Commonwealth v. Read — Trial ArchiveChris Albert - Redirect
59 linesJUDGE CANNONE: Redirect?
MR. LALLY: Yes.
JUDGE CANNONE: Sure, go ahead.
MR. LALLY: Okay. Thank you. Now, Mr. Albert, you were asked some questions about being a selectman. Were you a selectman at the time, on January 28th, 2022?
MR. ALBERT: No.
MR. LALLY: About how long after that was it?
MR. ALBERT: That the election was over? April— second week in April, maybe.
MR. LALLY: So, that's a photograph that you were shown with respect to yourself and the former Chief Berkowitz. So— [unintelligible]— please. When was that?
MR. ALBERT: Um, it was a fundraiser, so it was probably like two or three weeks before the election. So— January, February, March— something end of March, maybe.
MR. LALLY: So well after January 28th, 2022?
MR. ALBERT: Yes.
MR. LALLY: And you were asked some questions about your brother selling the house. Now, prior to your brother selling, you had sold your house, right?
MR. ALBERT: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And why was that?
MR. ALBERT: It just made more sense for us, you know, it's just a financial decision. Kids were getting older.
MR. LALLY: Is that correct?
MR. ALBERT: Yeah.
MR. LALLY: One was in the Navy?
MR. ALBERT: Yep.
MR. LALLY: Another was about to go to college?
MR. ALBERT: Correct.
MR. LALLY: And what, if any, relation did that have to your brother selling the house?
MR. ALBERT: So, once he found out that I was selling—
MR. YANNETTI: Objection.
JUDGE CANNONE: No— I'm going to allow it.
MR. ALBERT: Once he found out I was selling my house, he decided that it might be a good idea for him to sell his house. His kids were getting older. So I gave him my real estate guy's number— the guy who sold my house.
MR. LALLY: And that selling of the house, was that something that you would discuss with your brother prior to January 28th, 2022?
MR. ALBERT: Yeah, soon after.
MR. LALLY: Let's move on. Now, with regard to your son Colin— when he came home that night, you indicated that it was about 10 minutes after. And was that 10 minutes after you arrived home, or 10 minutes after you got into bed?
MR. ALBERT: 10 minutes after I jumped into bed.
MR. LALLY: Now, with reference to your son Colin— he came home, you saw him that night?
MR. ALBERT: Correct, when he came home. Yes. He just leaned his head in the door.
MR. LALLY: And when he leaned his head in the door, did you— similar to what I had asked you about Mr. O'Keefe— did you observe any injuries or anything like that to his face?
MR. ALBERT: No.
MR. LALLY: Saw your son the next day as well?
MR. ALBERT: Yes.
MR. LALLY: Did you observe any injuries to him at any point— —in time?
MR. ALBERT: No.
MR. LALLY: And you mentioned that you went over to your brother Brian Albert's house, and both he and Mr. Higgins were there?
MR. ALBERT: Correct.
MR. LALLY: As far as your interactions with both Brian Albert and Brian Higgins that following day, what, if any, injuries did you observe on them?
MR. ALBERT: None.
MR. LALLY: Now, with regard to the Nebbercracker— what was sort of the origination of that?
MR. ALBERT: It's— it's a joke. It's— so, my son Dylan, who is my littlest one, he was cutting across John's lawn one day, coming home from school walking. This is before John had a fence that went this way, like on Pleasant Street, so it would just cut off like a couple of minutes. He ran across John's lawn one day— this is my littlest son— I don't even know, at the time he might have been like nine, ten, I'm not sure exactly how old he was. And John yelled something to him: "Hey, kid, get off my lawn." So— John was just making a joke. So Dylan got scared, he ran home and told my wife Julie, and then Julie in turn called— um, I think— said, called Jen maybe, and said, "Hey, John just yelled at Dylan." And I think Jen reached out to John, and John felt terrible. And John came down the street.
MR. ALBERT: John asked what kind of candy Dylan liked, and John brought Dylan a bag of candy and just said, "Hey, I was just kidding." It was just— so from that— —point on, we called him Mr. Nebbercracker. And it was a joke between John— John thought it was funny.
MR. LALLY: And now, as far as those photographs that you indicated, that you took on his fence— sent to him when he was away— is that correct?
MR. ALBERT: Correct. That was after he asked to watch his house. He was away, yeah.
MR. LALLY: And how did he respond to those photographs?
MR. ALBERT: He thought it was hilarious. We actually showed him— other people that photo too. They thought it was funny.
MR. LALLY: All right, we're going to wrap it up, Mr. Albert. One last question. So after you sent the text message, as far as to come over here, and then made the reference to his lawn, Mr. O'Keefe then came over to the—
MR. ALBERT: ...water. Yeah, he came over after that.
MR. LALLY: Nothing further.
JUDGE CANNONE: All right, you are all set, Mr. Albert. We're going to take a break — it's not going to be too long. [To witness:] If the witness would just stay where you are... Sorry. To juror: If you'd fold your notebook please, on your chair, and follow me. All right, about --. I want to get more testimony.
MR. ALBERT: ...water. Yeah, he came over after that.
MR. LALLY: Nothing further.
JUDGE CANNONE: All right, you are all set, Mr. Albert. We're going to take a recess — it's not going to be too long.
JUDGE CANNONE: If the witness would just stay where you are...
MR. ALBERT: Sorry.
MR. ALBERT: If you'd fold your notebook please, on your chair, and follow me.