Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveErin O'Keefe - Direct
342 linesMR. LALLY: Um, one second. Judge, uh, I'm sorry. Call— uh, Mrs. Erin O'Keefe to the stand.
COURT CLERK: Do you swear that the evidence you shall give the court in the case now being heard shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
MS. O'KEEFE: I do.
COURT CLERK: Thank you.
JUDGE CANNONE: You may proceed whenever you're ready, Mr. Lally.
MR. LALLY: Thank you. Uh, good afternoon.
MS. O'KEEFE: Good afternoon.
MR. LALLY: Could you uh please state your name and spell your last name?
MS. O'KEEFE: Sure. It's Erin O'Keefe. O-K-E-E-F-E.
MR. LALLY: And uh, where is it that you live now?
MS. O'KEEFE: West Bridgewater.
MR. LALLY: And who, if anyone, do you uh live there with?
MS. O'KEEFE: I live with my husband Paul and our two girls.
MR. LALLY: And uh, how long have you lived there?
MS. O'KEEFE: West Bridgewater, uh, be ten years this year.
MR. LALLY: And uh, your girls, how old are your girls now?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, thirteen and ten.
MR. LALLY: And what is your husband's name?
MS. O'KEEFE: Paul.
MR. LALLY: And how long have you and Paul been together? How long have you been married?
MS. O'KEEFE: Be twenty-four years this year, and seventeen years married this year.
MR. LALLY: And uh, do you work, ma'am?
MS. O'KEEFE: I do.
MR. LALLY: And what do you do?
MS. O'KEEFE: Um, currently— I switch jobs. Um, currently I work for a mechanical contractor.
MR. LALLY: And just sort of in general terms, what type of work is it that you do?
MS. O'KEEFE: I'm their marketing director.
MR. LALLY: And you said you switched jobs, so how long have you been doing this sort of new job?
MS. O'KEEFE: I'll be there two years in October.
MR. LALLY: And your husband uh Paul, how did the two of you meet?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, I was his waitress in a bar when he was in college.
MR. LALLY: And uh, as far as your husband Paul's concerned, his parents, what are their names?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, John and Margaret.
MR. LALLY: And your husband Paul, did he have any siblings?
MS. O'KEEFE: Two, um, an older sister and an older brother— John and Kristen.
MR. LALLY: And of the three— John, Kristen, and Paul— who was the oldest, who was the youngest, and what is sort of the age difference between the three?
MS. O'KEEFE: Kristen uh was the oldest, Johnny was next, and Paul being the youngest.
MR. LALLY: And Paul's what, three years younger than Johnny?
MS. O'KEEFE: Four.
MR. LALLY: And your sister-in-law uh Kristen, she was the oldest, correct? Um, was she married at some point?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Her husband, Steve. Do you recall about when it was that your sister-in-law Kristen and Steve got married?
MS. O'KEEFE: They got married in 2006.
MR. LALLY: And uh, your sister-in-law Kristen and her husband, did they have any children?
MS. O'KEEFE: They did, uh, Kaylee and Patrick.
MR. LALLY: And uh, Kaylee and Patrick, about how old?
MS. O'KEEFE: Kaylee is 16 now and Patrick is 13 now.
MR. LALLY: Now, excuse me— at some point, uh, their last name was Furbush, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And at some point, uh, did your sister-in-law Kristen— or, uh, husband Stephen— and their children move to the town of Canton?
MS. O'KEEFE: They did.
MR. LALLY: And about what time, or what year was that?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, 2009, 2010, I believe.
MR. LALLY: And if you know, where had they been living previously before they moved to Canton?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, they were renting out their uh townhouse in Abington, so they were living in Dorchester with Johnny.
MR. LALLY: And uh, if you know, at the time that they were living with Johnny, were both Patrick and Kaylee born yet, or just Kaylee?
MS. O'KEEFE: Just Kay.
MR. LALLY: So fair to say she was relatively young at that point?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Now, at some point your sister-in-law Kristen got sick, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And do you recall when about that was— when you did learn of that?
MS. O'KEEFE: It was June 2013, beginning of June.
