Trial proceedings continued in the Karen Read murder trial in Dedham, Massachusetts, with Brian Albert, one of the owners of the Canton home where Boston police officer John O’Keefe was found dead, returning to the stand for cross-examination by Read’s defense. Prosecutors allege that Read hit O’Keefe with her car and left him to die after an argument and a night of drinking. However, Read has pleaded not guilty and claims she is being framed.
The trial began on April 29 after years of pretrial proceedings and has included testimony from 25 witnesses, including first responders and friends of O’Keefe. In an attempt to build their defense, Read’s legal team has presented a theory that O’Keefe got into a fight inside Brian Albert’s home and was ultimately killed by Brian and others, who then framed Read.
During his testimony, Albert described his movements on the morning O’Keefe was found and stated that O’Keefe had not entered his home in the hours before his death. Albert and his wife were unaware of the incident until investigators arrived at the scene. They cooperated with Canton police officers inside their home but chose not to go outside to avoid interfering with the investigation.
Read’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, expressed dissatisfaction with Albert’s explanation and indicated that they would question him further about bar surveillance video showing Albert and his friend, ATF agent Brian Higgins, engaging in horseplay and mock fighting hours before O’Keefe’s death. The defense believes this video demonstrates aggression and provides insight into Albert and Higgins’ state of mind.
Both Albert and his wife have refuted some of the defense’s claims, with Nicole denying that her husband is a highly trained fighter. The trial resumed on Monday with Jackson questioning Albert about his preparation for testimony, including a meeting with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally. Albert stated that the preparation occurred a couple of weeks ago but couldn’t recall the specific date.
Jackson also presented a photo showing Albert at a bar with O’Keefe a few nights before O’Keefe’s death. Albert initially claimed that he didn’t know who Karen Read was, but the defense challenged this statement, suggesting that Read had taken the photo of Albert and O’Keefe. Albert later admitted that he had met Read once, contradicting his earlier claim.
Furthermore, Jackson questioned Albert about his actions to delete data from his phone after the defense motioned to preserve all evidence. Albert claimed that he never received the notice and only realized his mistake during a conference call with Lally.
The trial is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how these developments will impact the case. Stay tuned for the latest updates on this developing story.
