Day 15 - May 14, 2025

Judge Beverly J. Cannone · Trial 2 · 9 proceedings · 1,828 utterances

Day 15 of 36

Appearing:

Crime scene photographers and an MSP forensic scientist present physical evidence documentation, while defense cross-examinations expose an unsecured scene, Proctor's unsupervised vehicle access, and the absence of forensic conclusions tying vehicle damage to a pedestrian strike.

Full day summary

Day 15 moved through four forensic and documentation witnesses — crime scene troopers Clark and Brent, forensic scientist Hartnett, and DNA collector Gallerani — as the prosecution built its physical evidence record. Defense attorney Yannetti established through both crime scene photographers that 34 Fairview Road was unguarded and open to the public for five days before evidence excavation began, that neither trooper was recalled to document subsequent recoveries on February 8, 10, 11, or 18, and that Proctor had unsupervised access to Read's vehicle before crime scene services arrived. Forensic scientist Hartnett's direct documented damage on the black Lexus, a hair and glass fragments from the bumper area, a tail light swab consumed in DNA testing, and blood-confirmed staining on O'Keefe's clothing — but Alessi's cross elicited that she drew no conclusions linking any vehicle damage to a pedestrian strike, that the undercarriage tested negative for blood, and that glass was merely resting on the bumper while the hair was entirely unsecured. Gallerani's testimony establishing the DNA collection chain for Proctor and Bukhenik was undercut by Yannetti's three-question cross revealing that Canton Police Chief Berkowitz, Detective Kevin Albert, and Lt. Brian Tully were never swabbed.

Key Moments

Clark confirms Proctor was already present and alone with Karen Read's vehicle when crime scene services arrived at the Canton Police Department.
Brent confirms 34 Fairview Road had no crime scene tape, no tent, and no guard — leaving it open to anyone for five days before evidence collection began.
Hartnett testifies that vehicle undercarriage blood screening was negative and that she drew no forensic conclusions linking any observed vehicle damage to a pedestrian strike.
Alessi establishes that glass fragments were merely resting on the bumper, the hair was completely unsecured on the smooth quarter panel, and six red-stained solo cups were never tested for blood or DNA.
Yannetti reveals that DNA buccal swabs were never collected from Canton Police Chief Berkowitz, Detective Kevin Albert, or MSP Lieutenant Brian Tully.

Notable Quotes

David Yannetti

“Other than the police officers standing there on February 3rd, the lawn was open to anyone who wanted to look at it, just like any other lawn on the street. Right.”

Yannetti's framing of 34 Fairview Road as simply 'any other lawn' captures the day's central chain-of-custody argument — that the absence of scene security fundamentally compromises every item recovered from it.

Maureen Hartnett

“Correct. At this time, those were not tested for blood at all. So I couldn't confirm that they were blood, and no additional testing was done.”

Hartnett's admission that the red-brown stains on the solo cups were never confirmed as blood and never DNA tested stands as the starkest forensic gap elicited on the day, cutting directly against the prosecution's physical evidence narrative.

Zachary Clark

“February 1st was the only date I was called to 34 Fairview, sir.”

Clark's confirmation that February 1 was the only date he was called to 34 Fairview anchors the defense's argument that later evidence recoveries — on at least four subsequent dates — occurred without any professional crime scene documentation.

Direct

Zachary Clark Adam Lally

133 utt.

Sergeant Zachary Clark of the Massachusetts State Police crime scene services section testified about his role documenting the search warrant execution on Karen Read's vehicle at the Canton Police Department on February 1, 2022. He described photographing the vehicle's exterior and interior, processing the front passenger compartment for fingerprints (finding no usable impressions), and traveling to 34 Fairview Road to take overall photographs of the snow-covered front lawn area near the flagpole. Clark also documented brake and acceleration tests performed by reconstruction Trooper Joe Paul, as well as the vehicle's backup warning system display. Several exhibits were introduced, including a disc of crime scene photos and photographs of the vehicle's odometer and backup warning system screen.

Cross

Zachary Clark David Yannetti

123 utt.

Attorney David Yannetti questioned Sergeant Zachary Clark on three main areas. First, he established that when Clark arrived at the Canton Police Station to process Karen Read's vehicle, Michael Proctor was already there and Clark had no knowledge of how long Proctor had been alone with the SUV or whether anyone was monitoring him. Second, Yannetti questioned Clark about his participation in the July 2023 interview of Colin Albert — conducted a year and a half after the incident — noting that Proctor wrote the report without Clark's review before publication. Several questions about Proctor's connections to the Albert family were sustained. Third, Yannetti established that Clark was never called back to 34 Fairview Road on any subsequent date (February 8, 10, 11, or 18) to photograph or document additional evidence found later. The prosecution declined redirect.

+1 procedural segment

Direct

Evan Brent Adam Lally

132 utt.