MR. LALLY: And uh, do you recall what she was sick from, or what the diagnosis was?
MS. O'KEEFE: She um was diagnosed with glioblastoma.
MR. LALLY: And uh, at some point subsequent to that, she passed, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct. Six months later, sometime in fall— November 2013, November 11th, 2013.
MR. LALLY: Now, at that point, in November of 2013, um, as far as you and the rest of your family was concerned, what was sort of the plan or the expectation as far as what was going to happen with the children, Patrick and Kaylee?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, I know that my in-laws were helping while Steve was still here. Steve um passed away two months later, but my in-laws were helping Steve kind of get acclimated.
MR. LALLY: And what, if any, role uh did your— your brother-in-law— you called him Johnny, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Um, so what, if any, role did your brother-in-law Johnny have with respect to the kids during this time?
MS. O'KEEFE: He was very involved because— he was very involved when my sister-in-law was sick. I think he was out on— he'd hurt his hand or something when he was uh working— out on the— um, when he was out on the streets, I guess— and so he was on disability, and was helping and going to the hospital all the time and being with Kristen.
MR. LALLY: And you mentioned he was out on disability and that he was working— what was it that your brother-in-law Johnny— what did he do for work?
MS. O'KEEFE: He was a police officer in Boston.
MR. LALLY: Now, you mentioned that shortly after your sister-in-law Kristen passed away, her husband Stephen also passed away, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And so, what, if anything, sort of became the plan, or what happened with respect to your niece and nephew uh following their father's death?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, Paul and Johnny went out to lunch one day, and we had kind of assumed— because Johnny was out on, you know, the streets doing his job like that— that Paul and I would take the kids. And Johnny said he was going to do it.
MR. LALLY: So he sort of volunteered, or stepped up to do it, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And pursuant to that, where did um— where did Johnny go to live? Where did the kids live when he did this?
MS. O'KEEFE: Johnny uh moved into their house in Canton, the original house that Steve and Kristen had bought. He moved in with the kids there.
MR. LALLY: And about how long was it that Johnny lived there with the kids, um, assumed that role?
MS. O'KEEFE: Um, maybe four years— four or five years. I don't remember the exact year that he bought the new house.
MR. LALLY: And so they lived there for four or five years, and then you mentioned that he bought a new house. Where was the new house that he bought?
MS. O'KEEFE: The new house is the house now on uh Meadows Ave in Canton.
MR. LALLY: And so from whatever time Johnny bought that house, he lived there basically with Kay and Patrick until he passed away as well, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And um, with respect to your niece and nephew, what, if any, sort of legal relationship um did Johnny have with respect to the kids?
MS. O'KEEFE: He became their guardian.
MR. LALLY: And during the time that— from the time that your brother-in-law Johnny sort of took over uh that guardianship with respect to your niece and nephew, um, as far as dating was concerned, what, if any, sort of long-term relationships uh did he have during that period? Before you answer that, if I could just ask you for your definition— as far as what do you deem or term as a long-term relationship?
MS. O'KEEFE: One, two years, I guess, as a start.
MR. LALLY: Two years. So during that time, after he assumed sort of guardianship of the kids, about how many of those relationships— one to two years or so— did he— did Johnny have? During that time, two?
MS. O'KEEFE: Two.
MR. LALLY: And what were the names of the people that he had those relationships with?
MS. O'KEEFE: The first was Amy, and then Karen.
MR. LALLY: And just to be clear, by Amy — that was — you know where she lived, she resides in Westwood, and she had children of her own, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And the second that you mentioned was Karen, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: What is Karen's last name?
MS. O'KEEFE: Read.
MR. LALLY: [unintelligible] — for clarity purposes, for the record, do you see Karen Read in the courtroom?
MS. O'KEEFE: I do.
MR. LALLY: Could you just identify where she's seated or an article of clothing?
MS. O'KEEFE: She's wearing a black or blue blazer.
MR. LALLY: I ask that the record reflect the identification of the defendant by the witness.
