Commonwealth v. Read — Trial Archive
Person Ryan Nagel Trial 1Trial 2Ryan Nagel is a civilian witness who arrived at 34 Fairview Road around 12:30 a.m. on January 29, 2022, to pick up his sister Julie and observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat of a black SUV parked in front of the Albert house. ← All People
🗣️ Witness

Ryan Nagel

Trial 1Trial 2
549 lines 7 proceedings 2 trials
Courtroom still of Ryan Nagel.

About

Ryan Nagel came to 34 Fairview Road in the early hours of January 29, 2022, riding as a passenger in Richard D'Antuono's Ford F-150 to collect his sister Julie Nagel from the Albert household party. While waiting in the truck near the driveway for approximately five minutes, Nagel observed a black SUV ahead of him with brake lights on, including the center brake light, that moved forward slightly. As the truck passed, the dome light inside the SUV illuminated a woman in the driver's seat, with her hands at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel and facing forward. Nagel did not see anyone else, but said another occupant could have been present and that the woman and the SUV obstructed his view of the vehicle's far side. He testified in both trials about the SUV's position and movements and the limits of what he could see during the relevant interval.

Key Points

  • Nagel described watching the black SUV's brake lights activate and the vehicle move forward approximately one car length while he waited in the driveway — observations he said he noticed precisely because the brake lights caught his attention.
  • As D'Antuono's truck passed the SUV, the dome light illuminated a woman in the driver's seat with her hands at 10 and 2, looking straight ahead. Nagel did not see another occupant, but agreed one could have been present and said the woman and the vehicle obstructed his view of the far side.
  • On cross-examination in Trial 1, Nagel said he did not see the SUV drive forward 50 or 60 feet, slam into reverse, drive backward, or strike a person during the approximately five minutes he was present. When Jackson reframed that negative observation by asking whether a strike 'did not happen' while Nagel was sitting there, Nagel answered no; his testimony remained limited to the interval and vantage he observed.
  • During his approximately five minutes at the scene, Nagel said he did not see another vehicle between his truck and the SUV, anyone get out of the SUV or walk toward the driveway, or a person lying on the ground near the flag pole. He said he was not observing the SUV specifically for missing tail-light sections, described the brake-light glow as red, and did not see a missing piece appearing white instead of red. He also acknowledged that the woman and the SUV obstructed his view of the vehicle's far side.
  • Nagel also placed the start of snow conditions at the time of his visit, noting it had 'just started to snow' — contextualizing the weather and road conditions relevant to the physical evidence examined later in the case.

Trial Record (7)

Trial 1 First Criminal Trial Apr 29, 2024 – Jul 1, 2024 3 proceedings

Day 12

Direct Ryan Nagel Adam Lally 4 highlights 173 lines spoken
Summary

Ryan Nagel described following a black SUV to Fairview, seeing it move while Julie briefly came outside, and catching only a brief glimpse of one woman inside the SUV.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“I noticed that the brake lights -- the only reason that I noticed is because the brake lights were on, and I'd say it moved up maybe another car length in front of us from where it was.”

Nagel described the basis for his observation that the SUV changed position.

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Quote

“I only saw one person at the time. I didn't -- I wasn't really looking. It just happened to be like at a glance as we drove by.”

Nagel qualified the limited scope of his observation inside the SUV.

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Cross Ryan Nagel Alan Jackson 2 highlights 115 lines spoken
Summary

Nagel acknowledged limits on his attention at Fairview, recalled earlier timing estimates after reviewing reports, and described what he did and did not see around the SUV.

Highlights (2)
Quote

“No. I wasn't really paying attention to that at the time.”

Nagel expressly qualified the extent of his attention to the SUV while Julie approached the truck.

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Quote

“I mean, I'm not there to, you know, look at a car, like oh, is there any damage on a vehicle. It's 12:30 at night. Obviously, I had a few drinks. I'm not looking for that. I just noticed that the brake lights were on.”

Nagel qualified his ability to notice damage to the SUV's taillights.

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

Day 9

Direct Ryan Nagel Hank Brennan 4 highlights 137 lines spoken
Summary

Ryan Nagel testifies about arriving at 34 Fairview Road around 12:30 a.m. on January 29, 2022, and what he observed of a black SUV parked ahead of him while waiting to pick up his sister.

Highlights (4)
Quote

“No, but I did see the brake lights. It looked like it moved, but it wasn't. So the brake lights were on, it released them, and then stopped again. So it probably moved another car length up.”

Describes the forward movement Nagel observed after the brake lights activated. He said he had not kept his attention on the SUV, so the observation does not establish all vehicle activity during the period.

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Quote

“I saw that there was a woman in the driver's seat of the black SUV in front of me, sitting there with her hands on the steering wheel at 10 and two.”

Reports that Nagel briefly observed a woman in the driver's seat with her hands on the wheel. He could not identify her and acknowledged that another person could have been present.

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Quote

“No, I did not, sir.”

Records a negative observation, but Nagel said he was focused on his sister rather than the SUV and that the woman and vehicle obstructed his view of the other side. It does not establish a continuous account of activity around the SUV or property.

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Cross Ryan Nagel David Yannetti 2 highlights 90 lines spoken
Summary

Defense attorney Yannetti cross-examines Ryan Nagel about his observations of a black SUV near 34 Fairview Road around midnight on January 29, 2022, including its safe operation and his limited view of a woman.

Highlights (2)
Quote

“I could have popped her on the nose if I wanted to.”

Establishes how close Nagel was to his sister Julie, confirming he had a clear opportunity to assess her condition during their conversation.

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Redirect Ryan Nagel Hank Brennan 3 highlights 30 lines spoken
Summary

Brennan's redirect reinforces that Nagel saw no tail light damage, no person on the ground, and no one outside the SUV during his five minutes at 34 Fairview Road.

Highlights (3)
Quote

“No, there was not inches of snow. No, I could still see the grass coming through the snow. I mean, just like a coating. You could still see the bare ground.”

Records Nagel's description of the snow conditions without drawing a conclusion about what would necessarily have been visible.

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Quote

“The woman and the vehicle itself.”

Acknowledges his view of the far side of the SUV was obstructed, conceding a limitation while maintaining he saw no one else.

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Locations Touched By This Testimony

34 Fairview Road 5 procs C.F. McCarthy's 2 procs