Karen Read trial: What DNA, debris was found at the crime scene?
DNA and debris evidence are critical in the trial which hinges on the question of whether John O'Keefe was hit by Karen Read's vehicle or was hurt some other way.
Editor's note: This page summarizes updates on the Karen Read retrial for Friday, May 16. For the latest updates on the Karen Read trial, visit Paste BN's coverage for Monday, May 19.
Traces of DNA left on a broken taillight, tiny pieces of plastic found on the victims clothing and questions about the lead prosecutors handling of evidence.
Jurors at Karen Read's second murder trial heard key testimony May 16 about microscopic pieces of evidence recovered from the crime scene where John O'Keefe's body was found outside the Canton, Massachusetts, home of a fellow Boston cop in January 2022.
Read, 45, is accused of deliberately hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in the snow after a night of heavy drinking with friends. Her lawyers say she was framed for O’Keefe’s death in an elaborate conspiracy devised by Massachusetts police officers.
The DNA and debris evidence are critical in the trial, which hinges on the question of whether O'Keefe was hit by Read's vehicle or was hurt some other way. Prosecutors have attempted to directly tie Read's SUV to the scene of the crime.
Her lawyer's have previously argued O'Keefe was beaten by other police officers and wounded by a dog. They've appeared to question whether Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in O'Keefe's case, who sent lewd text messages, was corrupt.
The Norfolk County case is Read’s second trial over O’Keefe’s death. A trial in 2024 ended in a hung jury. The years-long whodunnit legal saga has garnered massive intrigue from true-crime fans across the country, spurring an array of podcasts, movies and television shows.
Here's what you missed during Day 17 of the trial out of Dedham, Massachusetts.
Plastic, dirt found on O’Keefe’s clothing
Ashley Vallier, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, testified about her analysis of debris recovered from O’Keefe’s clothing, which included dirt and tiny pieces of plastic. Vallier said she never saw the clothing itself.
The clothing was submitted into evidence by Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator who sent crude text messages while investigating O’Keefe’s death. Read’s defense team has questioned whether Proctor properly handled evidence in the case.
Vallier also detailed her process for recreating Read’s taillight from broken pieces found at the crime scene. She said pieces of taillight provided to her office on different days fit together.
Upon cross-examination, Vallier said the taillight she reconstructed had a missing spot. The defense asked her if she was told about taillight pieces recovered at O’Keefe’s house, and Vallier said she was not.
Defense, prosecution quarrel over new analysis of SUV data
Judge Beverly Cannone briefly dismissed jurors for a morning break and heard arguments from the defense and prosecution about new information they received about the infotainment system in Read’s Lexus.
Amended data from the system shows a “clock drift” that is a few seconds off from an original report, defense attorney Robert Alessi said. The change is small, but Alessi argued that it affects the defense team’s entire case by altering the timeline the night before O’Keefe was found in the snow.
Alessi asked Cannone to exclude the report from the trial. If the prosecution is allowed to present the report, Alessi said the defense team would need four extra trial days.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan called the defense “confused” and said the new data does not significantly change the timeline.
Cannone ruled to allow the new data to be presented but said she would give the defense team "a lot of leeway" in their cross-examination.
Expert witness testifies on DNA evidence in Karen Read trial
Jurors listened as Andre Porto, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, detailed the DNA evidence found on Read’s taillight, O’Keefe’s clothing and a drinking glass found near his body.
Porto found traces of DNA from three people, including O'Keefe, on the outside of Read’s right rear taillight and on multiple pieces of O’Keefe’s clothing. The other DNA contributors could be “anyone,” Porto said, telling the defense attorney that he was not asked to screen for the DNA of other individuals.
O’Keefe’s fingernail clippings had traces of his DNA, but nobody else's. When asked by prosecutors, Porto confirmed it is not “a complete anomaly” for someone’s clothing to contain DNA from other people.
John O’Keefe had “piece of glass” in his nose
Prosecutors played a video clip from Read’s 2024 ID docuseries during which she describes approaching O’Keefe’s body the morning of January 29, 2022. As she approached from the left side, Read said she saw a piece of glass wedged into O’Keefe’s nose “like a splinter would be.”
“As soon as I pulled it, it just gushed blood down his face,” she told the interviewer.
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, Massachusetts 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.