Person Andre Porto Trial 1Trial 2Andre Porto is a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab who testified about DNA analysis performed on evidence items in the Karen Read case. ← All People
🔬 Expert Witness · MSP Crime Lab

Andre Porto

Trial 1Trial 2
411 lines 4 proceedings 2 trials
Courtroom still of Andre Porto.

About

Andre Porto is a DNA analyst at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, accredited by ANAB. He performed autosomal DNA testing on evidence collected from John O'Keefe's clothing, a broken drinking glass recovered from 34 Fairview Road, Read's vehicle tail light, and other items. He reported likelihood-ratio results supporting inclusion of O'Keefe on the passenger-side tail light and broken drinking glass, while also identifying additional unknown contributors.

Key Points

  • Porto testified that the passenger-side tail-light DNA profile was at least 510 nonillion times more likely under a scenario including O'Keefe and two unknown contributors than under a scenario involving three unknown unrelated people, supporting an inclusion.
  • Porto testified that one evidence item — a stain on O'Keefe's sneaker — yielded a DNA mixture from five or more contributors, rendering it too complex for comparison under the lab's validated protocols, illustrating the boundaries of what the analysis could establish.
  • Porto acknowledged on cross-examination that DNA analysis cannot determine when or how DNA was deposited on an item, a limitation the defense used to contest the interpretive weight of the physical evidence.
  • In Trial 2, during Yannetti's cross-examination, Porto testified that he was not asked to compare the passenger-side tail-light DNA profile with Kevin Albert or Kenneth Berkowitz, or the broken-drinking-glass profile with Brian Albert or Brian Higgins; he said the other contributors could be anybody and that he did not know who they were.
  • Porto explained that cold storage conditions, consistent with the outdoor overnight environment where O'Keefe was found, would tend to preserve rather than degrade DNA — directly addressing a potential defense argument that the January cold could have compromised the evidence.

Trial Record (4)

Trial 1 First Criminal Trial Apr 29, 2024 – Jul 1, 2024 1 proceeding

Day 24

Direct Andre Porto Adam Lally 4 highlights 165 lines spoken
Summary

DNA analyst Andre Porto reported comparison results for case samples and explained testing limits, including DNA-transfer and mixture-interpretation limits.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“The DNA profile from this item is at least 510 nonillion times more likely if it originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals than if it originated from three unknown, unrelated individuals. And this provides support for an inclusion.”

Porto gave the reported comparison result for the passenger-side-taillight sample.

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“Yes. So that testing began the same as the four-step process. I would extract the hair and then went to quantitation. After quantitation, I determined that there was no human DNA detected. So then testing was halted at that step.”

Porto described the limit of the laboratory's testing of the hair sample.

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“So transfer DNA just means DNA that sort of transfers based on just some activity that could happen. Like if somebody touches a water bottle, they might transfer some DNA onto that water bottle.”

Porto explained the concept of transfer DNA before stating that he could not determine how or when DNA was deposited.

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“Yes. So during our validations, we only validated mixtures up to four contributors because we determined that once you get more than four, at least five contributors into a mixture, it becomes too complex to be able to make any reliable comparisons to that mixture.”

Porto explained a laboratory limitation on interpreting complex DNA mixtures.

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Trial 2 Retrial Apr 22, 2025 – Jun 18, 2025 3 proceedings

Day 17

Direct Andre Porto Adam Lally 4 highlights 159 lines spoken
Summary

Andre Porto, a forensic scientist at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, testifies about DNA analysis performed on evidence items in the Karen Read case, including a three-contributor DNA profile from a passenger-side tail-light swab that was at least 510 nonillion times more likely if it originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals than if it originated from three unknown unrelated individuals, supporting an inclusion. He also testified about DNA analyses of a broken drinking glass, clothing stains, and fingernail clippings.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“The DNA profile from this item is at least 510 nonillion times more likely if it originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals than if it originated from three unknown unrelated individuals. This provides support for an inclusion.”

Three-contributor passenger-side tail-light DNA-profile result supporting an inclusion of O'Keefe at the stated likelihood ratio

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Quote

“So there was no human DNA detected and STR analysis was not performed.”

Hair from the vehicle's exterior passenger-side rear handle yielded no usable DNA, requiring mitochondrial testing at an external lab

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Quote

“The DNA profile from this item is at least 530 nonillion times more likely if it originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals than if it originated from three unknown unrelated individuals. This supports an inclusion.”

DNA finding on the broken drinking glass exterior from 34 Fairview Road

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Quote

“So I determined that there were five contributors, so that makes it too complex for us to do comparisons to it.”

One evidence item (sneaker stain) was too complex for comparison, illustrating the limits of the lab's validated protocols

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Cross Andre Porto David Yannetti 2 highlights 75 lines spoken
Summary

Defense attorney Yannetti cross-examines DNA analyst Porto about unidentified DNA contributors on multiple evidence items and whether comparisons to specific individuals were ever requested.

Highlights (2)
Quote

“Based on our protocols, we're not able to do any comparisons to any mixtures that are five or more contributors. So it's not suitable for comparisons.”

Porto said the sneaker mixture had five or more contributors and was too complex for comparison under the laboratory's protocols.

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Redirect Andre Porto Adam Lally 3 highlights 12 lines spoken
Summary

Lally's redirect elicited Porto's qualified testimony that multiple DNA contributors on clothing can occur depending on the circumstances, and revisited O'Keefe DNA matches on key evidence items.

Highlights (3)
Quote

“That depends. It can happen, but it's possible. Yes.”

Porto's qualified testimony was that multiple DNA contributors on clothing can happen depending on the circumstances, and he would not call that a complete anomaly.

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Quote

“The DNA profile from this item is 510 nonillion times more likely to have originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals than if it originated from three unknown unrelated individuals.”

Reiterates the overwhelming statistical match of O'Keefe's DNA on the tail light.

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“Correct. They were interpreted as originated from a single contributor.”

Confirms the 13 specified stain profiles on O'Keefe's shirts were interpreted as single-contributor DNA; this conclusion does not extend to other clothing samples addressed on cross.

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