on Read’s case.
“I’ve never performed a collection like that, no,” Hartnett replied. She testified she hasn’t collected a sample from a Solo cup since Read’s case, either.
According to Hartnett, investigators did not test the Solo cup swabs, leaving open the question of whether the cups actually contained blood and, if they did, whose blood it was.
Later in his cross-examination, Alessi questioned whether Hartnett found DNA on the inside of Read’s taillight.
“My analysis would not include DNA analysis, because that is a different unit,” she replied. “So I can’t answer that question.”
“To your knowledge as you sit here today, is there any information from anybody that says that there’s any DNA in that taillight?” Alessi fired back.
“I have no information of that,” Hartnett answered.
Returning to a photo of Read’s rear bumper, Alessi questioned whether one of the stickers marking an apparent piece of glass was actually a mirror image, or reflection of another sticker. Hartnett acknowledged it was a possibility, though she wasn’t sure from the photo.
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Alessi also confirmed with Hartnett that the pieces of apparent glass weren’t embedded in Read’s bumper, just resting on top. He appeared highly skeptical as he questioned whether the fragments could have survived on the bumper as the car traveled between Canton and Dighton on Jan. 29, especially during a blizzard.
Alessi appeared similarly dubious regarding the apparent hair Hartnett found on Read’s SUV, noting it wasn’t secured to the vehicle with tape, glue, staples, or other adhesives. Responding to Alessi’s questions, Hartnett said she didn’t know when the hair was deposited on the vehicle, but that it was easy to remove with tweezers.
Toward the end of Wednesday’s court proceedings, Alessi compared photos of the apparent hair as it clung to Read’s SUV, noting its position appeared to vastly differ between the two shots.
Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed jurors for the day shortly before 4 p.m. Hartnett will return for additional questioning Thursday morning.
12:15 p.m. update: Needham sgt. testifies about swabbing troopers for DNA testing
Needham Police Sgt. Brian Gallerani told jurors he visited the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 16, 2024, to collect buccal swabs from Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik and former Trooper Michael Proctor.
He said he swabbed the insides of their mouths, confirming the samples were later sent off to Bode Technology, a lab in Virginia, for testing.
As he stepped up for cross-examination, defense attorney David Yannetti confirmed Gallerani was never asked to collect buccal swabs from then-Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz, Canton Police Detective Kevin Albert, or State Police Det. Lt. Brian Tully.
12:10 p.m. update: State Police sgt. says he saw no damage to John O’Keefe’s car days after O’Keefe’s death
As investigators “excavated” evidence from the snow outside 34 Fairview Road on Feb. 3, 2022, Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Evan Brent said he was on hand to photograph each item in its place.
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Brent testified he met several Norfolk County State Police detectives that morning at the property, where Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe had been found cold and unresponsive in the snow days prior. Some of the evidence found that day was revealed as the snow melted, while other items were covered by a foot or more of snow, Brent explained.
After he finished up at 34 Fairview Road, Brent said he was asked to visit O’Keefe’s home on Meadows Avenue with ex-Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator on the case. Brent testified Proctor asked him to document a vehicle parked in the driveway, a Chevrolet Traverse.
Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally displayed photos of O’Keefe’s house and car, and Brent testified he didn’t observe any damage to O’Keefe’s garage doors or Chevy. Prosecutors allege O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Read, damaged one of the taillights on her SUV backing into O’Keefe early on Jan. 29, 2022. However, Read’s lawyers have suggested she broke her taillight backing into O’Keefe’s car as she left his house to search for him that morning.
On cross-examination, defense attorney David Yannetti confirmed Brent’s earliest involvement in the case was Feb. 3, 2022. At Yannetti’s prompting, Brent testified he doesn’t know who had access to the Chevy in the days following O’Keefe’s death.
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Brent likewise testified he has no personal knowledge of who had access to the lawn outside 34 Fairview Road after O’Keefe died. He said there was no crime scene tape around the scene when he arrived.
11:15 a.m. update: State Police sgt. recalls photographing Karen Read’s SUV, alleged crime scene
Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Zachary Clark told jurors he arrived at the Canton Police Department the morning of Feb. 1, 2022, to document investigators’ search of Karen Read’s SUV at ex-Trooper Michael Proctor’s request.
Also present, according to Clark, were Maureen Hartnett from the State Police Crime Lab and various members of the Canton Police Department and State Police. Read’s black Lexus SUV sat in the police station’s garage at the time, and Clark said Proctor informed him the vehicle was being searched for biological evidence, alcohol containers, receipts, infotainment data, and other evidence.
Clark testified he documented the SUV’s interior and exterior, taking photos of the vehicle before Hartnett began to process it. He recalled Hartnett was “chiefly concerned with the exterior of the vehicle, namely the rear right corner. And she was looking for DNA and trace evidence, I believe.”
