The attorneys representing Karen Read are attempting to bolster their claim of a cover-up in the murder of John O'Keefe by suggesting in court a link between the prosecution's witnesses and Brian Albert.
The Karen Read murder trial entered its second week on Monday in Massachusetts. With it came more testimony from members of law enforcement who were present at the scene on the morning that the body of Officer John O’Keefe was discovered buried under snow outside the home of Brian Albert, a fellow member of the Boston Police Department.
Prosecutors allege that Read, 44, drunkenly backed into O’Keefe, 46, with her car outside the home and then fled the scene, leaving him for dead. The defense attorneys representing Read claim that O'Keefe was actually killed in a fight and his body was then planted outside to frame Read in a far-reaching cover-up involving Albert and multiple members of law enforcement.
The only thing that both sides agree on is the fact that Read and O'Keefe were both out drinking on the night of Jan. 28, 2022, and that the couple was invited to have a nightcap at the home of Brian Albert.
The prosecution claims O'Keefe never made an appearance at that party. The defense claims O'Keefe was killed while at that party.
It is a divisive case that has gripped the small town of Canton, located approximately 20 miles south of Boston.
Read is charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death. She has entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts.
The defense is attempting to bolster their cover-up claim by suggesting in court that there is a link between the prosecution's witnesses this week and Brian Albert. No one other than Read has been charged in connection to the death of O'Keefe, nor has anyone else been named a suspect or person or interest.
Prosecutors responded to the defense team's claim that Read is being framed in a statement to Inside Edition Digital, saying: "There is no conspiracy or cover-up. Such claims have been systematically refuted by evidence submitted to Norfolk Superior Court."
Katie McLaughlin (Canton Fire Department, firefighter and paramedic)
One of the first responders on the scene that day, Canton Firefighter Katie McLaughlin testified that she approached Read about O'Keefe's injuries when she arrived that morning.
McLaughlin testified that she heard Read say to a friend at the scene: "I hit him."
On Monday morning, defense attorney David Yannetti attacked McLaughlin's credibility and accused her of perjury.
That accusation came after Yannetti's co-counsel, Alan Jackson, questioned McLaughlin about her relationship with Brian Albert's daughter Caitlin when she took the stand last week. McLaughlin testified that while she and Caitlin were Facebook friends and had known each other for approximately 10 years, they were not particularly close.
Yannetti argued that the "deluge" of new information obtained over the weekend, including that the two women were on the same high school track team and attended a baby shower together just eight months before O'Keefe's death, should be entered into evidence to impeach McLaughlin's testimony. The judge is expected to rule on this prior to the testimony of Caitlin Albert later this week.
Lt. Paul Gallagher (Caton Police Department)
The first person to take the stand this week was Lt. Paul Gallagher, the man responsible for securing the scene on the morning that the body of O’Keefe was discovered.
He testified that he used a leaf blower to try and remove snow that had accumulated overnight from the scene in a “controlled fashion” on Jan. 29, 2022, This is when he said police noticed pink spots, which they believed to be coagulated blood, and a broken cocktail glass.
Since the blood samples were frozen, he testified that they took them from the scene using red plastic solo cups obtained from a neighbor and put them in a brown paper shopping bag. He later admitted while being questioned by the defense that neither the bag nor cups were sterile and that this could potentially cause cross-contamination.
The defense also questioned why Gallagher did not search the home of Brian Albert and his wife Nicole for evidence on Jan. 29 since O'Keefe's body had been discovered on their property. "Nobody put John O’Keefe anywhere but where he was found, and that included his girlfriend," Gallagher said.
At that point, the defense noted that Gallagher had found a cocktail glass at the scene of the crime, asking why he would not search to see if the Alberts owned a similar glass.
Gallagher returned to the Alberts' home later that day, where he questioned Albert's sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe, but no one else at the residence.
McCabe is the prosecution's star witness in the case, as she told Massachusetts State Police officials that she saw a black SUV similar to the one Read drives arrive at the Alberts' home prior to the discovery of O'Keefe's body, according to the statement of case. McCabe said that she saw the SUV drive away from the residence approximately 15 minutes after arriving, and then, about four hours later, got a call from O'Keefe's niece looking for O'Keefe, according to the statement.
She then agreed to join Read in looking for O'Keefe, and was with her when she discovered the body that morning, according to the statement. McCabe told troopers that while they were searching for O'Keefe, Read allegedly said, "Could I have hit him” and “Did I hit him" while also speaking about a broken tail light on her car, according to the statement. McCabe said that it "initially confused" her when Read "immediately stated that she saw the victim," said the statement.
This information, however, came not from her interview with Gallagher, but from one with Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Trooper Michael Proctor later that morning.
Sgt. Sean Goode (Canton Police Department)
Next on the stand was Sgt. Sean Goode, the shift supervisor in charge on the day that O’Keefe’s body was discovered.
