Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveRebecca Trayers
Testimony Impact
Rebecca Trayers worked as a bartender at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton, Massachusetts, and was on duty the night John O'Keefe was last seen alive in a social setting. She testified about the bar's layout, surveillance cameras, and the patrons present that evening, placing O'Keefe alongside Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, and others at a high-top table in the lounge. Her testimony established the physical environment and social dynamics of the group's final hours at the bar before they moved to the Albert household.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
No significant credibility challenges were mounted against Trayers. Her observations were largely corroborative and her professional experience as a bartender gave her testimony on patron behavior and intoxication a factual grounding that neither side contested.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“He came up to order a beer.”
Confirms O'Keefe was actively present and ordering drinks at the Waterfall that evening.
“The high top in the lounge, closest to the bar.”
Locates the last group to leave — including Brian Albert and Brian Higgins — at a specific spot in the bar.
“I believe he was standing with them.”
Places O'Keefe with the Albert/Higgins group, establishing he was socializing with them that night.
“The only people I would have recognized would be Brian Higgins and Brian Albert's wife.”
Identifies the people Trayers recognized from the group, limiting her knowledge to a few familiar faces.
“I would say yes.”
Trayers agrees the Albert family is well-known in Canton, establishing the family's local prominence.
“No.”
Trayers confirms she did not see O'Keefe buying drinks for a woman, relevant to questions about his relationship dynamics that evening.
Key Moments
- Trayers placed John O'Keefe at the bar ordering a beer and standing with the last group to leave — a group that included Brian Albert and Brian Higgins — at the high top closest to the bar in the lounge area.
- She identified Brian Higgins and Brian Albert's wife as the only people in the group she recognized by name, establishing the limits of her familiarity with those present that night.
- Trayers testified that she took out the trash at 12:16 a.m., a detail that helped anchor the timeline of the bar's closing and the departure of the final group.
- On cross-examination, Trayers agreed that the group associated with the receipts shown to her did not seem highly intoxicated to her.
- Defense attorney Yannetti introduced bar receipts showing O'Keefe left a $10 tip on a $16.58 tab, and Trayers agreed this reflected normal, relaxed behavior — countering any suggestion O'Keefe was agitated or distressed that evening.