Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveRenee Stonebridge
Testimony Impact
Dr. Renee Stonebridge is a board-certified neuropathologist affiliated with Norfolk County who examined John O'Keefe's brain following his death on January 29, 2022. She testified in Trial 1 about the neuropathological findings from her examination, identifying multiple acute traumatic injuries including subarachnoid hemorrhage, punctate contusions across the frontal and temporal cortices, intraventricular hemorrhage, and brain stem hemorrhage. Her testimony addressed the nature, severity, and timing of these injuries in relation to O'Keefe's death.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“The injuries I observed were acute injuries, meaning that they probably occurred minutes to hours.”
Establishes the temporal framework for O'Keefe's brain injuries, placing them close to the time of death.
“I did not see any evidence of any aneurysm or any sort of natural disease state that might have led to a rupture in one of these vessels.”
Rules out natural causes for the subarachnoid hemorrhage, pointing to trauma as the mechanism.
“There were multiple contusions, to the point where it's not something that you can count.”
Conveys the severity of brain trauma — enough force to cause innumerable punctate contusions across the frontal and temporal cortices.
“It was something that required some type of force. Given that there were skull fractures, I can't say what type of force or how much force, but it was definitely something that caused some type of force which led to the skull fractures and then the subsequent brain findings.”
Links brain injuries to skull fractures and confirms significant force was involved, without specifying the exact mechanism.
Key Moments
- Stonebridge described finding uncountable punctate contusions spread across the frontal and temporal cortices — a quantity and distribution she characterized as beyond what one could enumerate, conveying the extent of the trauma to O'Keefe's brain.
- She testified that the injuries were acute, meaning they occurred minutes to hours before death, establishing a tight temporal window that connected the brain injuries directly to the circumstances of the night O'Keefe disappeared.
- Stonebridge ruled out natural causes for the subarachnoid hemorrhage, stating she found no evidence of aneurysm or vascular disease that could explain the bleeding — leaving trauma as the only identified mechanism.
- She identified bilateral uncal herniation and brain stem compression, along with diffuse hemorrhage within the pons, describing injuries consistent with significant force — whether from a fall or being struck by a vehicle.
- When addressing the link between the brain injuries and the skull fractures, Stonebridge confirmed that the combination required some type of force but declined to specify its nature or magnitude, given the presence of the fractures.