Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveRicky D'Antuono
Testimony Impact
Ricky D'Antuono arrived at 34 Fairview Road shortly after midnight on January 29, 2022, driving friends Ryan Nagel and Heather Maxon to collect Julie Nagel from the party. He observed a black SUV parked in front of the house with its taillights on, spoke briefly with Julie Nagel through his passenger window, and departed without entering the house. His testimony is significant because he had a clear, headlight-illuminated view of the rear of the SUV and observed no damage — no broken taillight and no person lying outside the vehicle.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“There was a vehicle parked in front of me, in front of the house.”
Places a vehicle outside 34 Fairview Road when D'Antuono arrived around midnight.
“None.”
When asked about damage to the vehicle, D'Antuono observed none — relevant to the timeline of when taillight damage occurred.
“It was either taillights or brake lights, but I'm not sure which ones they were.”
Indicates the vehicle was running, establishing it had recently arrived or someone was inside.
“I believe it just started to snow.”
Corroborates the timeline of snowfall beginning around midnight, relevant to evidence preservation and scene conditions.
“I would say there was a dusting on the lawn, so it was starting to accumulate, but there weren't inches and inches of snow.”
Establishes snow conditions at the time of the incident — minimal accumulation, contradicting the heavy snow seen in later evidence photos.
“To the best of my knowledge. But I didn't analyze it.”
Honest qualification that he wasn't studying the vehicle, but the damage still didn't catch his eye — a natural, credible observation.
“Not at all.”
When asked if he was curious who was in the SUV — confirms his attention was elsewhere, establishing his observations were casual rather than investigative, lending them credibility as unbiased.
Key Moments
- D'Antuono testified that when he arrived at 34 Fairview Road, a vehicle was parked in front of the house with taillights or brake lights on, establishing that Read's SUV was present and apparently occupied around midnight.
- When asked directly about damage to the parked SUV, D'Antuono answered 'None' — a one-word response that carried significant weight given that his Ford F-150's headlights would have been aimed directly at the rear of the vehicle from approximately 20 yards away.
- On cross-examination, Yannetti established that D'Antuono saw no broken taillight, no person outside the SUV, and no one lying in the street when he left the scene — conditions central to the defense's argument that the taillight was not broken at the time Read dropped off O'Keefe.
- D'Antuono testified that snow was just beginning to accumulate when he was at the scene — a dusting on the lawn but not inches — corroborating the timeline of snowfall and contrasting with the heavier accumulation visible in later evidence photographs.
- The defense established that investigators waited over a year to interview D'Antuono, with his first statement coming approximately 16 months after the incident, a delay the defense used to highlight the scope of what it characterized as a delayed and deficient investigation.