Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveJohn Tedman
Testimony Impact
John Tedman is a private investigator with Forum Investigations, holding a background that includes federal law enforcement and a law degree from Suffolk. He was contacted by the defense just days before his testimony and tasked with a narrow assignment: travel to 34 Fairview Road in Canton and document the distances from the driveway to each entrance of the Albert residence. His testimony established precise measurements between the mailbox/driveway and three separate doors — the main front door (65 ft 9 in), a secondary side-facing door (70 ft 1 in), and a pedestrian garage entrance (78 ft 3 in) — and he identified the property's location on a neighborhood map.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
Brennan challenged Tedman's completeness on cross, noting that he had conducted flag pole measurements but could not recall the specific figures without his report, which he did not have with him. Tedman acknowledged the gap and confirmed only a general figure — that the flag pole routes exceeded 80 feet — without being able to provide precise numbers.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“I was contacted by somebody from your office last Tuesday, I believe the 3rd.”
Establishes Tedman was a last-minute substitute brought in just days before testimony.
“I was asked to travel to 34 Fairview Road in Canton, and take some measurements and photographs.”
Defines the narrow scope of Tedman's assignment — physical documentation of the property.
“It does. It faces directly towards the road.”
Establishes that the secondary front door faces the road, relevant to visibility and scene reconstruction.
“So that door goes directly into the garage, facing north.”
Establishes that the red side door provides direct garage access from outside without entering the house.
“I believe it was 65 feet 9 inches, but I have my notes if needed.”
Distance from driveway/mailbox to the main front door.
“I believe it was 78 feet 3 inches.”
Distance from driveway/mailbox to the pedestrian garage entrance — the longest of the three measured paths.
“I don't. No, I'm sorry.”
Tedman acknowledges he has no report with him for the flag pole measurements, limiting his ability to provide precise figures on cross
Key Moments
- Tedman established that the red side door provides direct access into the garage from outside without passing through the house interior, a detail the defense used to describe the physical layout of the property.
- Using a wheeled measuring device, Tedman documented that the pedestrian garage entrance — the farthest of the three doors — sits 78 feet 3 inches from the end of the driveway, with the main front door at 65 feet 9 inches, creating a precise spatial record of the property.
- On cross-examination, prosecutor Brennan reframed Tedman's measurements as round-trip distances, establishing that traveling from any door back to the mailbox would require more than 130 to 156 feet of total travel — a framing that emphasized the distances rather than minimizing them.
- Tedman acknowledged during cross that he had taken additional measurements from the flag pole area but did not have his notes available, and could only confirm that alternate routes from that location to each entrance exceeded 80 feet.