JUDGE CANNONE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Now with regard to Miss Read, as far as her relationship with regard to your niece and nephew, what if any sort of legal relationship did she have with regard to either your niece or nephew or to your brother-in-law Johnny O'Keefe?
MS. O'KEEFE: Legal? None.
MR. LALLY: Now as far as — over the course of — well, when was the first time that you recall meeting the defendant, Miss Read?
MS. O'KEEFE: I believe it was in June of 2020, during COVID.
MR. LALLY: Based on sort of your understanding, when was that in relation to when they began their relationship?
MS. O'KEEFE: I think it was in February or March of that same year.
MR. LALLY: So right around the time that the pandemic caused a sort of general shutdown?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct. I think so, yes.
MR. LALLY: Now as far as you were aware, did you know of any sort of pre-existing relationship or any time that they had dated in the past prior to that February, March of 2020?
MS. O'KEEFE: I learned that after the fact.
MR. LALLY: So fair to say, during any sort of previous time that they may or may not have dated, you hadn't met Miss Read, you weren't aware of her at all?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct. I had not met her.
MR. LALLY: And do you recall sort of where you were or what the circumstances were the first time that you met the defendant?
MS. O'KEEFE: I believe we were all coming to our house. It was — it may have been a birthday party or Father's Day, but we were out on the patio. I think it was June. So John O'Keefe, Miss Read, as well as the children, came over our house for some kind of holiday or something like that.
MR. LALLY: Correct. Now from that time sort of going forward, how would you describe your relationship with the defendant?
MS. O'KEEFE: I liked her a lot.
MR. LALLY: And as far as prior to January 29th of 2022, would you consider yourself or characterize your relationship as friends?
MS. O'KEEFE: I would.
MR. LALLY: And about how often, sort of from that time of when you first met her in June of 2020 through January, the end of January 2022, how often would you see your niece, your nephew, Mr. O'Keefe, and/or Miss Read?
MS. O'KEEFE: One, two times a month. It was COVID, so when we could be outside or all get together, or if there was a birthday.
MR. LALLY: And were there any occasions where you would have occasion to spend time with or hang out with the defendant outside of either your husband or your brother-in-law John O'Keefe?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes, and we talked quite often.
MR. LALLY: And just in regard to sort of instances, about how many times was that without them?
MS. O'KEEFE: I don't recall.
MR. LALLY: Now as far as your understanding of sort of the living arrangement — what was your understanding as far as the relationship and sort of where everybody lived or where everybody stayed?
MS. O'KEEFE: I believe that Karen was there most times. I do know that she liked to go home on Mondays just to kind of have a fresh time by herself, and Thursday she was teaching an online class so she would be home on Thursdays as well, but for the majority of the time I believe she was over there.
MR. LALLY: Now just to be clear, when you say "over there," you mean the house on Meadows?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: When you say she was "home," where else did she have a home during that time?
MS. O'KEEFE: In Mansfield.
MR. LALLY: And had you had occasion to be over her house in Mansfield at any point in the time that you were friends?
MS. O'KEEFE: I had gone over once, yes.
MR. LALLY: Now with respect to their relationship, what if anything were you aware of as far as fights, arguments, issues, anything like that?
MS. O'KEEFE: I think normal relationship, you know, normal stuff everyone goes through.
MR. LALLY: If I could ask you just to expound upon that a little — as far as when you say "normal relationship stuff," what exactly do you mean?
MS. O'KEEFE: I know that my in-laws being there often could be stressful, and you know, two people with kids in life — normal, everyday relationship.
MR. LALLY: Now during this time frame, you were living in West Bridgewater still, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Where were you working at that point, at that time?
MS. O'KEEFE: I was working in Brighton.
MR. LALLY: So fair to say relatively long commute between Brighton and West Bridgewater on a daily basis?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And so during that sort of long commute, what if anything would you do with reference to the defendant, or who if anyone would you typically talk to on those long —
MS. O'KEEFE: I would text her or call her and say, "Hey, I'm driving," or she would call me and we would just shoot the breeze and just talk.
MR. LALLY: How often would you do that?
MS. O'KEEFE: Quite often.
