Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveKatie McLaughlin - Direct (Part 1)
146 linesJUDGE CANNONE: Who is your next witness?
MR. LALLY: Uh Miss Katie McLaughlin
COURT OFFICER: Would the witness please stand? Can you raise your right hand? Do you swear to give the court and jury in the case now in hearing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I do
JUDGE CANNONE: Thank you, you can be seated — I just need you to speak into that microphone nice and loud, okay — whenever you're ready, Mr. Lally
MR. LALLY: Thank you — uh good afternoon, would you uh please state your name and spell your last name?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Katie McLaughlin, M-C-L-A-U-G-H-L-I-N
MR. LALLY: And uh what do you do?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um I'm a firefighter paramedic for the town of Canton
MR. LALLY: And uh how long have you been a firefighter paramedic?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um probably about seven years at this point
MR. LALLY: And uh prior to working for the Canton fire department, what if any other work did you do sort of within that general field?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um I worked as — excuse me — um an EMT basic for Brewster Ambulance, um went to paramedic school, I eventually became a paramedic for Brewster Ambulance, um and I worked there for a few years before getting on the fire department
MR. LALLY: And just briefly, but uh prior to becoming a paramedic or working as a paramedic, what if any sort of training — or certification — did you receive in regard to —
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um so it's a 2-year schooling um where you have about a year of didactic — uh there's a lecture portion for about a year and then after that there's about a year to a year and a half of uh clinical training that's done in an ER and then done in an ambulance — um so that whole period is around 2 years
MR. LALLY: And uh prior to working — prior to working at the Canton fire department, you received certification from the state or some other source for being a paramedic?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes, it's um through the state and through a National Registry
MR. LALLY: And both those certifications — to the state and the National Registry — are those um granted sort of forever, or is there a continuing educational component and a recertification process?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um so you recertify every two years, uh you have to take continuing education classes uh in the two-year period, and that's just on a two-year cycle you recertify
MR. LALLY: And your certification is uh up to date at this point, is that correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes ma'am
MR. LALLY: If I could turn your attention to um the dates of January 28th 2022 into January 29th 2022, do you recall those dates?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: yes
MR. LALLY: And were you working with the Canton fire department on those dates?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: yes
MR. LALLY: You recall what kind of shift you were working uh from the 28th to the 29th?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um it was just my regular 24-hour shift
MR. LALLY: And a 24-hour shift at Canton fire is essentially 8 a.m. to 8 a.m., is that correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Correct
MR. LALLY: And where were you sort of assigned uh within the Canton fire department on that date?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Uh so I was on the engine for that shift, uh so I was the third person on the engine — there's uh an engine driver, there's an officer, and then there's a third person who's in the back
MR. LALLY: And so your sort of role with respect to the engine — is there sort of like a name for that position?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um some people call it like the back step, yeah
MR. LALLY: And which station house were you assigned to?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: On engine 3, uh station one, which is 99 Revere Street
MR. LALLY: And in addition to yourself, who if anyone else was assigned to the other sort of two roles on the engine?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Frank Walsh was the engine driver that day and um Greg Woodbury was the lieutenant on the engine that day
MR. LALLY: Now turn your attention to um that morning of the 29th, do you recall about what time you got up or what time you went outside that day?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Um I think we were up maybe a little ...little before six, because it was snowing and we had to shovel the front apron, so we were up maybe 5:00 a.m.
MR. LALLY: And so when you were up around that time, around 5:00 a.m., and outside — you were outside shoveling, is that correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yep, intermittently. Sorry, intermittently, yeah.
MR. LALLY: So during the times that you were outside shoveling, what if anything did you observe as far as weather conditions?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: It was snowing pretty heavily. It had been snowing. We were shoveling and it was pretty, pretty cold and windy.
MR. LALLY: And if you know, around that time that you initially went out and were shoveling, about how much snow had accumulated at that point?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I don't know how much. I mean, enough for us to shovel that front apron, but I don't know how much.
MR. LALLY: Now, sometime shortly after 6:00 a.m., you and other members of your department were dispatched to a call?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And where were you dispatched to, and what was that dispatch in regard to?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So the call came in as a man down in the snow, or a man unresponsive in the snow, and the call was to 34 Fairview Road.
MR. LALLY: And about how long was it from the time that you received that dispatch and went on the engine to that residence on Fairview — how long?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: We were on the truck and going... ...within probably a few minutes at most.
MR. LALLY: And so in addition to yourself, firefighter Walsh, and Lieutenant Woodbury, what if any other apparatus from your station was dispatched or called for?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: The ambulance was dispatched as well, and I believe the command car, Car 5, was also dispatched to the call.
MR. LALLY: And as far as Car 5, if you recall, who was in Car 5 at the time?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Captain Roby.
MR. LALLY: And with respect to the ambulance, if you know, who if anyone was assigned to and went with the ambulance?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Firefighter Kelly and firefighter Flematti were on that ambulance, and I believe Tim Nuttall... ...was also there — he came in early and jumped on the ambulance as well.
