The Karen Read murder trial continued in Norfolk Superior Court as Matthew McCabe, accompanied by his wife Jennifer, took the stand for their testimonies. The couple had attended a party at the home of Brian and Nicole Albert on the night that Boston police officer John O’Keefe died. The following morning, Jennifer, along with Read, discovered O’Keefe unresponsive in a snowbank outside the house. Prosecutors alleged that Read, who was dating O’Keefe, killed him by running him over with her SUV. However, Read pleaded not guilty, claiming that she was being framed and that O’Keefe died after a fight inside the Alberts’ house.
During the trial, the defense raised suspicions about several individuals, including Colin Albert, who was cross-examined about a photo showing him with bruised knuckles shortly after O’Keefe’s death. They also questioned him about videos in which he made threats, although Colin explained that they were related to an argument over a girl and not directed at O’Keefe. Colin had previously stated that he had never been in a fight except with his brothers and had never threatened O’Keefe.
Matthew McCabe’s testimony shed light on the events of the night. He stated that he didn’t see anything unusual in the yard as he left the Albert house with his wife and went to bed at 2 a.m. However, he was awakened by screams and learned that Read couldn’t find O’Keefe. Matthew described the confusion that ensued, with Jennifer receiving frantic phone calls from Read. Eventually, Read showed up at their house still screaming and asking for help in finding O’Keefe. Jennifer left with Read to search for him while Matthew called other people he thought O’Keefe might have met up with. Jennifer later called Matthew to inform him that they had found O’Keefe, prompting him to rush to the Alberts’ house.
During cross-examination, defense attorney David Yannetti asked Matthew about the mood at the local bar where they were with O’Keefe the night before he died. Matthew mentioned that O’Keefe and Read seemed excited about O’Keefe’s niece being accepted into Bishop Feehan High School. Yannetti also questioned Matthew about his previous testimony regarding seeing a SUV similar to Read’s outside the Albert house on the night of the incident. When Yannetti pressed him about the vehicle’s location, Matthew responded with a smile, leading to Yannetti’s inquiry about what was amusing him. Matthew denied finding anything funny and expressed that the past two years had been filled with misery.
The defense further questioned Matthew about Juliana Nagel’s testimony, who claimed to have seen a “black blob” that might have been O’Keefe’s body in the snow as she left the Albert house on the night of the incident. However, Matthew stated that he didn’t hear Nagel make that observation as he was focused on driving. He also mentioned that he didn’t see a man on the lawn or any other evidence that investigators later found at the scene.
The defense brought up text messages from a group chat between Matthew, Jennifer, and Brian and Nicole Albert. They debated which texts should be shown to the jury and highlighted a message from Matthew asking them to tell others that O’Keefe never went into the Alberts’ house. While Matthew acknowledged that “the guy” referred to O’Keefe, he denied that the message was an attempt to coordinate their stories.
Jennifer McCabe took the stand and began recounting her activities on the day before O’Keefe’s death. She mentioned attending a high school basketball game and later going to the Waterfall Bar & Grill with her husband around 9 p.m. Jennifer described her interactions with Read, stating that they bonded over both having dealt with multiple sclerosis (MS). At the Waterfall, O’Keefe shared his excitement about his niece’s acceptance into Bishop Feehan High School. Jennifer also recalled a conversation with Read about returning to the Alberts’ house.
During the trial, the jury was shown text messages between Jennifer and O’Keefe in the hours leading up to his death. Jennifer recounted her phone call with Read, where she learned that Read had gotten into a fight with O’Keefe and had left him at the Waterfall. Read asked Jennifer if she had hit O’Keefe and expressed concern about her cracked tail light. Jennifer and Read, along with another woman named Kerry Roberts, then went to search for O’Keefe. When they arrived at the Alberts’ house, Jennifer spotted O’Keefe’s body first and promptly called 911. She also mentioned that Read had told an EMT that she had hit him.
The court proceedings adjourned for the day, and Jennifer was expected to continue her testimony on Monday. The trial remained ongoing, and further updates were available through 7NEWS.