MR. LALLY: Now as far as your relationship with the defendant, Miss Read — you considered yourself friends or friendly, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Is that something that you communicated to her or she communicated to you in any way?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yeah, and we would say how well we got along, and she would say if they ever broke up, she hoped that she and I would stay friends.
MR. LALLY: Now, Mrs. O'Keefe, if I could turn your attention to January 28th, 2022, into January 29th, 2022 — actually, first let me bring it back a little bit further. So New Year's Eve, going from 2021 into 2022, do you recall that time frame?
MS. O'KEEFE: I do.
MR. LALLY: Would you recall where you were or who you were with around that time of New Year's?
MS. O'KEEFE: We were in Aruba for my mother's birthday.
MR. LALLY: And when you say "we," who if anyone were you in Aruba with?
MS. O'KEEFE: My mother, father, sister, husband, and our two girls.
MR. LALLY: And over the course of that, were you also aware of where your brother-in-law Johnny O'Keefe and Miss Read and children Patrick and Kaylee were at that time as well?
MS. O'KEEFE: They were also in Aruba.
MR. LALLY: And where they were situated in Aruba — where was that in relation to where you were situated?
MS. O'KEEFE: We weren't close. You'd need a cab. It was not the other side of the island, but far enough away you'd need to catch a cab. They were more downtown.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything did you know about sort of who they were with or how they had come to be there in Aruba at that time?
MS. O'KEEFE: They were with a large group of people. I don't know how many, but there was a large group of people that was going down.
MR. LALLY: And as far as you knew, was there any one person — excuse me — in particular that organized sort of that trip?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes. Laura Sullivan.
MR. LALLY: And do you know Laura Sullivan?
MS. O'KEEFE: I do.
MR. LALLY: And how do you know Laura?
MS. O'KEEFE: I know Laura through Johnny. He's her son's godfather.
MR. LALLY: And as far as you knew, Mr. O'Keefe — Johnny O'Keefe — and Laura Sullivan had known each other for some time?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Now at any point when you were in Aruba during around the time of New Year's, did you ever meet up with or connect with Miss Read and Johnny?
MS. O'KEEFE: We did not.
MR. LALLY: Now at some point in time when you were in Aruba during that same time frame, what if any conversation did you have with Miss Read, the defendant?
MS. O'KEEFE: I don't believe any with Johnny. Karen texted me on the flight down. The flight attendants were Karen and Erin, and we were trying to arrange and see if there was a time we could get together.
MR. LALLY: So the flight attendants on their flight down had the same names as both yourself and Miss Read?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yeah, she texted me and said that.
MR. LALLY: And so you had been trying to arrange some time or some day to sort of meet up, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: I don't know, I don't recall. I had texted her on New Year's Eve to see where they were.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything did she reply? Did she reply in text?
MS. O'KEEFE: She did. It wasn't until later in the evening that she had caught Johnny kissing Laura's sister in the lobby of the hotel.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything further did she indicate to you in regard to that?
MS. O'KEEFE: Just that they got into an argument about it.
MR. LALLY: And so did the two of you — and by "the two," I mean the two groups of families — did you ever connect or meet up at any point when you were in Aruba?
MS. O'KEEFE: We did not.
MR. LALLY: You have any further conversation with Miss Read in reference to what she had indicated occurred at their resort?
MS. O'KEEFE: I responded and said, "Like, kissing?" and I don't recall what her response was, but I had missed the next text. She said she had freshened up and did I want to meet up, but I had missed it and was either already going to bed or just missed it until the next day.
MR. LALLY: So she had indicated to you via text that they had got into an argument, and then further indicated or asked you if you wanted to meet up?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
JUDGE CANNONE: All right, Mr. Lally, I'm just going to give a brief instruction at this point. Excuse me. So folks, you just heard testimony about statements that were allegedly made by the defendant. You are not to use those statements for the truth, but you can consider them solely for the limited purpose of the defendant's state of mind, and as they go to the nature of the relationship between the defendant and John O'Keefe. Thank you.
MR. LALLY: Now, um, between that time in Aruba and January 28th of 2022, had you had occasion to meet up with Johnny O'Keefe and/or the defendant Karen Read, or the kids, or anybody from that Canton house?
