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.
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.
“Jennifer McCabe went up to Karen and said, 'You're coming with me,' like, and she grabbed her — she put her arm around her and she said in front of me, she's like, 'You're coming with me, you're coming with me.' And Karen said, 'Where are we going?' And Jen said, 'It doesn't matter, it'll be a surprise.'”
Documents Jennifer McCabe's attempt to bring Read to the Fairview Road gathering, and Read's apparent lack of knowledge about where they were going.
“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.”
Places Karen Read as the driver when the couple left the Waterfall, a key detail for the prosecution's theory about how O'Keefe ended up at 34 Fairview Road.
“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.' And Karen's like, 'Huh?'”
Highlights McCabe's specific effort to bring Read along, and Read's surprise — relevant to the defense theory about events at 34 Fairview.
“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.
“Very kind. Very generous. Very thoughtful.”
Witness enthusiastically affirms O'Keefe's character, building sympathy for the victim through a defense-called witness.
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.
- She placed Karen Read walking toward the driver's side of the car as the couple left the Waterfall, a detail relevant to the prosecution's theory that Read drove O'Keefe to 34 Fairview Road.
- 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.