Trooper Evan Brent, assigned to the Massachusetts State Police crime scene services section, testified about his work on February 3, 2022. He first responded to 34 Fairview Road where he photographed items being excavated from snow banks by the state police detective unit, including members Tully, Bukhenik, Proctor, De Castro, and Moore. He then accompanied Trooper Proctor to 1 Meadows Road, where he photographed Karen Read's Chevrolet Traverse from multiple angles and documented two garage doors and a camera above the garage. Brent testified he observed no visible damage to either the vehicle or the garage doors. Crime scene photos from both locations were admitted as Exhibits 135 and 136.

Cross

Evan Brent David Yannetti

52 utt.

Attorney Yannetti's cross-examination of Trooper Brent focused on two themes: chain of custody gaps and scene security failures. Yannetti established that Brent first photographed 34 Fairview Road and Karen Read's vehicle on February 3, 2022 — five days after the January 29 incident — and that Brent had no knowledge of who had access to the lawn or the vehicle during that interval. Brent confirmed there was no crime scene tape, no tent, and no guard posted at the property. Yannetti then highlighted that Brent was never asked to return for subsequent evidence recoveries on February 8, 10, 11, or 18, despite his role as the crime scene photographer. The examination was brief and methodical, with Brent agreeing to nearly every proposition.

Redirect

Evan Brent Adam Lally

16 utt.

In a brief redirect of four substantive questions, ADA Lally addressed two points raised during cross-examination. First, he confirmed that Trooper Brent documented his February 3, 2022 response in both a written report and notes detailing collected items, response times, and personnel on scene. Second, Lally elicited testimony that at least one item recovered from the front lawn at 34 Fairview Road was buried approximately a foot to a foot and a half under snow — addressing the defense's implication that the five-day gap before evidence collection compromised the scene by suggesting the items were preserved under snowpack.

Direct

J. Ryan Gallerani Adam Lally

50 utt.

ADA Lally calls Sgt. J. Ryan Gallerani of the Needham Police Department, who testifies about his certification in DNA buccal swab collection through Massachusetts State Police training since 2015. On January 16, 2024, Gallerani collected buccal swab samples from Trooper Proctor and Sgt. Bukhenik at the Norfolk County DA's office in Canton. He describes the physical collection process — swabbing the inside of the mouth, air drying, sealing the kit, and photographing it — then securing the samples in evidence at Needham PD before shipping them to Bode Technology in Lorton, Virginia per the lab's instructions. Lally establishes that Gallerani had no involvement with the Canton or state police investigation, positioning him as a neutral collector.

Cross

J. Ryan Gallerani David Yannetti

13 utt.

Defense attorney Yannetti conducts a brief three-question cross-examination of Sgt. Gallerani, asking whether he was ever asked to collect buccal swab samples from Canton Police Chief Berkowitz, Canton Detective Kevin Albert, or Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant Brian Tully. Gallerani answers no to each. The prosecution declines redirect, and the witness is excused.

Direct

Maureen Hartnett Hank Brennan

745 utt.

Maureen Hartnett, a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory criminalistics unit, testifies about responding to the Canton Police Department on February 1, 2022 to examine a black Lexus SUV. She documents damage to the rear passenger area including scratches, a dent, and a broken tail light, and collects an apparent hair from the rear quarter panel, glass fragments from the bumper, and a swab from the exterior of the tail light housing for DNA testing. Blood screening on the vehicle undercarriage is negative. Hartnett then describes her lab examination of John O'Keefe's clothing — a gray sweatshirt with nine areas of damage on the sleeves, an orange T-shirt, jeans, and boxer shorts — noting red-brown stains that tested positive on screening and confirmatory blood tests. She collects debris scrapings from the clothing items, which are forwarded to the trace unit for further analysis.

Cross

Maureen Hartnett Robert Alessi

551 utt.

Robert Alessi cross-examines forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett about her February 1, 2022 examination of the black Lexus SUV at the Canton Police Department sallyport. Alessi systematically establishes that Hartnett drew no conclusions linking the vehicle damage (scratches, dent, broken taillight) to a pedestrian strike, that all damage could have been pre-existing before January 29, 2022, and that blood screening of the undercarriage was negative with no visible stains or tissue found anywhere on the vehicle. He challenges the handling of six solo cups containing red-brown stains — Hartnett swabbed only one cup, performed no DNA testing, and left the remaining evidence with Canton police with no further chain of custody. Alessi questions how glass fragments could remain merely 'resting' on the bumper after a roughly 60-mile journey through winter weather with 15.7 mph average winds, and highlights that a hair found on the smooth vertical quarter panel was completely unsecured and easily removed. He also raises questions about whether a photo showed two glass evidence stickers or one sticker and its reflection, and whether the hair changed orientation between two photographs.

◀ Day 14 Trial 2 Day 16 ▶

Day 15 - May 14, 2025

Zachary Clark - Direct/Cross

Evan Brent - Direct/Cross/Redirect

J. Ryan Gallerani - Direct/Cross

Maureen Hartnett - Direct

Maureen Hartnett - Cross (Part 1)