Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveEvan Brent
Testimony Impact
Trooper Evan Brent was assigned to MSP Crime Scene Services and dispatched to document two locations on February 3, 2022: the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road where O'Keefe's body had been found, and Karen Read's Chevrolet Traverse at 1 Meadows Road. His testimony addressed the physical condition of the vehicle and the scene at the time of his documentation, as well as the circumstances under which evidence was later recovered from the snow. He testified under lead investigator Michael Proctor's direction and was not recalled for any subsequent evidence recoveries at 34 Fairview Road.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
Yannetti advanced an unsecured-scene challenge by emphasizing the five days before Brent's February 3 visit. Brent acknowledged that he had no personal knowledge of who accessed the lawn during that interval, knew of no guard, and saw no crime scene tape or tent when he arrived, but he did not adopt Yannetti's premise that the lawn had been open to anyone. On redirect, the prosecution established that Brent filed a report and took field notes documenting his February 3 work.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“Some were on top of the snow. So there was some significant snow melt. I think that day it was raining out and it was much warmer than it was the previous 3 days. So some had been revealed by this melted snow. So they were on top. Others were under a foot, foot and a half of snow.”
Documents the weather and snow conditions during the evidence search, establishing that some items were buried while others had been exposed by melting.
“I did not observe any damage to them.”
Brent reported that he did not observe damage to the garage doors at 1 Meadows A.
“I observed no visible damage.”
Brent reported that he observed no visible damage to the Chevrolet Traverse.
“I did not.”
Brent confirms he did not even know he was at the home of Boston police officer Brian Albert, suggesting limited information sharing within the investigation.
“It detailed several items that were collected, my response times, and who else was there on scene.”
Brent described his notes as detailing several collected items, his response times, and who else was on scene.
“I would estimate about — there was one particular item that was about a foot, a foot and a half under the snow.”
Records Brent's estimate of snow depth for one particular item; he did not give an opinion that snow preserved the item.
Key Moments
- Brent testified that when he photographed Karen Read's Chevrolet Traverse from all angles on February 3rd, he observed no visible damage to the vehicle — a detail central to the prosecution's theory that the Traverse struck O'Keefe.
- On cross-examination, Brent testified that he had no personal knowledge of who had access to 34 Fairview Road's lawn during the five days before his February 3 arrival; he was not aware of a guard and saw no crime scene tape or tent when he arrived. When Yannetti suggested the lawn had been open to anyone, Brent said he did not know.
- Brent acknowledged he did not even know he was photographing the home of Boston Police Officer Brian Albert at the time, underscoring what the defense characterized as a lack of information-sharing within the investigation.
- Brent confirmed he was never called back to 34 Fairview Road to document or photograph evidence on February 8th, 10th, 11th, or 18th — dates when additional items were recovered from the lawn — raising the question of why official crime scene documentation was absent from subsequent recoveries.
- On redirect, Brent testified that at least one recovered item was buried approximately a foot to a foot and a half under the snow, suggesting the snowpack had preserved evidence during the five-day gap and countering the defense's contamination argument.