DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) – Karen Read arrived at a Dedham courthouse Wednesday for another day of testimony in her murder retrial.
On Tuesday, jurors heard Read’s profanity-filled voicemails to John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, after dropping him off at a home in Canton in January 2022.
Her calls continued early that morning before O’Keefe’s body was found. Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nick Guarino testified that Read tried calling her boyfriend more than 50 times over nearly six hours.
Read is accused of killing O’Keefe by hitting him with her car and leaving him to die in a snowbank after a night of drinking. Her lawyers argue she is being framed. Her first trial last summer ended in a mistrial.
Phone records show the calls began at 12:33 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022. At 12:36, Read’s phone connected to O’Keefe’s home’s Wi-Fi. At 12:37, she left her first voicemail. Then, at 1:18, the calls stopped. They resumed at 4:38, and Read’s tone shifted from rage to panic.
The jury also heard from the State Police lieutenant who led the search at 34 Fairview Road in Canton. Because of the blizzard, Paul Gallagher’s team didn’t arrive until nearly 12 hours after O’Keefe was found.
He testified that, using shovels, they found several pieces of plastic tail light. Under cross-examination, retired Lt. Gallagher said he only found blood and a broken cocktail glass.
The prosecution also called a local meteorologist, Robert Gilman, who testified that little to no snow had accumulated when Read and O’Keefe would have pulled up to the house sometime after midnight.
But, the ground was rock solid, supporting the Commonwealth’s theory that O’Keefe fell and fractured his skull when he was hit by Read’s SUV.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)