Wednesday marks the first full day of witness testimony in the Karen Read trial inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts.
You can watch testimony live when it begins at 9 a.m. on CBS News Boston by clicking on the video player above.
This is the second time Read has stood trial, with a hung jury leading to a mistrial in 2024. Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow. Defense attorneys argue that Read is the victim of a coverup and is being framed by several people, including law enforcement.
Testimony is expected to begin with Kerry Roberts, a friend of O’Keefe who helped Read look for O’Keefe the night he died, continuing her time on the stand. Roberts began her testimony with direct examination on Tuesday and was still on the stand when court concluded for the day.
What happened so far in the Karen Read trial
The trial officially got underway on Tuesday with opening statements. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan, the former Whitey Bulger attorney who was not part of the first trial, made the opening statement for the Commonwealth and attempted to use Read’s own words against her. Brennan played video clips from previous interviews Read has given.
Brennan also said the temperature of O’Keefe’s cellphone battery will be critical in the case, an element that wasn’t raised during Read’s first trial.
Alan Jackson presented the opening statement for Read’s defense, saying “John O’Keefe did not die from being hit by a vehicle. Period.”
Jackson focused on the investigation into O’Keefe’s death, which he said was “corrupted by bias, corrupted by incompetence, and corrupted by deceit.” The defense attorney also zeroed in on former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, who was fired for his conduct during the case. Jackson called Proctor a “cancer.”
After opening statements, Canton firefighter and paramedic Timothy Nuttall was the first witness called. He testified that he heard Read say “I hit him” at the scene after O’Keefe’s body was found. In cross-examination, Jackson attempted to show jurors that Nuttall’s testimony has changed over time.
How to watch the Karen Read trial
Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury of death. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
You can watch Read’s trial streaming live from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on CBS News Boston or in the video player above.
Click here for a full timeline of events in the case.
Matt SchooleyMatt Schooley is a digital producer at CBS Boston. He has been a member of the WBZ news team for the last decade.
