Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveJulie Nagel
Testimony Impact
Julie Nagel attended the gathering at 34 Fairview Road on the night John O'Keefe died and was among the last guests to leave. Her brother Ryan Nagel picked her up in Richard D'Antuono's Ford F-150 around 1:45 AM, and as she departed she noticed a dark object near the flagpole — the same location where O'Keefe's body was found hours later. She testified in Trial 1 across two days, covering both the events inside the house that night and her observation of the object on the lawn.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“No one else came in.”
Direct testimony that no additional person entered 34 Fairview Road between approximately 12:15 AM and 1:45 AM, supporting the prosecution's theory that O'Keefe never went inside.
“I did notice something out of the ordinary, like a black blob on the ground by the flagpole.”
Nagel describes seeing an unidentified object on the lawn near the flagpole — the area where O'Keefe's body was found the next morning.
“I did say out loud — I was like, 'I think I might have saw something.' I'm not kind of sure what it was. But I was also intoxicated from drinking, so didn't really know what it was, what I saw.”
Nagel acknowledged seeing the object and mentioning it in the car, but qualifies her observation with her intoxication — establishing both the sighting and its limitations.
“I would probably say like five or six feet long.”
The size estimate is consistent with a person lying on the ground.
“JJ McCabe.”
Establishes that a key prosecution witness was collecting evidence from other witnesses rather than law enforcement.
“I mean, I don't know what I saw, but I saw an object.”
Nagel concedes uncertainty about what she observed, weakening the prosecution's use of her as a corroborating eyewitness.
“Some would say.”
Nagel's hedged admission of intoxication, moments before fully conceding she was drunk when she claims to have seen the object.
“Um, I mean, it was dark out, but with the snow it was kind of — you could see a little bit of a glare.”
Establishes that while it was dark, snow provided some visibility — enough to see a shape but not enough to identify it as a person.
“I would have, you know, called 911, and told everybody else in the car as well.”
Directly addresses the defense's cross-examination point about her failure to stop or call for help.
“Yes.”
Unqualified concession to the late-emerging size detail.
“The next day, after I had a conversation, yes.”
Concedes she connected the object to O'Keefe the next day but still did not contact authorities.
Key Moments
- Nagel testified that no one entered the house between approximately 12:15 AM and 1:45 AM, directly supporting the prosecution's contention that O'Keefe never went inside 34 Fairview Road.
- Her observation of a 'black blob' near the flagpole — which she estimated was five to six feet long — became a focal point of the trial, as the shape was consistent with a person lying on the ground at the location where O'Keefe was found.
- On cross-examination, Yannetti revealed that Nagel's five-to-six-foot size estimate had never appeared in any prior statement to investigators and was disclosed for the first time on the witness stand, which Jackson reinforced during recross.
- Yannetti established that Jennifer McCabe — a fellow witness and central figure in the case — was the person who collected screenshots of Nagel's text messages with her brother Ryan, raising questions about the handling of evidence outside law enforcement channels.
- Nagel acknowledged on cross that she never asked the driver to stop, never called police after seeing the object, and did not contact authorities even the following morning when she connected what she had seen to O'Keefe's death.