Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveKarina Kolokithas
Testimony Impact
Karina Kolokithas was part of the social group that gathered at the Waterfall Bar & Grille on the evening of January 28, 2022, the last documented public setting where Karen Read and John O'Keefe were seen together. She testified about the couple's demeanor that night, the circumstances of their departure, and Jennifer McCabe's invitation to continue the evening at 34 Fairview Road. She appeared in both trials, offering firsthand observations about Read's statements regarding O'Keefe and the sequence of events as the bar closed.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
Kolokithas's credibility was not directly challenged, but the prosecution used redirect in Trial 1 to narrow the scope of her testimony: Lally established that her characterization of the Read-O'Keefe relationship was based entirely on what Read told her at the bar that night, and that O'Keefe had never independently confirmed those accounts to her.
Trial 1 vs Trial 2
In Trial 2, Kolokithas's testimony was more compact — two proceedings compared to four in Trial 1, with no redirect or recross. The prosecution's direct examination in Trial 2 focused on Read's demeanor, sobriety, and coherence at the bar, while defense attorney Hank Brennan's cross shifted the emphasis toward the celebratory mood of the evening and O'Keefe's character as kind and generous — a different framing than Trial 1's cross, which had focused on the McCabe invitation and the compressed timeline between the bar and 34 Fairview Road.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“She started talking about how much he sacrifices, how he unconditionally puts all his time and effort into the kids, how she admired him for that, and how she also wished that some of the family members would step up and help out a little bit more, because he took all the burden on himself.”
Read's own words about O'Keefe's family burden and her wish that relatives would help more — establishes relationship context and Read's awareness of family dynamics.
“No, like joking around, like "Hey, you know, you come with me, we're gonna, you know." And Karen said, "Where are we going?" And Jen said, "It doesn't matter, it'll be a surprise." Something like that.”
Kolokithas described McCabe's invitation as playful; Read asked where they were going and McCabe said it would be a surprise. In the context of the separately described open invitation to McCabe's sister's house on Fairview, this exchange does not by itself establish what Read knew about the destination.
“She was walking to the driver's side. But again, I was more concerned about crossing Washington Street, and there was a little bit of snow at that point, so I didn't see — like I saw them walking in that direction, her going to the driver's side and John going to the other side, but I didn't see anything after that.”
Kolokithas observed Read walking toward the driver's side while O'Keefe walked toward the other side, but expressly testified that she did not see what happened after that.
“It had just started snowing. You could see the street still, so you could still sort of see the blacktop through whatever snow was on the ground.”
Establishes weather conditions at approximately midnight — light snow accumulation, ground still visible — relevant to the timeline of snowfall and when O'Keefe was found.
“He didn't tell me personal things, no.”
Establishes O'Keefe never independently confirmed the positive relationship picture Read described
“I did not. No.”
Confirms she had zero knowledge of what happened behind closed doors, limiting the weight of Read's public statements
“They were.”
Unequivocal confirmation of the couple's warmth, left as the last substantive testimony from this witness.
“She seemed fine to me.”
Direct sobriety assessment from a medical professional who was sober herself and in close proximity to Read all evening.
“So, John went over to Karen and he gave her a kiss on the forehead.”
Establishes affection between Read and O'Keefe shortly before his death, undermining the prosecution's narrative of a volatile relationship.
“Jen went over to Karen, kind of put her arm around her, and started saying, "You're coming with me. You're coming with me."”
The court immediately sustained an objection after the full answer at row 260321. In the permitted follow-up limited to the first part, Kolokithas said the phrase "you're coming with me" stood out to her.
“I had talked to her all night and I did not notice anything strange about her. Like, I didn't think anything of it.”
A pharmacist who spent 50 minutes face-to-face with Read observed no signs of impairment, challenging the intoxication theory.
Key Moments
- Kolokithas testified that Karen Read spoke warmly about O'Keefe at the bar, describing his dedication to his niece and nephew and her admiration for his sacrifices — statements the prosecution later reframed on redirect as Read's self-presentation rather than objective evidence of a healthy relationship.
- Kolokithas testified that Read walked toward the driver's side while O'Keefe walked toward the other side, but said she did not see what happened after that.
- Kolokithas described Jennifer McCabe approaching Read specifically — putting her arm around her and saying 'You're coming with me' — with the invitation directed only at Read and not at O'Keefe, a point defense attorney Jackson emphasized on cross-examination.
- She described the weather conditions at departure as light snow with the blacktop still visible through accumulation, placing the snowfall timeline at approximately midnight and providing context for conditions when O'Keefe was later found outside.
- On recross in Trial 1, Jackson secured Kolokithas's confirmation that she had observed the couple as 'lovey-dovey' that evening — her own characterization — leaving that impression as the jury's final takeaway from her testimony.