Day 1 - April 29, 2024

Judge Cannone opens Trial 1 by swearing in the jury and having the court clerk read the three indictments against Karen Read: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of personal injury or death, all related to the death of John O'Keefe on January 29, 2022 in Canton. Counsel identify themselves — ADA Adam Lally and ADA Laura McLaughlin for the Commonwealth, and attorneys Alan Jackson, Elizabeth Little, and David Yannetti for the defense. Judge Cannone delivers extensive preliminary instructions covering the presumption of innocence, the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard, implicit bias awareness, the roles of judge and jury, rules on evidence and objections, note-taking guidance, and strict admonitions against outside research or media consumption given the high public interest in the case.

ADA Adam Lally delivered the prosecution's opening statement, presenting a narrative tracing the evening of January 28-29, 2022. He described John O'Keefe's background as guardian of his niece and nephew, the group's movements between C.F. McCarthy's and the Waterfall bar, and the defendant's arrival at 34 Fairview Road after midnight. Lally outlined the prosecution's physical evidence: taillight damage and fragments at the scene, DNA on the taillight consistent with O'Keefe, Toyota telematics showing the vehicle reversed over 60 feet at approximately 24 mph, and O'Keefe's injuries including a skull fracture and subdural hemorrhage. He previewed testimony from first responders who heard the defendant repeatedly say 'I hit him,' and from witnesses who observed the defendant's vehicle but never saw O'Keefe enter the house at 34 Fairview.

David Yannetti delivered the defense opening statement, outlining the theory that Karen Read did not strike John O'Keefe with her car and was framed due to the close ties between the Albert family and lead investigator Trooper Michael Proctor. Yannetti presented a detailed timeline of events from the early morning of January 29, 2022, including Jennifer McCabe's 2:27 a.m. Google search 'how long to die in the cold,' a 2:22 a.m. phone call between Brian Albert and Brian Higgins, and snowplow driver Brian Loughran's testimony that no body was on the lawn at 2:30 a.m. He argued that O'Keefe's injuries were consistent with an animal attack rather than a vehicle strike, noted that the Albert family rehomed their German Shepherd Chloe after grand jury testimony, and challenged the tail light evidence by presenting an alternative explanation that Karen cracked her tail light at 5 a.m. backing into John's car at his home. Yannetti emphasized that Proctor never entered the Albert home, falsified a tow time in a search warrant, sent inappropriate texts about Read, and had deep personal connections to the Albert family.

Paul O'Keefe, the victim's younger brother, was called as the prosecution's first witness. He established the O'Keefe family history, including how John took legal guardianship of his sister Kristen's children Kaylee and Patrick after both parents died in 2013-2014. He described John's relationship with Karen Read, their living arrangements, and occasional arguments. Paul recounted the morning of January 29, 2022: receiving a 6:40 a.m. call from his mother, driving through severe snow to Good Samaritan Hospital, learning his brother had died, and seeing Karen Read being restrained by hospital staff screaming 'Is he alive?' He then described returning to John's Canton home, Karen Read arriving with her father for approximately 30 minutes, going upstairs to the bedroom with her father, leaving with belongings and all three Read family vehicles. Ring camera footage from the driveway was shown to corroborate the sequence of arrivals and departures.

Erin O'Keefe, married to John O'Keefe's younger brother Paul, testified about the O'Keefe family history — including Kristen O'Keefe's death from glioblastoma in 2013, her husband Stephen's death two months later, and John O'Keefe stepping up as guardian for their children Kaylee and Patrick. She described her friendly relationship with Karen Read, including regular phone calls during her commute. O'Keefe recounted Read's texts on January 28th asking to meet without Paul, mentioning a fight with John over taking Kaylee to Dunkin' Donuts. She testified about being woken on January 29th by Paul's phone call with his mother, calling Read and hearing her yell 'John's dead,' and a later conversation around 1 p.m. where Read said she dropped John at a party and didn't feel like going in. Read also told her she 'had to remember the bad times' and 'I don't think I'm ever going to see you guys again.'

Officer Steven Saraf, a 27-year Canton PD veteran working the midnight-to-8 shift, testified about responding to a dispatch at approximately 6:05 AM on January 29, 2022 for an unconscious person outside 34 Fairview Road. He arrived in near-blizzard conditions to find three women — Karen Read, Jennifer McCabe, and Kerry Roberts — around John O'Keefe, who was lying on his back on the front lawn with about six inches of snow on the ground and a light dusting on him. Saraf checked for a pulse on O'Keefe's carotid artery, found none, and noted O'Keefe was cold to the touch with blood on his face that had been wiped away. He observed Read appearing to perform CPR and described her as hysterical, repeatedly yelling 'This is all my fault, I did this' and 'Is he dead?' Saraf also noted footprints and track marks around the body but none leading from the residence. The prosecution introduced cruiser camera footage and scene photographs through his testimony.