Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveSteven Saraf
Testimony Impact
Officer Steven Saraf of the Canton Police Department was the first law enforcement officer on scene when John O'Keefe was found unresponsive on the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road in a pre-dawn snowstorm. He testified about the physical condition of the scene, O'Keefe's state upon arrival, and statements made by Karen Read and Jennifer McCabe in those first minutes. His testimony spans three proceedings in Trial 1 — direct, cross, and redirect — covering both his observations and the evolution of those observations across multiple retellings.
Challenges & Responses
What attorneys challenged during examination and how the witness responded.
Jackson challenged Saraf on three fronts: the Canton PD dispatch log contained factual errors (wrong address, wrong times, wrong arrival order); Saraf's account of Read's statements evolved across three tellings, with the phrase 'this is my fault' absent from his report and Proctor interview but present at the grand jury; and Saraf confirmed he never heard Read say 'I hit him,' directly undercutting other prosecution witnesses. On redirect, ADA Lally addressed the dispatch log discrepancies and Saraf's evolving recollection.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“I couldn't find any pulse or anything like that, and he was cold to the touch.”
Describes Saraf's observation that he could not find a pulse and that O'Keefe was cold to the touch.
“When I arrived, I saw Miss Read — she looked like she was giving CPR to him, and she had blood on her face.”
Describes Saraf's observation that Read appeared to be giving CPR when he arrived.
“Miss Read was — visibly upset. She kept saying, "This is all my fault, this is my fault, I did this." And she was very hysterical, and she kept asking, "Is he dead? Is he dead? Is he dead?"”
Central prosecution evidence — alleged self-incriminating statements by Karen Read at the scene.
“I noticed that there were footprints and track marks around the body itself. There was none coming from the residence or the area — it was just right around the body itself.”
Key physical observation — no foot traffic between the Albert house and O'Keefe's body, relevant to how he ended up on the lawn.
“Miss McCabe said that they were drinking at a couple bars downtown.”
Early scene statement establishing the group had been out drinking prior to O'Keefe being found.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. I missed it. Yeah, I didn't write it down.”
Saraf concedes he omitted 'this is my fault' from both his report and his Proctor interview, calling it an oversight
“No. I didn't hear that.”
Saraf testified that he did not hear Karen Read say 'I hit him'
“So when a call comes in, an officer is at the desk, and usually the first thing they would do is dispatch — get people going to the scene and get everybody rolling — as far as if they need FD, police, whatever resources they need — and basically then type in what the call is.”
Explains why dispatch logs contain timing errors — the priority is deploying resources, not precise record-keeping
“No.”
Saraf testified that, before the call, he did not know Kerry Roberts, Karen Read, John O'Keefe, or Jennifer McCabe.
Key Moments
- Saraf arrived to find O'Keefe lying on his back near a flagpole and fire hydrant on the left side of the property, with no pulse and cold to the touch — establishing that O'Keefe had been outside long enough to lose body heat despite snow insulation.
- Saraf testified that Karen Read was visibly hysterical, had blood on her face, and was attempting CPR when he arrived, and that she repeatedly stated 'This is all my fault, I did this' — making him the primary source for the prosecution's most incriminating on-scene statement.
- Saraf observed that footprints and track marks around the body did not extend toward the residence, a physical detail the defense would invoke in arguing O'Keefe was not placed there from the house.
- On cross-examination, Jackson established that Saraf had omitted 'this is my fault' from both his initial report and his interview with Trooper Proctor — the phrase only surfaced in his grand jury testimony months later, which Saraf acknowledged as an oversight.
- On cross-examination, Jackson elicited Saraf's testimony that he did not search 34 Fairview Road and that he was not aware of another law-enforcement search, a point used by the defense to challenge the scope of the investigation.