He discussed why Read had been hospitalized under a section 12 shortly after the body was discovered, saying that her father had called and said his daughter was frantic on the phone and spoke about ending her life. Goode said he too heard her making similar statements but never once heard her say anything about hitting O'Keefe with her car.
Goode also acknowledged that it was a “chaotic” scene when he arrived that morning, with people walking in and out and the body gone after paramedics rushed O'Keefe to the hospital.
The defense immediately honed in on Goode’s relationship with many of those involved in the case during cross-examination.
Goode admitted he went to school with a member of the Albert family and the sister of Michael Proctor, the MSP lead investigator on the case. He also acknowledged that he is friends with Brian Albert’s brother, Kevin Albert, who is a member of the Canton Police Department, and knows the Albert family.
The defense also pointed out during cross-examination that Brian Albert's full name did not appear once in the report filed by the Canton Police Department. Yannetti later asked Goode if parts of the police report from were added after the fact, most notably evidence obtained at the scene that allegedly showed Read's tail light was found near the body of O’Keefe.
Good said that photos of the tail light, which were discovered on Feb. 4, were added to the report dated Jan. 29. The defense maintains that the fragmented tail light in question was planted in order to frame their client, whose car was impounded as evidence days prior to this discovery. Goode also said during cross examination that he did not see those tail light fragments on the scene the day that O'Keefe's was discovered and also did not take a photo of or inspect Read’s car for any broken tail light that day.
Yannetti closed out by asking Goode about a hit-and-run case involving Brian Albert’s brother, Tim. Goode said while being questioned that the evidence in that case was “strong," but when Yannetti then asked if he knew that the case had been “flat-out dismissed," the judge sustained the prosecution's objection to that question.
Lt. Michael Lank (Canton Police Department)
Canton Police Lt. Michael Lank took the stand Tuesday following a voir dire hearing on Monday to determine later if testimony about his relationship with the Albert family would be admissible in the case. Voir dire is the legal term for procedures during a trial that help a judge decide certain issues.
Judge Beverly Cannone ultimately allowed the defense to question Lank about his relationship with the Albert family. Lank said he and Brian Albert had a “civil” relationship but were not friends. He said he was "pretty good friends" with Brian's brother Chris Albert.
The defense questioned Lank about an incident in 2002 in which he fought a man after that man had allegedly started an altercation with Chris Albert. Lank said on the stand that he only involved himself in that fight after he had been "struck."
Chris Albert claimed in his grand jury testimony that they followed Brian Albert home from the bar on Jan. 29 but then drove home and did not attend the afterparty, and that they drove home prior to the discovery of O'Keefe's body. The defense quested that claim. The defense also alleged that photos on social media show Chris Albert and his son Colin Albert have spent time with the family of Trooper Proctor, including his mother and sister, appearing to imply that more of a relationship exists between the parties than previously admitted.
During cross-examination, the defense played videotape from the crime scene that showed that Jennifer McCabe was in the house for at least three minutes before Lank went inside to question Brain and Nicole Albert. Lank said that he did not separate the witnesses before questioning that morning.
That conversation with the Alberts was not recorded by Lank, and he said that he also did not speak to Read at the scene. He said he returned to the scene on Feb. 4, when he received a call that tail lights had allegedly been found near the area where the body was initially discovered.
He said he also never sought a search warrant for the Alberts' home and said he took McCabe at her word when she said that O'Keefe never arrived at the party, Lank also did not record his interview with McCabe that day.
Jackson then asked Lank if a witness had ever lied to him. "Yes," said Lank.
Karen Read Trial
Read's fate will be decided after her murder trial in Norfolk County Superior Court, which is expected to last two months. Crowds of people have gathered each day outside the Karen Read trial to cheer on the defendant and at times antagonize O'Keefe's family members and friends, leading some to accuse Read's supporters of witness intimidation. They could be seen in court fighting back tears on Tuesday as the 911 call made the morning that his body was discovered was played for the jury.
O'Keefe had been raising his niece and nephew for eight years at the time of his death, gaining custody of the two in 2014 after the children lost their mother, O'Keefe's sister, to a brain tumor, and their father to a heart attack over just months. O'Keefe's own mother has now lost two of her three children.
Judge Beverly Cannone is presiding over the proceedings and has been quick to admonish both the prosecution and defense when they have disobeyed her orders. Adam Lally, an assistant district attorney in Norfolk County, has been named the lead prosecutor.
Read's initial defense attorney, David Yannetti, is now her second attorney, while her lead attorney in the case is Alan Jackson. He served as the Assistant Head Deputy for the Major Crimes Division at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and has previously represented high-profile defendants including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Phil Spector.
Jury selection lasted two weeks in the case, which comes almost two years after a grand jury indicted Read.
Read faces a possible life sentence if convicted of murder.