Clark said he also processed the SUV’s front passenger seat for “friction ridge impressions,” or fingerprints, but found nothing usable. He told jurors he later took photos at the scene outside 34 Fairview Road, where John O’Keefe had been found unresponsive in the snow days earlier. According to Clark, there was a “significant” amount of snow still present.
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Trooper Joseph Paul, a State Police crash analyst, also asked for Clark’s help recording and photographing a series of tests on Read’s vehicle, Clark said. Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally showed jurors photos of Read’s car, including one depicting the backup camera display screen visible when the vehicle is in reverse.
On cross-examination, defense attorney David Yannetti confirmed Clark’s earliest involvement with Read’s case was Feb. 1, 2022.
“You had no personal knowledge, prior to your arrival, of how long Michael Proctor had been with that SUV before you got there, correct?” Yannetti asked.
“Correct,” Clark replied.
At Yannetti’s prompting, Clark also confirmed he had no personal knowledge of whether anyone was monitoring Proctor while he was near the vehicle before Clark’s arrival.
“And before you got there, you had no idea how much access Michael Proctor had to that vehicle, right?” Yannetti pressed.
“Correct,” Clark answered.
Answering a question from Yannetti, he confirmed he and Proctor interviewed Colin Albert — nephew of 34 Fairview Road homeowner Brian Albert — together in July 2023. Yannetti asked Clark whether Proctor ever revealed any personal connections with the Alberts, but Judge Beverly Cannone sustained an objection from prosecutors before Clark could answer.
Following a brief morning recess, Yannetti questioned whether Clark ever asked Proctor why he waited so long to interview Colin Albert, given O’Keefe died in January 2022. Clark said he didn’t.
10:45 a.m. update: John O’Keefe’s niece takes the stand
Karen Read and John O’Keefe argued more frequently in the final weeks before his death, O’Keefe’s teenage niece testified Wednesday.
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She and her younger brother lived with O’Keefe for several years after their parents died just months apart. Because she is a minor, her testimony was not livestreamed, and media reports may not identify her by name. Read a full recap of her testimony here.
Before the teen took the stand, special prosecutor Hank Brennan played two brief clips of Read’s past interviews with media outlets. In one clip from NBC’s “Dateline,” Read said O’Keefe “made it clear” he’d never break up with her.
In another video from Investigation Discovery’s docuseries on the case, Read told an offscreen interviewer, “I don’t see how John would have known about my texts with Brian [Higgins].” She explained she thought she and O’Keefe would have broken up if he did learn of her flirty texts with Higgins, “but I don’t think John would have lost it.”
Livestream via NBC10 Boston.
Karen Read‘s murder retrial resumes Wednesday in Norfolk Superior Court following an unexpected day off due to “unavoidable circumstances.”
A court spokesperson announced the unforeseen cancellation in an alert to media outlets shortly before Tuesday’s testimony was set to begin, offering no further details. However, a court official later told reporters the last-minute change of plans was due to health reasons.
More on Karen Read:
Citing unnamed sources, WBZ, WCVB, and NBC10 Boston reported Read herself was ill Tuesday. Lawyers from the prosecution and defense had a closed-door meeting late Tuesday morning to discuss scheduling, the court official confirmed.
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Jurors earlier this week sat through a third and final full day of testimony from Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, who faced bruising questions from defense attorney Alan Jackson regarding ex-Trooper Michael Proctor and witness Brian Higgins. One of the State Police officials who investigated the January 2022 death of Read’s boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, Bukhenik defended the investigation as one of “honor and integrity.”
Bukhenik also confirmed he praised Proctor for his “utmost professionalism and competence” in a fall 2022 performance evaluation, even though he agreed Proctor used “vile” language to describe Read in a text message to State Police colleagues just months prior. Jackson grilled Bukhenik about Proctor’s Aug. 17, 2022, text, in which the former trooper called Read “retarded” and commented that he’d found “no nudes” while looking through her cellphone.
“That text message does not show integrity,” Bukhenik testified Monday, answering a question from Jackson.
“Do you think it shows honor, a word I expect you hold dear?” Jackson fired back.
“That text message does not show honor,” Bukhenik answered. State Police ultimately fired Proctor earlier this year, citing in part his vulgar texts about Read.
Read’s lawyers claim she was framed in a vast law enforcement conspiracy, and they contend Proctor took part in the coverup. Prosecutors, on the other hand, allege Read drunkenly and deliberately backed her SUV into O’Keefe while dropping him off at an afterparty in Canton following a night of bar-hopping.
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The defense has floated an alternate theory that O’Keefe was attacked after entering the party at 34 Fairview Road, raising suspicions about Higgins, an afterparty guest who had previously exchanged flirty texts with Read while she was dating O’Keefe. However, Bukhenik told jurors he found no evidence of any animus between Higgins and O’Keefe.
The ongoing trial is Read’s second; her first murder trial ended in a high-profile mistrial last July after jurors returned deadlocked.
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