Karen Read live updates: Trooper reads 'flirtatious' texts between Read and ATF agent

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A Massachusetts state trooper returned to the witness stand in the murder trial of Karen Read after cross-examination turned tense in his first day of testimony.

Yuri Bukhenik was the sole witness to testify May 8, telling jurors about the gruesome injuries John O’Keefe suffered and what Read told police after her boyfriend was found unconscious outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer. Prosecutors say Read, 45, deliberately hit O’Keefe, 46, with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage and left him for dead in January 2022.

During questioning by the prosecution, Bukhenik walked jurors through surveillance footage from restaurants where Read and O’Keefe went drinking the night prior to his death.

Read's defense attorney then grilled Bukhenik about the thoroughness of his investigation into Read and the involvement of his former subordinate, Michael Proctor, who sent crude text messages during the case. Proctor was fired in March for unrelated reasons and Bukhenik was disciplined for failing to properly supervise him.

Read’s lawyers say she was framed for O'Keefe's murder. The case out of Dedham, Massachusetts has turned into a years-long whodunnit legal saga that has garnered massive intrigue from true-crime fans across the country, spurring an array of podcasts, movies, and television shows. The former financial professor is back in court after a 2024 trial ended in a hung jury.

The first full day of testimony began April 23. Judge Beverly Cannone estimated the trial could last between six and eight weeks.

Trooper reads 'flirtatious' text messages to Read 

Read’s attorney asked Bukhenik about “flirtatious” text messages between Read and Brian Higgins - an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - who was at a restaurant where the couple went drinking the night before O’Keefe died and the home where O’Keefe was found in the snow.

Bukhenik read dozens of messages between the two sent in January. In the thread, Read called Higgins “hot” and he said the feeling is mutual. They discussed a kiss they shared, and Higgins asked if Read is happy with O’Keefe. 

“I was, but things have deteriorated,” Read replied.

Read said O’Keefe cheated on her and their relationship worsened after his sister died. O'Keefe became the guardian of his niece and nephew after his sister and brother-in-law died, and Read said she never wanted kids. Higgins asked if Read is going to break up with O’Keefe, and Read said she’s not sure.

Texts show Read may have 'ghosted' Higgins

Later during his testimony, Bukhenik said that while certain parts of the texts between Read and Higgins were "flirtatious," Bukhenik thought the texts depicted Read trying to get revenge against O'Keefe.

"Emotional revenge," Bukhenik said. "She’s trying to hook up with Higgins and then hurt (O'Keefe) by cheating on him."

Bukhenik then agreed with Read's defense attorney that there was no evidence O’Keefe saw the text messages. As Read's attorney attempted to portray the text exchange as Higgins having a romantic interest in Read, Bukhenik pointed out that Read initiated the conversation.

"In my mind, I saw the text messages for what they were, initiated by Karen Read, and [Read] began a text message conversation with Brian Higgins," Bukhenik said.

Bukhenik said Higgins responded, and Read and Higgins went "back and forth," exchanging texts. Bukhenik also testified that Higgins "repeatedly asked" Read what her intent was in contacting him.

During Bukhenik's testimony, Read's attorney said that Read told Higgins via text on Jan. 23, 2022, that Read didn’t want to stop talking to Higgins.

Higgins responded with a text that said, "Hmmmm," Read's defense attorney said.

Five days later, on Jan. 28, 2022, Read's attorney said there was no contact between Read and Higgins until Higgins texted "um ... well," to Read after spotting Read with O’Keefe at a bar.

Read's attorney asked Bukhenik if he thought that between January 23rd and January 28th, 2022, would Bukhenik describe Ms. Read’s side of the conversation as "ghosting" Higgins?"

Bukhenik said he was unfamiliar with the term "ghosting" until Read's attorney told Bukhenik that it essentially means abruptly cutting off all contact with someone without any explanation or warning.

"One could read into it in that manner," Bukhenik said.

Heated questioning of the fired trooper’s supervisor resumes

Questioning became tense again almost immediately on May 9 as Read’s attorney asked Bukhenik about the search of the lawn where O’Keefe was found.

Bukhenik said he couldn’t recall which member of the homicide team bagged a specific piece of evidence he found at the scene and that he didn’t recognize the handwriting on the evidence bag as Proctor’s. Read’s attorney asked if that meant it was possible he turned it over to a stranger.

“That’s a ridiculous suggestion,” Bukhenik replied.

Bukhenik agreed that while he was searching, he didn’t see any of the plastic fragments - purportedly pieces of a broken taillight - that Proctor later found. Read’s attorney asked if there was any documentation of where the evidence was in the weeks between when it was found and when Proctor submitted it to the crime lab. Bukhenik said the evidence was at the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.

Trooper says all the evidence 'pointed in one direction' in Karen Read trial testimony

Bukhenik told jurors he began to suspect O'Keefe had been hit by a car after seeing his body in the hospital and the blood pooled beneath his head. He said O'Keefe's eyes were swollen and he had cuts and bruises on the right side of his body.

He then went to interview Read, who told police she dropped O'Keefe off at 34 Fairview Road after a night of drinking. When asked about the damage police saw on the taillight of her SUV, Read said, “I don’t know how I did it last night," according to Bukhenik.

Bukhenik also read aloud to the jury crude text messages sent by his subordinate, Proctor, in August 2022. Bukhenik faced heated questioning from the defense about Proctor's involvement in the investigation, but ultimately said Proctor’s involvement did not taint the investigation.

“This investigation was conducted professionally with integrity and all the evidence collected, all the statements collected pointed in one direction,” Bukhenik said. 

Read's attorney also questioned whether Bukhenik investigated the possibility that O'Keefe had been in a fight before his death. The defense has claimed people inside the home beat O'Keefe to death and conspired to frame Read.

The trial will resume on Monday as Bukhenik will be back on the stand for a third straight day.

How to watch the Karen Read trial 

CourtTV has been covering the case against Read and the criminal investigation since early 2022, when O'Keefe's body was found outside a Canton home.

You can watch CourtTV’s live feed of the Read trial proceedings from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Proceedings begin at 9 a.m. ET.   

Contributing: Michael Loria, Paste BN