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Kevin O'Hara

Courtroom still of Kevin O'Hara.

Massachusetts State Police lieutenant who led SERT’s evidence search at 34 Fairview Road.

Trial 1Trial 2
707 lines 7 proceedings 2 trials

About

Kevin O’Hara commanded the Massachusetts State Police Special Emergency Response Team during its snowstorm search outside 34 Fairview Road. He described members moving together in a search line and recovering a sneaker and red and clear taillight pieces near the curb. The team photographed items as they were found and used handheld GPS mapping, but did not formally measure the distances between them. O’Hara said the search might not have found everything. SERT offered to return and was not called back. Under defense questioning, O’Hara said there was no police presence when SERT arrived, but he did not know how long the scene had been without it. He qualified estimates of how close the recovered items were, saying they were based on observation rather than measurements. Asked about later recoveries, he said he knew other pieces had been found but did not know their number, who recovered them, or when. He also said he did not see anyone place an item on or enter the marked search grid while he was there. His mission report described the officer as “hit and dragged by a vehicle”; O’Hara said Lieutenant Brian Tully had not told him he personally saw the vehicle or body at the locations used to guide the search.

Trial Record (7)

Trial 1 First Criminal Trial Apr 29, 2024 – Jul 1, 2024 3 proceedings

Day 19

Direct Kevin O'Hara - Direct Examination Kevin O'Hara Adam Lally 3 highlights 153 lines spoken
Summary

O'Hara described SERT's blizzard search, recovery of taillight pieces and a sneaker, documentation, and limits on the search and GPS mapping.

Highlights (3)
Quote

“I told him there was a good chance we did not find everything and said, if you want us to come back in the daylight to give us better lighting to search or after a couple of days, the weather was supposed to warm up, if you wanted us to come back after there was some snow melt just to reach out to me and we would come back.”

O'Hara acknowledged the search might not have located every item and described possible follow-up searches.

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Key Moment

O'Hara described a grid search along the roadway at 34 Fairview Road, organized shoulder to shoulder and directed south toward the flagpole and fire hydrant.

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Cross Kevin O'Hara - Cross-Examination Kevin O'Hara David Yannetti 4 highlights 203 lines spoken
Summary

O'Hara was questioned about SERT's delayed authorization, search records, the direction of the search area, and the documented locations of recovered items.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“No. Neither one of us were allowed to dispatch my team. We have to send up formal requests to get authorization to respond.”

O'Hara described the formal authorization requirement before SERT could deploy.

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Quote

“Best recollection, that they were close, within a foot. But, to be 100 percent accurate, you would have to measure between the two GPS points, which I have not done.”

O'Hara qualified his earlier description of the distance between recovered items.

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Quote

“I've never seen the evidence log from that night, sir. So I'm not sure exactly how many he recovered. Again, I was partaking in the search. So I'm not sure what the exact number is, sir.”

O'Hara said he could not give the exact number of plastic pieces recovered without the evidence log.

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Redirect Kevin O'Hara - Redirect Kevin O'Hara Adam Lally 1 highlights 13 lines spoken
Summary

O'Hara clarified SERT's records, cruiser GPS timing data, and the photographing—but not measuring—of recovered items.

Highlights (1)
Quote

“That would just be our day-to-day activities. We'll give a quick gist of what we're doing each day. It would be more general. It doesn't get too thorough.”

Clarifies the limited detail of the daily journal discussed on cross-examination.

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Trial 2 Retrial Apr 22, 2025 – Jun 18, 2025 4 proceedings

Day 10

Direct Kevin O'Hara - Direct Kevin O'Hara Hank Brennan 4 highlights 133 lines spoken
Summary

Lt. Kevin O'Hara describes the SERT team's January 29, 2022 evidence search at 34 Fairview Road during a snowstorm, including recovery of taillight fragments and a sneaker.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“Couple of the pieces were found at ground level touching the asphalt.”

Records O'Hara's observation that a couple of taillight pieces were at ground level touching the asphalt.

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Quote

“That whole search area was fresh undisturbed snow as we moved through the area and no one moved past our line.”

Describes O'Hara's testimony about movement control and snow conditions within the marked search grid as the team moved through it.

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Quote

“I did provide that to Lieutenant Tully — told him there was a good chance we did not locate everything that evening and we offered to return at a later date or time at his request.”

O'Hara said he told Tully there was a good chance the team had not located everything that evening and offered to return at Tully's request; he separately testified that the SERT team did not go back.

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Cross Kevin O'Hara - Cross Kevin O'Hara Alan Jackson 5 highlights 133 lines spoken
Summary

Defense attorney Alan Jackson cross-examines Lt. Kevin O'Hara about SERT activation, search methods, reference materials, and scene security at 34 Fairview Road. O'Hara said there was no police presence when SERT arrived; when Jackson asked how long the scene had been unsecured before then, O'Hara said he did not know.

Highlights (5)
Quote

“He asked if we were here for what happened earlier. We replied yes and he turned and went back inside the residence.”

An unidentified adult male from 34 Fairview Road had knowledge of the incident and made contact with the search team.

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Quote

“I believe I said within a few inches or a foot away. Yes, sir.”

All recovered evidence was clustered in a very small area, a point Jackson emphasized through prior testimony impeachment.

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Quote

“I asked him if he had a photograph that we could look at, just to see how large of a piece we were looking for, sir.”

The SERT team was searching for taillight pieces without ever seeing the damaged vehicle or a photograph of it.

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Quote

“Uh, there was no police presence on scene, sir.”

Records O'Hara's observation that there was no police presence when SERT arrived. When Jackson asked how long the scene had been unsecured before then, O'Hara said he did not know.

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Show 1 more
Quote

“We've never been out for an evidence search in this specific type of conditions, but we have done missing person searches.”

O'Hara said SERT had conducted missing-person searches in comparable conditions but not an evidence search in those specific conditions.

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Redirect Kevin O'Hara - Redirect Kevin O'Hara Hank Brennan 4 highlights 58 lines spoken
Summary

ADA Brennan's redirect of Lt. O'Hara addressed cross-examination points about scene integrity, outside interference, and the completeness of the SERT evidence search at 34 Fairview Road.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“I told him there was a good chance we did not locate all the evidence. Asked him if he wanted us to come back at a later date.”

Establishes O'Hara proactively flagged the search as incomplete and offered follow-up, countering any suggestion SERT considered the job done.

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Quote

“The area we searched was fresh, undisturbed snow.”

O'Hara described the searched area as fresh, undisturbed snow when he arrived; this was his arrival observation, not a conclusion about pre-arrival access or when any item was deposited.

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Quote

“Only 99% of it, sir. As soon as we got to the grass and realized we couldn't clear it properly, my main focus was on that street, just again because I was concerned about the plow coming through at a later time.”

O'Hara said the team concentrated on the street because snow over the grass could not be cleared adequately and he was concerned about a later plow.

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