MS. O'KEEFE: No. Our older daughter tested positive and she and Paul had to stay back in Aruba, so we didn't — and then by the time they got back it was back to school and we didn't have a chance.
MR. LALLY: So your oldest daughter was quarantined along with your husband in Aruba and they came back sometime after you and your younger daughter, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And with respect to that, um, that sort of weekend of January 28th into January 29th, uh, what if any plans did you have initially to uh to meet up with uh your brother-in-law Johnny?
MS. O'KEEFE: [unintelligible] Johnny had been communicating to Paul that he wanted to get us together on the 29th, and I said there's a big storm coming, I don't think that's going to happen.
MR. LALLY: And so you were aware somehow of a big storm coming in on that weekend, as far as the 29th was concerned, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything you recall sort of about what you were aware of as far as that storm — like how severe, what kind of storm?
MS. O'KEEFE: I don't recall specifics, but I knew that it was a big storm that was coming for Saturday with a lot of snow.
MR. LALLY: And so you didn't think that was a good idea to set up a time to meet up, with that, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Now on the date of um January 28th, um, what if any conversation did you have with Miss Read on that day?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, she had texted me while I was waiting for the school bus, asking if there was any chance I was out without Paul.
MR. LALLY: Was that a typical thing that she would text you, as far as the without Paul part?
MS. O'KEEFE: No.
MR. LALLY: And, um, you indicated that you were waiting for the school bus — is that right?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And at that time in January 2022 you had two daughters, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes, correct.
MR. LALLY: Were they at the same school, as far as on the same bus?
MS. O'KEEFE: No, they were not. They're separate schools.
MR. LALLY: So fair to say one was maybe in elementary, one was in middle school, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Um, so as far as around uh that time that you received the text, would that have been the younger daughter or the older daughter that you were waiting for?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, the younger daughter. It was after 3:00.
MR. LALLY: And who comes home — or at that time, who came home first, the younger daughter or the older?
MS. O'KEEFE: Our older daughter.
MR. LALLY: And when you received that um text from the defendant, how did you respond to it?
MS. O'KEEFE: I said I was waiting for the school bus and we had basketball on Friday nights.
MR. LALLY: And the basketball on Friday nights — was that something that was one of your daughters or both?
MS. O'KEEFE: Both.
MR. LALLY: And uh, do you recall — well, let me ask you this: with regards to your daughters' basketball, at least at that time, what if any sort of relationship did your husband have to those basketball teams?
MS. O'KEEFE: He was the coach for both of them.
MR. LALLY: And was that something that was sort of like a local league, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Town league.
MR. LALLY: And, um, all of you — and by all I mean yourself, your husband, and the two girls — did you all go to both games that night, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And do you recall about what time those games were?
MS. O'KEEFE: Six or seven.
MR. LALLY: Now, Miss Read reached out to you and texted you, and then you uh responded as you described. Uh, what if any further conversation did you have with Miss Read on that day?
MS. O'KEEFE: I asked her if everything was okay, if something was up, and she responded and said just another day — I wish I didn't talk to an O'Keefe after 2004.
MR. LALLY: And how did you respond to that?
MS. O'KEEFE: I said, "What happened? What's going on?" And they had bickered, I guess, about her taking Kaye to Dunkin' Donuts in the morning before school.
MR. LALLY: And just to be clear, when you say "they" you mean Johnny O'Keefe and Karen, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: You recall sort of how that conversation evolved, or what if anything else was said during that time?
MS. O'KEEFE: I just knew that they had gotten into some type — I don't know if it was an argument or there was something — they bickered about her taking them and he said that she spoiled them.
MR. LALLY: Now, as far as your conversation with Miss Read in regard to the weekend, uh, what if anything did the two of you talk about as far as sort of plans for the weekend?
MS. O'KEEFE: I said I was anticipating a storm, so was probably going to hang in the neighborhood with everybody.