MR. LALLY: And with respect to when you get to Fairview Road, do you recall what order the vehicles were in as far as Car 5, the ambulance, and the fire engine?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I think Car 5 was maybe first, and then the ambulance was in front of us, and then we pulled up behind the ambulance.
MR. LALLY: And so when you arrived on scene and pulled up behind the ambulance — other than vehicles from your department, what if any other vehicles did you observe or see on scene that day?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I noticed there were multiple police vehicles and at least one... ...civilian vehicle.
MR. LALLY: Now, obviously you're responding to a report of a nonresponsive male party, correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And when you were first arriving on scene — just in reference to when you arrived on scene — when was the first time that you were able to see that unresponsive party?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So when I got out of the engine, I went right back to the ambulance to get the stretcher, because I knew that from wherever they were, they seemed to be kind of off of the road. So I went and got the stretcher with firefighter Walsh, I believe, and then we brought the stretcher as close as we could to the patient, and that was about... ...parallel to the curb, and that would be the first time that I observed them working on a patient.
MR. LALLY: And so if I could just ask you — with regard to those duties as the backstep person — what are the duties and responsibilities of the backstep person on the engine for this kind of medical call?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So the role of the person in the back of the engine kind of depends on what the lead paramedic needs you to do. You're there to assist the ambulance in any way that they need. So that could be assisting with extrication of a patient, it could be obtaining information about... ...a patient or bystanders, it could be assisting with patient care if they need you in the back of the ambulance — it really depends on what they need you to do for that particular call.
MR. LALLY: And turning back to your testimony a moment ago, you said you were rendering patient care — is that right?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Who do you mean by "we"?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I noted Tim, I noted Tony — and there were a lot of people that seemed to be around that area, so I'm not sure exactly who else was there. But Tony and Tim were in that area.
MR. LALLY: As far as the other people in that area where Tony and Tim were — were those your own people from your... ...department? What if any other people did you notice around that area?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I don't know specifically.
MR. LALLY: What do you mean?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Like, as far as outside of the —
MR. LALLY: Right, so outside of Fire Department personnel in that area, what if any observations did you make of those people — who were those people?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Well, at that point I couldn't really make out the identities of other people. I just noted Tim and Tony, but I didn't really pick up on who anyone else was at that point — they were still off of the road at that point.
MR. LALLY: And so from their position with regard to the patient — and just for clarity purposes — you... ...subsequently learned the identity of the patient, correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Who did you learn him to be?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: John O'Keefe.
MR. LALLY: And where you and firefighter Walsh were with the stretcher, how far away from where you were was Mr. O'Keefe and the others?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: They were — I don't know that I could give a great number — several feet away. I remember kind of seeing a fire hydrant, but I don't know exactly, number-wise, what that would be.
MR. LALLY: And from your observation of where Mr. O'Keefe was, could you tell how his body was positioned?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: He was supine — so he was lying on his back, or face up.
MR. LALLY: And what if anything, by the time... ...that you arrived with firefighter Walsh at the stretcher, what if anything could you see that firefighters Flematti and Nuttall or anyone else was doing?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: By that point it seemed like they had already gotten him pretty much secured on a backboard and they were ready to move him to the stretcher.
MR. LALLY: And once Mr. O'Keefe is then moved with the backboard from where he was to the stretcher where you are, what happened?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So I remember Tony was kind of at the head of the stretcher. I was standing on the side. There was a woman next to me, and Tony said to me, "Can you try to figure out what happened?" And he... ...kind of motioned to this woman that was next to me.
MR. LALLY: So the lead paramedic directs you to ask some questions of this female, correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And fair to say this woman that was next to you — you didn't know her, you never met her before?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: No.
MR. LALLY: From your conversations with her that day — do you see that woman in the courtroom today?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Can you direct us to where she's seated and describe an article of clothing she's wearing?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Witness makes in-court identification — garbled in transcript Let the record reflect the witness has identified the defendant.
MR. LALLY: Okay. Now with respect to this woman — she's standing next to you when you're at the side of the stretcher, correct?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And what if any observations did you initially make as far as her demeanor, or how was she acting when you first started to engage?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: She seemed very upset.
MR. LALLY: She seemed very upset — what about her did you observe that makes you say that?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Just her facial expression. She was just visibly distraught.
MR. LALLY: And as far as your questions, what type of questions are you asking, or what type of information are you looking for from this person?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So just basic demographic info — who the patient is, his name, his date of birth. And then as far as any more questioning, you're trying to gather information that... ...would basically help explain how this person ended up in the scenario that they're in. So: did he have any medical problems, does he take any medications daily, does he have any allergies to medications — so I was asking those questions.
MR. LALLY: And as you're asking those questions, what if anything is the defendant doing while you're asking those questions?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: She answered who the patient was, his birthday. I think she answered maybe some of those initial medical questions that I asked. But as I said, she was very distraught — she was kind of moving around the scene a little bit, so I... ...was just kind of following her, and then we came to a stop at one point, and I continued to ask one more question.
