Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveNicholas Barros
Sergeant Nicholas Barros of the Dighton Police Department responded to 345 Country Hill Drive on the afternoon of January 29, 2022, after Trooper Michael Proctor contacted Dighton PD to assist with retrieving a vehicle he described as involved in a homicide. Barros observed Karen Read's Lexus in a snow-covered driveway and noted damage to the right rear tail light before the vehicle was towed by Diamond Towing. His testimony is central to the defense's contention that additional damage to the tail light occurred after the vehicle left the Read residence and before it was photographed at the Canton police sally port.
Trial 1 vs Trial 2
In Trial 1, Barros gave a brief direct examination and the defense waived cross-examination entirely, leaving his account of the tail light condition largely unchallenged. In Trial 2, the defense elicited far more specific testimony about exactly which portion of the tail light was intact versus damaged, sharpening the before-and-after contrast with the prosecution's photographs. The prosecution responded with a full cross-examination that had not occurred in Trial 1, using Barros's own sparse report and prior transcript to impeach his more detailed Trial 2 recollections.