Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveJulie Albert
Testimony Impact
Julie Albert is married to Christopher Albert, whose family hosted the party at 34 Fairview Road on the night John O'Keefe died. She was present at the Waterfall Bar & Grille on the evening of January 28, 2022, before leaving early due to a migraine. Her testimony covers the group's activities that night, her husband's return home around 12:10 AM, her son Colin's whereabouts, and her arrival at 34 Fairview Road the next morning when she encountered the distressed group. Cross-examination focused heavily on her close personal ties to the Proctor family and the volume of phone contact she had with lead investigator Michael Proctor's sister Courtney during the investigation.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“She opened her jacket and had a glass and pulled the glass out and started drinking the drink.”
Establishes Karen Read brought her own drink from C.F. McCarthy's to the Waterfall, relevant to tracking her alcohol consumption that evening.
“I had a terrible migraine from the band being so close.”
Explains why Julie Albert left the Waterfall early, limiting her observation window to approximately 10-15 minutes after O'Keefe and Read arrived.
“He came upstairs to my room. He was shivering because it was cold out, and he immediately went to the bathroom, got undressed, and got into bed.”
Describes Christopher Albert's condition when he returned home around 12:10 AM — cold but otherwise unremarkable.
“I was looking around and everyone was visibly upset, and I asked what's going on. And another maybe 30 seconds went by and Jen said something's happened to John.”
Describes the scene at 34 Fairview Road the next morning when Albert learned about John O'Keefe, establishing the emotional state of those present.
“Michael Proctor.”
Albert identifies the lead investigator as someone she knew personally before the case
“I don't deny it, but I don't — I don't recall the exact amount of times.”
Albert cannot deny the 67 calls but retreats to lack of recall, undermining her earlier characterization of rare contact
“I don't deny, but I do not remember.”
Albert's recurring formulation when confronted with phone records — she won't deny the calls happened but claims no memory of their content, undermining her credibility.
“Yes, it could have been.”
After sustained objections, Albert finally concedes that Karen Read's arraignment could have been discussed during the 27-minute call with Courtney Proctor on arraignment day.
“She was there a lot, yes. I would assume that she spent a lot of time with them, yes.”
Albert acknowledges Karen Read's close involvement with O'Keefe's children, supporting the defense's portrayal of Read as a caring partner rather than a violent one.
“Less.”
Albert characterizes her call frequency with Courtney Proctor as below average compared to other friends, directly countering the defense's implication that the volume was suspicious
“Yes, voluntarily.”
Emphasizes Albert's cooperation with investigators, countering any suggestion of obstruction or evasion
“Faster. Me personally.”
Addresses the timing discrepancy raised on cross — suggests she moved quickly in the cold, explaining her brief visit to 34 Fairview
Key Moments
- Albert testified that she observed Karen Read pull a glass from inside her jacket at the Waterfall and drink from it — establishing that Read had brought her own drink from C.F. McCarthy's, a detail relevant to tracking Read's alcohol consumption that evening.
- Albert described her husband Christopher arriving home around 12:10 AM, cold from the walk but otherwise unremarkable — testimony that the defense challenged when Waterfall lobby video showed him leaving the bar at 12:13 AM, creating a timeline discrepancy.
- When confronted with phone records showing 67 calls between herself and Courtney Proctor between February and September 2022 — including three calls on the morning of Read's arraignment — Albert acknowledged she could not deny the calls but said she did not remember their content or frequency, having previously characterized the contact as 'very rare.'
- Defense attorney Yannetti directly asked Albert whether she had used Courtney Proctor as an intermediary to communicate with lead investigator Michael Proctor about the case. Albert did not deny the suggestion but could not account for the pattern of calls.
- Albert also acknowledged on cross-examination that she had not disclosed to investigators that her son Colin had been present at 34 Fairview Road after midnight on the night O'Keefe died — an omission the defense characterized as significant given Colin Albert's subsequent role in the case.