Day 3 - May 2, 2024

Defense attorney Alan Jackson cross-examines Canton Fire paramedic Anthony Flematti on two main fronts. First, Jackson walks through dashcam video footage from the scene, establishing that Flematti was performing chest compressions and entered the ambulance with the patient — making it difficult to pinpoint when the alleged face-to-face conversation with Karen Read occurred. Flematti acknowledges he cannot identify himself or others in the video and concedes the conversation lasted "a minute at most" before he handed Read off to Firefighter McLaughlin. Second, Jackson confronts Flematti with the absence of any documentation of Read's "I hit him" statement — it appears nowhere in his paramedic report narrative, was not mentioned in his police interview, was not disclosed at the grand jury, and was not raised on direct examination. Flematti claims for the first time at trial that he told hospital staff the patient may have been hit by a vehicle, but Jackson establishes this claim appears in no prior statement or report.

ADA Adam Lally conducts a brief redirect of paramedic Anthony Flematti to address points raised during cross-examination. Lally establishes that Flematti's conversation with Karen Read occurred while walking toward O'Keefe's body, separate from Firefighter McLaughlin's later conversation with Read. Lally confirms that Flematti consistently reported Read's "I hit him" statement in both his trooper interview and grand jury testimony. On the question of what Flematti told hospital staff — challenged on cross as undocumented — Lally elicits Flematti's clinical reasoning: the proximity of the body to the roadway, Read's statement, and O'Keefe being underdressed in a blizzard led him to relay a possible motor vehicle strike to the hospital. Lally also addresses the dashcam video shown during cross, establishing that Flematti had never seen the videos before and could not verify their timestamps or synchronization.

Alan Jackson conducts a brief recross of paramedic Anthony Flematti on two points raised during redirect. First, Jackson asks whether the same person appeared to perform chest compressions continuously throughout the dashcam video, but Flematti says he cannot distinguish personnel in identical yellow coats. The prosecution's objection to a follow-up is sustained. Second, Jackson returns to Flematti's claimed conversation with Karen Read, establishing that Flematti's own follow-up questions — asking if she hit, kicked, or punched O'Keefe — never included hitting him with a car. When pressed on his redirect testimony that he told hospital staff about a possible vehicle strike, Flematti clarifies he left it open-ended as one of multiple possibilities. Jackson closes by noting that no hospital medical records contain any such statement, which Flematti says he is unaware of.

Firefighter-paramedic Matthew Kelly of Canton Fire testifies about responding to a dispatch for an unresponsive male on Fairview Road on the morning of January 29, 2022. Kelly drove Ambulance One with paramedics Flematti and Nuttall, arriving to find O'Keefe lying on his back approximately five feet from the road near a fire hydrant. O'Keefe had no pulse and was cold, stiff, and 'almost frozen-like.' After initiating CPR on scene, the crew moved O'Keefe into the ambulance where better lighting revealed a swollen black-and-blue right eye, blood around his mouth, and lacerations on his right upper extremity. Kelly also observed two women at the scene, one with red substance around her mouth who was acting erratically and repeatedly screaming 'He's dead, he's dead.' O'Keefe was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital with no change in condition.

Defense attorney David Yannetti cross-examines firefighter Matthew Kelly on three main areas. First, Yannetti probes the handling of John O'Keefe's clothing — establishing that trauma shears were used in the ambulance, that Kelly cannot recall who cut the clothes or where all pieces ended up, and that the chain of custody from ambulance to hospital RN is unclear. Second, Yannetti walks through the scene arrival sequence, clarifying who went to the body, who assisted with CPR, and that once the ambulance doors closed, Kelly, Nuttall, and Flematti remained inside continuously until the hospital. Third, and most prominently, Yannetti locks in Kelly's consistent testimony that the woman at the scene — visibly distraught with blood around her mouth — repeatedly screamed 'He's dead, he's dead,' and that Kelly never heard her say 'I hit him.' Yannetti establishes Kelly told the same thing to Trooper Proctor, at the grand jury, and in court. A video clip is played and Kelly reports hearing someone say 'fucking dead.'

ADA Lally conducts a brief redirect of firefighter Matthew Kelly addressing two points raised during cross-examination. First, Lally establishes that the video clip played by the defense does not show Kelly's ambulance, meaning Kelly may not have been on scene when the statements captured in the video were made. Second, Lally elicits that the six responding firefighters were performing separate tasks in separate locations, so what Kelly heard is not necessarily what others heard — and vice versa. Lally also clarifies that the use of trauma shears to cut O'Keefe's clothing occurred in the back of the ambulance before transport, not during the ride to the hospital.

Defense attorney David Yannetti's recross consists solely of offering into evidence the video clip he played during cross-examination. ADA Lally indicates he already has it. Judge Cannone briefly addresses the pre-marking status of the exhibit before dismissing the witness. No additional questions are asked of Matthew Kelly.

Lt. Frank Walsh, a paramedic with Canton Fire Department, testified about responding to a call for an unresponsive male at 34 Fairview Road on January 29, 2022. Walsh had been plowing snow since approximately 4:00 a.m. due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility. Upon arrival, he assisted with the stretcher and observed O'Keefe being placed on a backboard approximately 10 feet from the road. In the ambulance, Walsh noted a hematoma on O'Keefe's right eye, blood from his nose, scratches and lacerations on his right arm, and a missing right shoe. Walsh performed an intraosseous (IO) drill to administer epinephrine and saline during cardiac arrest treatment. Before leaving the scene, he informed Sergeant Goode of the signs of trauma he observed.

In a brief cross-examination lasting under two minutes, defense attorney David Yannetti focused exclusively on the woman Lt. Walsh observed at the scene. Yannetti elicited confirmation that the woman stood out as the most upset and loudest person present, that she was screaming and crying, and that her only words were asking whether O'Keefe was alive. Walsh agreed with each characterization. The prosecution declined redirect, and the witness was excused.