MR. LALLY: Now, as far as later on in that afternoon, uh, what if any uh sort of further communication did you receive from Miss Read that day?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, I think the last text was a picture — something that popped up in her memories of my children and Kaye and Patrick from the Cape that summer, and said, "This just popped up in my memories and made me smile."
MR. LALLY: Now, did you have occasion to talk with Miss Read any further on that day of the 28th?
MS. O'KEEFE: No, that was it.
MR. LALLY: And so you went to your kids' basketball games, came back to your house, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And uh, do you recall about what time you went to bed that night?
MS. O'KEEFE: It was either close to midnight or after, 'cause Paul and I were sitting up watching TV.
MR. LALLY: You recall what you were watching on the TV?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yellowstone.
MR. LALLY: Was that sort of a binge watch that you were doing?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Now, before you went to bed, uh, did you have occasion to — sort of knowing that the snow is coming — did you have occasion to sort of look out and make any observations about what the weather was like before you went to bed?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, I noted that while we were still up watching television that it was snowing already.
MR. LALLY: And did you have occasion to see whether or not it was sort of sticking to the pavement or the grass or anything like that?
MS. O'KEEFE: I looked out on the deck and it was starting to accumulate on the deck, sticking to the deck.
MR. LALLY: You know about what time that was?
MS. O'KEEFE: Probably around 10:30 or 11.
MR. LALLY: This is at your house in West Bridgewater, correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Now, you go to bed and at some point you wake up on the 29th — and if you recall, what is it that wakes you up the next day?
MS. O'KEEFE: I, um, woke up to my husband uh on the phone with his mother, saying, "He's going to be okay, he's going to be okay." And they got off the phone and I said, "What happened? What's going on?" And he said they found Johnny in the snow this morning.
MR. LALLY: And after that uh phone call, what is it that your husband Paul did?
MS. O'KEEFE: He's pacing around and he goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth, 'cause he said that he was going to drive to the hospital.
MR. LALLY: Do you know what hospital he was going to drive to?
MS. O'KEEFE: Good Samaritan.
MR. LALLY: And based on the weather and sort of the road conditions, what if any concerns did you have about that plan of your husband's?
MS. O'KEEFE: I was concerned with him driving because the roads weren't good.
MR. LALLY: Now, as far as um your in-laws — so your father-in-law is John O'Keefe Jr., is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Senior.
MR. LALLY: Senior. And uh your mother-in-law is Margaret, or Peggy, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And what if any information did you have as far as — were they going to the hospital, and if so, how were they getting there?
MS. O'KEEFE: They were going to the hospital, and Kerry Roberts was going to pick them up because they didn't have a car that could drive in the snow.
MR. LALLY: Now, was Kerry Roberts someone that you knew prior to this date?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yeah, I knew her from when Johnny moved to Canton.
MR. LALLY: And at some point, uh, do you recall approximately how long was it between the time that the phone call comes in and the time that your husband left your house?
MS. O'KEEFE: Ten minutes. Relatively quick.
MR. LALLY: I'm sorry, you just have to —
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes, I'm sorry.
JUDGE CANNONE: No, you're fine. You're fine.
MR. LALLY: Um, so then when your husband is leaving — similar to earlier, the previous evening — what if any observations did you make as sort of the weather and what was going on outside at the time?
MS. O'KEEFE: It was snowing when he was leaving. Heavy.
MR. LALLY: Now, at some point um you're at home and your children are at home with you, is that correct?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And at some point, who if anyone do you reach out to, to sort of find out what's going on?
MS. O'KEEFE: When Paul was brushing his teeth I said to him, "Where's Karen? Where is she? Is she okay?" And I called her, and I could hear the phone pick up, and she didn't say hello. I just said, "Karen, what the hell is going on?" And she just yelled back in the phone, "John's dead." And Kerry Roberts grabbed the phone from her and said, "No he's not, he's at the hospital, they're working on him." And I didn't know what was going on.
MR. LALLY: Um, was there any further conversation uh on that initial phone call that you made?
MS. O'KEEFE: They were in Kerry's car, waiting for an ambulance to pick up Karen, and then Kerry was going to pick up my in-laws.
