Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveAllison McCabe
Testimony Impact
Allison McCabe is the cousin and close friend of Colin Albert, one of the partygoers at 34 Fairview Road on the night John O'Keefe died. She testified in Trial 1 that she picked Colin up from the Albert household around midnight, observed no visible injuries on him, and described him as not appearing overly intoxicated. Her testimony introduced text message evidence establishing the timeline of that pickup and photographs of Colin taken two weeks after the incident.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
McCabe faced three main challenges: Yannetti showed that dates and times displayed in the iPhone photo app could be changed and noted that no forensic extraction was performed on her phone; he used purported Life360 entries to challenge her account of going straight home, while McCabe denied or could not recall the later trips, questioned a reported two-minute school-to-home interval, and cited a Wi-Fi warning that she believed could affect accuracy; and the 18-month delay in producing the text screenshot raised questions about its provenance. McCabe denied altering any dates or times and said she had not known the photo-app method was possible.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“Um, he texted me and was asking for a ride, and then I responded, drove, and got him. Texted him when I arrived.”
Establishes the communication chain for Colin Albert's pickup from 34 Fairview
“I believe it was starting to snow. Nothing crazy.”
Establishes weather conditions at Fairview Road around midnight — early stages of the snowstorm
“Normal. Didn't seem overly intoxicated.”
McCabe's assessment of Colin's sobriety level when she picked him up
“None.”
McCabe's testimony that she observed no injuries on Colin Albert's face when he came out of 34 Fairview Road around midnight
“Yep. Now I know. I didn't know that. I didn't do that.”
McCabe denies knowledge of timestamp manipulation and denies having altered any timestamps
“11:54, and then I responded at 11:55.”
Anchors the timeline of when Colin Albert requested a ride from 34 Fairview Road.
“You can get me now if it's easier.”
Colin Albert's text initiating the pickup — establishes he was ready to leave Fairview Road before midnight.
“12:10 a.m.”
Timestamp of McCabe's arrival text at 34 Fairview Road, establishing a specific pickup time.
“No, it wouldn't have been relevant at that time.”
McCabe said the screenshot had not seemed relevant because she believed Karen Read had not been placed at the house until later. This was her explanation for the delayed production, not proof of her awareness of an evolving case theory.
“I don't know. I don't remember.”
McCabe said she did not know or remember when Yannetti asked whether she left home; the answer did not adopt the asserted Life360 movements as established.
“It wouldn't have taken me 2 minutes to go from the high school to my house. I'm confused.”
McCabe challenged the claimed two-minute interval between the high-school and home geofences as impossible. On redirect, she said a Wi-Fi warning on the displayed entries could have affected accuracy.
“Well, I'm not sure, but on the — the photo he showed me, it says, like, 'turn Wi-Fi on' — so, remind Allie to turn Wi-Fi on — so that could have affected the accuracy.”
Challenges the reliability of the Life360 data that the defense used to impeach her testimony, noting every alert flagged a Wi-Fi connectivity issue.
“Because Colin Albert wasn't in the house. And then it was brought up here that he was.”
Explains the August 2023 timing of the screenshot disclosure — the evidence wasn't produced earlier because Colin's presence wasn't at issue until the defense raised it.
“Colin wasn't at the house. He's being harassed — he was not at the house when John was there. I drove him home. People are harassing him saying he was at the house when it's not true.”
McCabe's most emphatic statement in the proceeding, directly rebutting the defense theory that Colin Albert was present at 34 Fairview when John O'Keefe was injured.
Key Moments
- McCabe testified that when Colin Albert came out of 34 Fairview Road around midnight, she observed no injuries on his face and he did not appear overly intoxicated — testimony directly relevant to the defense's theory that O'Keefe was beaten inside the house that night.
- Defense attorney Yannetti conducted a voir dire specifically to challenge McCabe's text message screenshot, demonstrating to the court that iPhone timestamps on texts and photos can be manually altered; Judge Cannone ruled the evidence admissible but allowed the defense to argue tampering to the jury.
- On cross-examination, Yannetti used Life360 entries to challenge McCabe's account that she went straight home after dropping Colin off, including entries he said showed a Canton High School stop and 12-mile drives. McCabe agreed to some early home-circle entries, but said she did not know or remember whether she later left home, denied or did not recall the claimed school and 12-mile movements, questioned the reported two-minute school-to-home interval, and on redirect said Wi-Fi warnings could have affected the entries' accuracy.
- The text message screenshot at the center of McCabe's testimony was not produced to law enforcement until August 2023, more than 18 months after the incident, and was never verified against the original phone through a forensic extraction — a chain-of-custody gap Yannetti pressed repeatedly on cross.
- On redirect, ADA Lally elicited testimony about harassment directed at McCabe and Colin Albert's families, offering context for the delayed disclosure of the screenshot and rebutting the inference that the delay reflected fabrication.