Person Nicholas Barros Trial 1Trial 2Dighton Police Sergeant Nicholas Barros assisted state troopers in retrieving Karen Read’s Lexus on January 29, 2022, and testified that the vehicle’s tail light was less damaged when he observed it than photographs taken later show. ← All People
👮 Law Enforcement · Dighton PD

Nicholas Barros

Trial 1Trial 2
418 lines 5 proceedings 2 trials
Courtroom still of Nicholas Barros.

About

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.

Key Points

  • Barros testified that the tail light on Read's Lexus was cracked with approximately a six-by-two-to-three-inch piece missing from one side, but that the middle section remained intact — a condition he described as distinctly less damaged than what appears in prosecution photographs taken later at the sally port.
  • When shown Exhibit 13 — a close-up photograph of the tail light — Barros stated 'Absolutely not' when asked whether it reflected what he observed, and characterized the exhibit as showing a tail light that was 'completely smashed out,' in contrast to his recollection.
  • Barros testified that Trooper Proctor told him the vehicle was connected to a homicide and that his stated purpose was to seize it, establishing the law enforcement chain of custody and the timeline of when the vehicle passed out of Barros's sight.
  • On cross-examination in Trial 2, Barros was confronted with his police report, which contained only a single line noting tail light damage with no description of size, shape, or placement — and with his Trial 1 transcript, which showed he had never actually distinguished between the sally port photograph and his on-site observations, directly contradicting his confident in-court testimony.
  • Barros said his memory had changed and that the tail light condition was not the same as the photo Jackson showed on direct. Separately, he agreed that Brennan's close-up photo showing a missing right rear tail light was consistent with what he remembered seeing in Dighton; the questions concerned different photographs.

Trial Record (5)

Trial 1 First Criminal Trial Apr 29, 2024 – Jul 1, 2024 1 proceeding

Day 22

Direct Nicholas Barros Adam Lally 4 highlights 60 lines spoken
Summary

Barros described Dighton Police assistance in retrieving the Lexus SUV, snow-clearing and towing arrangements, and his observations of the right rear taillight and nearby dent.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“Later on, I believe it was around 2:30 in the afternoon, I received a phone call from the Norfolk District Attorney's Office with the troopers assigned there, and they had stated that they were going to come to Dighton to retrieve a vehicle that was involved in a homicide.”

Places Barros's involvement in the local assistance and vehicle-retrieval response.

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Quote

“I saw that there was some damage to the right rear taillight. To my best ability and recollection that taillight was not completely damaged. It was cracked and that a piece was missing but not completely damaged.”

States Barros's qualified firsthand description of the taillight condition.

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

Day 26

Direct Nicholas Barros Alan Jackson 4 highlights 122 lines spoken
Summary

Sergeant Barros testifies that Exhibit 13 did not match the tail light condition he observed at the Read residence: the middle section was intact and a piece was missing on the right; the defense argues that the difference reflects additional damage after seizure.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“His intention was to retrieve a vehicle that he said was involved in a homicide.”

Establishes that Proctor told Barros the vehicle was connected to a homicide and his stated purpose was seizure, relevant to chain of custody timeline.

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Quote

“Absolutely not.”

Barros's emphatic denial that Exhibit 13 reflects the tail light condition he observed, establishing a before/after discrepancy in the physical evidence.

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Quote

“That tail light is completely smashed out.”

Barros characterizes the extent of additional damage visible in the exhibit photo compared to what he personally observed.

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Quote

“That middle section was intact when I was there. Towards that right side where that large chunk is, that's what was missing.”

Specific description of which portion of the tail light was damaged versus intact, pinpointing exactly what changed between his observation and the later photograph.

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Cross Nicholas Barros Hank Brennan 3 highlights 169 lines spoken
Summary

Prosecutor Brennan challenges Sergeant Barros's memory reliability regarding tail light damage observations, establishing that his report lacked detail and his recollection of prior testimony was inaccurate.

Highlights (3)
Quote

“The vehicle had damage to the right rear tail light. That's what I wrote.”

Barros confirms his entire report description of the key evidence was a single line with no detail about size, shape, or placement.

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Quote

“It's not in there.”

After reviewing his Trial 1 transcript, Barros concedes he never actually distinguished the sally port photograph from his on-site observations — contradicting his confident testimony moments earlier that he had.

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Quote

“I know what I saw and that wasn't it.”

Despite conceding memory difficulties, Barros pushes back with conviction that the sally port photo differs from his observation — showing the limits of Brennan's impeachment.

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Recross Nicholas Barros Hank Brennan 1 highlights 2 lines spoken
Summary

ADA Brennan conducts a brief recross in which Barros agrees that Brennan's closeup photograph of the missing right rear tail light is consistent with what he observed in Dighton.

Highlights (1)
Quote

“It is.”

Barros agrees that Brennan's closeup photograph is consistent with what he saw. The answer does not establish that the photograph was the same as the one Jackson showed him on direct examination.

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