MR. LALLY: What was that one more question?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So at that point I asked her if there had been any significant trauma that happened before this.
MR. LALLY: What if anything did she say?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So she said, "I hit him." She repeated it. There was a woman standing across from her who I believe at that point said, "You're hysterical, you need to calm down." She repeated, "I hit him." And there was a police officer who was in that vicinity, kind of with us, who replied, "You what?" She repeated it one more time, and that... ...officer then signaled to somebody, "Get Goode down here," which I'm assuming would be the sergeant.
MR. LALLY: So when you have this conversation, if you recall — you mentioned that the other person who was across from you, was that somebody from your department, an officer, a civilian, or who was that?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So it was — I was standing — Karen Read was to my right, there was another woman to the left of me, kind of across from her, and then there was a police officer, kind of not directly across from me, but within the same kind of area, who was more closer to Karen, I would say.
MR. LALLY: You know who that officer was?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I don't.
MR. LALLY: You know who the female or civilian person that was across from you — do you know what that person's name is?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: No.
MR. LALLY: And with respect to when Ms. Read said this repeatedly, "I hit him," can you describe for the jury sort of the tonality of that — how did she —
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: She seemed — she was very, very upset. She seemed hysterical, I would even say. Just very upset.
MR. LALLY: Once you receive that information, did you follow up with any other questions to Miss Read at that point?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: At that point I did not. I have to drive the ambulance, so it's a time-sensitive situation, so I knew I had to drive the ambulance. It was said in the presence of the police officer, so I felt like that was the appropriate — that that information was appropriately transferred. And I just felt, based on her demeanor, I don't think it would have been productive for me to continue to ask her questions at that point.
MR. LALLY: And so after asking and receiving that answer, "I hit him," where did you go?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So I went to the ambulance.
MR. LALLY: And in reference to the ambulance, did you go to the back of the ambulance, front of the ambulance — where did you go?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: So I went to the back of the ambulance, where the patient care was happening.
MR. LALLY: And as far as the information that you had received from the defendant, did you relay that information to any of the other firefighters from your department, in the back of the ambulance?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I did.
MR. LALLY: And you recall who was there in the back of the ambulance when you relayed that?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Tony was there, Tim, I think maybe firefighter Kelly, firefighter Walsh — maybe might have been in there at that point.
MR. LALLY: Now, as far as when you got to the back of the ambulance, what if anything did you do with reference to assisting or helping with patient care with regard to Mr. —
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I didn't assist or partake in any patient care.
MR. LALLY: Now, prior to putting Mr. O'Keefe into the back of the ambulance, and prior to your conversation with the defendant, what if any observations had you made during the brief time that you were on the side of the stretcher with Mr. O'Keefe?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I noted he had injuries to his face. I noticed some blood from his nose, from his mouth, and most notably he had some swelling to his eyes — mostly the right eye — and a laceration above the right eye.
MR. LALLY: And as far as when you went to the back of the ambulance to relay the information you had been asked to — what if any injuries did you observe with Mr. O'Keefe once he was in the back?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Oh, I'm sorry — I observed those injuries in the back of the ambulance. I didn't observe those injuries while he was out on the stretcher. I didn't get a good look at him.
MR. LALLY: You really hadn't got a good look until the back. Right. Now, as far as — you indicated you drove the ambulance from Fairview Road — where did you go to?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: Good Samaritan Hospital.
MR. LALLY: And as you were driving that ambulance along the roads from Canton to Brockton, what if anything did you note as far as visibility, road conditions, things —
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: There was poor visibility, the roads weren't plowed yet, so it took probably longer than usual based on the conditions.
MR. LALLY: And I apologize, but if I can take you just a step back further, for a moment — just in reference to when you were in the back of the ambulance, you indicated the injuries that you observed — what if any observations did you make as far as the clothing that Mr. O'Keefe had on?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I noted that he was wearing jeans. I noticed like a black zip-up jacket or sweatshirt — it was like a lighter jacket. I noticed he had one sneaker on, and that was it.
MR. LALLY: You recall which foot the sneaker was on?
MS. MCLAUGHLIN: I don't.
MR. LALLY: All right, could I see counsel for a second, please?
JUDGE CANNONE: — trying to figure out some logistical things, because we're going to go on a View. We're going to finish with the testimony first and we'll go on the View after we finish with testimony. But a couple of things about the View: please dress comfortably. I really appreciate everybody's dressing respectfully for court, but wear comfortable shoes at least for tomorrow. Those three cautions: please do not discuss this case with anyone, don't do any independent research or investigation into the case, if you happen to see, hear, or read anything about the case please disregard it and let us know, and for the View I'll give you some preliminary instructions on that just before we — okay. So we'll see you tomorrow, and tomorrow is a full day. All rise for the court, please. Ms.
JUDGE CANNONE: McLaughlin, you can step down. We'll see you tomorrow morning.