Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveCurt Roberts
Testimony Impact
Curt Roberts knew John O'Keefe through their sons' baseball connection and was part of the group that met O'Keefe and Karen Read at CF McCarthy's bar on the evening of January 28, 2022. His wife Kerry Roberts received the 5 AM call from Karen Read reporting O'Keefe missing, and Curt accompanied Kerry to 34 Fairview Road that morning. His testimony spans the final hours before O'Keefe's disappearance, the severity of the snowstorm overnight, and Karen Read's demeanor and sobriety at the bar.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“Everything very normal — just a few friends out having some drinks, nothing that stands out, no arguing, no anything.”
Establishes O'Keefe's demeanor and group dynamics were unremarkable hours before his death.
“A voice on my wife's phone — yelling, screaming, frantic — and that woke me up.”
Describes Karen Read's emotional state during the early-morning call reporting O'Keefe missing.
“Said John's missing and I've got to go.”
Kerry Roberts's immediate reaction to the call, establishing the timeline of the search.
“I'd say there were drifts of at least a foot or so. It was a lot — tough to get the car in.”
Establishes severe weather conditions on the morning O'Keefe was found.
“Correct.”
Roberts agrees that Karen Read appeared caring toward O'Keefe's children — the final point Yannetti elicits before ending cross.
“I didn't think so, no.”
Roberts confirms Read was not slurring her words during their face-to-face interaction at the bar.
“I did not.”
Roberts confirms he saw no arguments or problems between Read and O'Keefe at the bar.
“I was not.”
Concedes the limitation of his knowledge about the Read-O'Keefe relationship.
Key Moments
- Roberts described the atmosphere at CF McCarthy's that evening as entirely unremarkable — friends having drinks, no arguments, no tension — establishing that nothing in O'Keefe's behavior or the group dynamic foreshadowed what would follow.
- Roberts recounted being woken by a voice on his wife's phone, yelling and screaming in a frantic state — Karen Read calling to report O'Keefe missing — which placed the emergency call in concrete, immediate terms for the jury.
- Roberts testified to severe overnight snow accumulation, describing drifts of at least a foot and difficulty getting his car in, corroborating the dangerous weather conditions present when O'Keefe was found unconscious on the lawn.
- On cross-examination, Roberts confirmed that Karen Read showed no signs of intoxication during their face-to-face interaction at the bar — she was not slurring her words, and nothing about her demeanor suggested she was under the influence of alcohol.
- Yannetti closed cross by eliciting Roberts's agreement that Karen Read appeared caring toward O'Keefe's niece and nephew, a detail the defense used to counter the prosecution's portrait of a troubled, volatile relationship.