Commonwealth v. Read — Trial Archive
Person Charles Rae Trial 1Trial 2Lt. Charles Rae was a Canton PD patrol shift commander who conducted a well-being check at John O’Keefe’s residence on the morning of January 29, 2022. ← All People
👮 Law Enforcement · Canton PD

Charles Rae

Trial 1Trial 2
112 lines 4 proceedings 2 trials
Courtroom still of Charles Rae.

About

Lt. Charles Rae served as a Canton PD patrol shift commander on the morning O'Keefe's death was reported. After being briefed during shift change that an unresponsive man had been found on Fairview Road, Rae drove to O'Keefe's residence at 1 Meadow Ave to check on O'Keefe's two minor children. His testimony in both trials focused on the narrow scope of that well-being check — what he observed at the property, what footage documented his arrival, and critically, what he did not do: he did not inspect Karen Read's vehicle parked in the driveway.

Key Points

  • Rae described arriving at 1 Meadow Ave at approximately 8:23 a.m. with Sgt. Lank, accompanied by cruiser 682 dashcam footage and Ring doorbell camera footage shown to the jury documenting the visit.
  • Rae identified Read's vehicle and what he believed was O'Keefe's vehicle in the driveway. After an objection to an unfinished answer about later-reviewed video, he testified that he noticed no objects on the driveway ground beyond snow when asked directly. This testimony did not establish that he assessed the vehicles or their condition.
  • The prosecution specifically elicited that Rae paid no attention to the right rear passenger side of Read's vehicle, anchoring the timeline of when the taillight damage was and was not observed by law enforcement.
  • Rae explained the limited scope of the check: he looked through windows and checked doors but did not search the fenced backyard, as the visit was a welfare check for the children, not a search for a potential deceased person.
  • The well-being concern that prompted the visit was resolved shortly after Rae left — the children were confirmed safe, staying with friends or family.

Trial Record (4)

Trial 1 First Criminal Trial Apr 29, 2024 – Jul 1, 2024 3 proceedings

Day 6

Direct Charles Rae Adam Lally 3 highlights 48 lines spoken
Summary

Rae described a welfare check at One Meadows Ave. after O'Keefe and his girlfriend were taken to the hospital, while cruiser footage of the trip was shown to the jury.

Highlights (3)
Quote

“But it seemed like the right thing to do, to do a well-being check of the children at One Meadows Ave., which was Mr. O'Keefe's residence.”

Rae explained why police went to the residence after receiving information that children could be unattended.

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Quote

“In this case, we weren't looking for someone that might be a dead body. We were looking for two children that would be up and active.”

Rae distinguished the welfare check from a search for evidence or a person outside the home.

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Key Moment

Rae testified that, after learning John O'Keefe and his girlfriend had been transported to the hospital and that two children might be unattended, he and Sergeant Meehan went to One Meadows Ave. for a welfare check.

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Day 7

Direct Charles Rae Adam Lally 22 lines spoken
Summary

Rae described the welfare check at One Meadows Ave. as cruiser and Ring-camera videos were played; the court sustained one defense objection to testimony based on his later video review.

Trial 2 Retrial Apr 22, 2025 – Jun 18, 2025 1 proceeding

Day 10

Direct Charles Rae Hank Brennan 2 highlights 41 lines spoken
Summary

Lt. Charles Rae testifies about conducting a well-being check at John O'Keefe's residence on January 29, 2022, with cruiser dashcam video and Ring doorbell footage shown to the jury.

Highlights (2)
Quote

“I can't recall whether it was an order from somebody. I don't think it was an order, but it might have been at the suggestion of the former chief of police. Either that, or it just developed organically, but one way or the other we had decided that the right thing to do would be to do a well-being check of the home at 1 Meadows Ave., which is the decedent's residence.”

Establishes the chain of decision-making for the well-being check and Rae's uncertainty about whether it was directed or self-initiated.

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Quote

“At that time, we were under the impression that there may be two unattended young children at the home.”

Explains the stated purpose of the well-being check — concern for O'Keefe's minor children.

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Locations Touched By This Testimony

34 Fairview Road 2 procs Canton Police Department 2 procs Canton PD Sally Port 1 proc Good Samaritan Medical Center 1 proc