MR. LALLY: As far as sort of going through that day, um, what was the next [unintelligible] as far as your brother-in-law Johnny, and who did you learn from?
MS. O'KEEFE: Uh, when I spoke to Kerry in the car, I asked her to take my phone number. I knew she was going to the hospital and I was nervous that Paul was going to be there by himself, so I asked her to please keep me informed as to what was happening when she got there.
MR. LALLY: And without any reference to anything that Miss Roberts may or may not have said to you, did you receive further updates from Miss Roberts throughout uh the course of that morning?
MS. O'KEEFE: I think I called her every five minutes.
MR. LALLY: And at some point, uh, did you learn um what sort of the status was in regards to uh to John?
MS. O'KEEFE: I think it was — I don't recall the exact time, but Kerry had texted me or called me to to
MS. O'KEEFE: let me know when they were finally called in by the doctors from the emergency room.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything did you learn once they've been called in by the doctor?
JUDGE CANNONE: Sustained.
MR. LALLY: At some point, later on in that day, did you have further conversation with the defendant?
MS. O'KEEFE: I did.
MR. LALLY: And you remember approximately what time that was?
MS. O'KEEFE: I think it was around 1:00.
MR. LALLY: And if you recall, was that a situation where you called her or she called you?
MS. O'KEEFE: I called her, because I didn't know what was going on and I kept saying to my husband has anyone checked on Karen, is Karen okay, so I called her.
MR. LALLY: And when you called her, what if any conversation did you have with her?
MS. O'KEEFE: She answered the phone and said that I was on speaker and she was in the car with her dad and they were driving to Dighton.
MR. LALLY: And what if any questions did you ask her about what had happened, and what if anything did she say?
MS. O'KEEFE: I asked her, I said what the hell happened last night, because I couldn't understand, first, how they were together if they had been arguing earlier in the day. And she told me that they were out, that she dropped him at a party afterwards, didn't feel like going, so dropped him and went back to Canton.
MR. LALLY: What if anything did she say occurred after dropping John?
MS. O'KEEFE: She said she went back to Canton and I think woke up around 4:30 and couldn't find him and woke up Kaye to see if Kaylee had heard from him at all.
MR. LALLY: What if anything did she say happened after that?
MS. O'KEEFE: She said that she went to go out and look but the roads were bad, so went back and called Kerry and Jen so that they could drive together.
MR. LALLY: And by Kerry, you understood that to mean Kerry Roberts?
MS. O'KEEFE: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And by Jen, who if anyone did you understand that?
MS. O'KEEFE: Jen McCabe.
MR. LALLY: Is that someone that you knew or were familiar with at that time?
MS. O'KEEFE: I had never met Jen.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything did she say happened after that, when she went out with Kerry and Jen?
MS. O'KEEFE: I — is it possible to refresh my memory on that?
MR. LALLY: Without getting into that, just as far as beyond sort of what happened, what if anything else did the defendant say to you?
MS. O'KEEFE: She told me that she had to remember the bad times, which struck me as an odd comment to say. But I had assumed, since she was at the hospital, that maybe she was medicated. But it just struck me as something odd.
MR. LALLY: Now in addition to the having to remember the bad times, what if anything else did she say to you at that point during that phone call?
MS. O'KEEFE: She said I don't think I'm ever going to see you guys again. And I said of course you will, we're friends.
MR. LALLY: Now following that conversation, that day, did you ever speak with the defendant Karen Read again?
MS. O'KEEFE: No.
MR. LALLY: Now, one moment. Yes — just one last question, ma'am. So in regard to those last two statements that you had testified about, was that all part and parcel of the same conversation when the defendant indicated she was driving back with her father to Dighton?
MS. O'KEEFE: Correct.
MR. LALLY: Okay. So there was no further conversation after that conversation shortly after 1 p.m.?
MS. O'KEEFE: No.
MR. LALLY: Okay, I have nothing further for this witness.
JUDGE CANNONE: All right. Cross-examination?
MR. YANNETTI: Thank you, Your Honor. We have no questions.
JUDGE CANNONE: All right. Miss O'Keefe, you're all set. Thank you. Mr. Lally, your next witness?