Day 12 - May 8, 2025

Judge Beverly J. Cannone · Trial 2 · 4 proceedings · 2,039 lines

Day 12 of 36

Appearing:

Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik testifies on direct about the January 29 investigation and physical evidence chain, then faces cross-examination on Proctor's role in specific tasks, supervision, and the lack of a real-time access log during clothing drying.

Full day summary

Day 12 centers entirely on Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik of the Massachusetts State Police. ADA Hank Brennan's direct examination walked through the investigation chronologically — from the initial call through the Dighton interview of Karen Read, the February excavation at 34 Fairview Road, and bar surveillance tracking Read's alcohol consumption. Prosecution preemptively addressed the Michael Proctor text chain, eliciting Bukhenik's disciplinary findings and his testimony that he glanced at part of the message on his Apple Watch and acknowledged reading it with a thumbs-up emoji. On cross, Alan Jackson methodically challenged the investigation's integrity, examining Proctor's case-officer role in specific tasks, Bukhenik's limits as a supervisor, actions Bukhenik and Proctor did not take at 34 Fairview on January 29th, and the absence of a real-time access log while O'Keefe's clothing dried for six days. Bukhenik described team participation, said he could not speak to other actors' documentation, and denied that custody was undocumented. The cross closed with questions about Chief Berkowitz's later involvement despite Canton PD's interview-specific recusal.

Key Moments

Bukhenik testifies that Read told investigators 'I don't know how I did it last night' when asked about taillight damage on her Lexus.
Prosecution elicits Bukhenik's disciplinary findings tied to the Proctor text chain; Bukhenik says the message appeared on his Apple Watch while he controlled traffic, he glanced at part of it, and used a thumbs-up to indicate he had read it.
Jackson questions Bukhenik about the absence of a real-time access log as O'Keefe's clothing dried for six days in a room accessible to multiple personnel; Bukhenik denies that custody was undocumented.
Bukhenik says he could not know everything Proctor was doing, while describing Proctor as case officer among multiple investigators and noting other report authors.
Jackson asserts that narrative reports for three searches at 34 Fairview were not written until November 2023; Bukhenik says that is possible and testifies that evidence bags contained contemporaneous recovery details. Jackson also questions Chief Berkowitz's later involvement despite interview-specific recusal.

Notable Quotes

Alan Jackson

“The fact is we don't have a single document establishing the chain of custody for those items between January 29th and February 4th. That's correct, isn't it?”

Jackson's question crystallizes a contested handling issue: the clothing dried for six days in an accessible room without a real-time access log, while Bukhenik denied that custody was undocumented.

Alan Jackson

“You just made my point. Even as the supervisor, you don't know everything that Michael Proctor was doing, do you?”

The exchange captures Jackson's challenge to Bukhenik's supervisory knowledge; Bukhenik said he could not know everything Proctor did while describing Proctor as case officer within a broader investigative team.

Yuri Bukhenik

“Um she was asked about um the damage to her rear tail light, to which she stated quote, "I don't know how I did it last night." End quote.”

Bukhenik reports a statement attributed to Read about the taillight damage; it was subject to the court's limiting instruction, rather than an unqualified admission or demonstrated consciousness-of-guilt fact.

Watch this day Day 12 — Bukhenik (Direct/Cross) Watch with synced transcript →

Direct

Yuri Bukhenik Hank Brennan

568 lines

ADA Hank Brennan conducted direct examination of Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik, establishing his credentials as a Marine veteran and 10-year homicide investigator with the Massachusetts State Police Norfolk DA unit. Bukhenik walked through the January 29, 2022 investigation chronologically: receiving the initial call at 6:44 a.m., meeting Proctor at Canton PD where they received evidence from Sergeant Goode, learning Canton PD recused itself due to familial connections, viewing O'Keefe's body at Good Samaritan Hospital where he observed facial swelling, bilateral eye injuries, arm abrasions, and a missing sneaker. Bukhenik then described driving to Dighton in blizzard conditions, observing the damaged right rear taillight on Read's Lexus from 10-12 feet, and interviewing Read at her parents' home in Dighton. Bukhenik testified that Read said she dropped O'Keefe at 34 Fairview but did not see him enter, and that she said, 'I don't know how I did it last night,' about the taillight damage; the court instructed jurors not to consider alleged defendant statements as evidence unless the Commonwealth proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Read made them voluntarily, freely, and rationally. The examination covered seizure of Read's phone and vehicle, transport to Canton PD's heated sallyport, evidence handling procedures for O'Keefe's wet clothing, and introduction of physical evidence including clothing and a sneaker recovered from 34 Fairview Road.

Procedural

Procedural - Motions

6 lines

Prosecutor Hank Brennan asks the court for permission to speak with Trooper Bukhenik during the break about an unspecified issue, in the company of a defense representative. Judge Cannone agrees and confirms with defense attorney Alan Jackson, who has no objection and offers to facilitate. The proceeding concludes with brief off-the-record discussion about text message exhibits as the jury returns.

Direct

Yuri Bukhenik Hank Brennan

774 lines

ADA Hank Brennan resumed direct examination of Sergeant Bukhenik beginning with the introduction of John O'Keefe's clothing recovered from Good Samaritan Hospital — a right sneaker, t-shirt, and sweatshirt. Bukhenik then walked through the planned excavation of 34 Fairview Road on February 3, 2022, where investigators recovered plastic fragments, glass shards, a cocktail straw near the road, and O'Keefe's baseball hat frozen flat under approximately 18 inches of snow. Additional evidence was recovered on February 4 and February 10. Brennan addressed the Michael Proctor text chain directly, eliciting Bukhenik's account that he received the texts on his Apple Watch while working a traffic detail at Logan Airport and acknowledged them with a thumbs-up emoji; Bukhenik also testified to two sustained disciplinary findings and loss of five vacation days. The examination then moved through Ring doorbell video from O'Keefe's home: Bukhenik confirmed review of the 5:07 footage and later described the 12:04 footage as showing white where the red taillight cover lens was missing. Brennan concluded with a detailed bar surveillance presentation tracking Read's drink consumption at C.F. McCarthy's and the Waterfall, and briefly introduced Aperture, a private crash reconstruction company that received 2024 Ring video.

Cross

Yuri Bukhenik Alan Jackson

691 lines

Attorney Alan Jackson cross-examined Sergeant Bukhenik about Michael Proctor's role as case officer, including evidence collection, interviews, and search-warrant affidavits; Bukhenik said many people participated, that other reports had other authors, and that some presented warrants could not be authenticated. Jackson also questioned Bukhenik about actions he and Proctor did not take at 34 Fairview on January 29; Bukhenik said he could not speak to documentation by others. The examination addressed O'Keefe's clothing drying for six days and the absence of a real-time access log; Bukhenik denied Jackson's premise that no chain-of-custody documents existed and said seizure and processing were documented. It concluded with questions about Canton Police's interview-specific recusal and Chief Berkowitz's later involvement.

◀ Day 11 Trial 2 Day 13 ▶

Day 12 - May 8, 2025

Yuri Bukhenik — Direct

Yuri Bukhenik — Cross (Part 1)