Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchivePaul Gallagher
Lt. Paul Gallagher served as a Canton Police Department officer who responded to the Fairview Road scene on January 29, 2022, where he processed the area with a leaf blower and collected blood evidence using red Solo cups borrowed from a neighbor. His testimony spans both trials, covering his initial scene response, evidence handling decisions, interactions with Brian Albert, and his role in the sallyport where Karen Read's SUV was stored. The defense used his testimony extensively to argue that evidence was mishandled, undocumented, and potentially contaminated before state police could process it.
Trial 1 vs Trial 2
In Trial 2, Gallagher's cross-examination was substantially extended, spanning parts of two days, and introduced additional lines of challenge not prominent in Trial 1 — including his failure to obtain Arlo camera footage from a neighbor, his decision not to seek a search warrant for the Albert home, and his reliance on Sgt. Lank having gathered names of house occupants without verifying that those interviews were conducted. Jackson also used Gallagher's prior Trial 1 testimony directly as a source of impeachment, confronting him with prior statements about evidence storage and his investigative approach.