Day 15 - May 14, 2025

Clark, Brent, Hartnett, Gallerani

9Proceedings

5Pages

4Witnesses

1,828Lines

Day 15 of 36

Appearing:

Crime scene witnesses described physical-evidence work, while defense questioning probed limits on prearrival access and later participation; Hartnett gave no vehicle-strike conclusion, and Gallerani was not asked to swab three officials.

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 questioning established limits in Clark's knowledge of Proctor's vehicle access before Clark arrived and in Brent's knowledge of access to 34 Fairview Road before February 3; Brent observed no crime scene tape or tent and was unaware of a guard when he arrived. Clark said February 1 was the only date he was called to 34 Fairview, while Brent said his only involvement was February 3 and that he was not asked to return on the dates Yannetti addressed. Hartnett's direct documented damage on the black Lexus, an apparent hair and apparent glass fragments from the bumper area, and blood-confirmed staining on O'Keefe's clothing. She collected a tail-light exterior swab for potential biological material and testified it was quantity-limited and cut into tubes for further testing; the whole swab would have to be used for DNA analysis, which she did not perform. On cross, Alessi elicited that Hartnett drew no conclusions linking vehicle damage to a pedestrian strike, the undercarriage screened negative for blood, glass merely rested on the bumper, and the hair was unsecured. Gallerani testified that he was not asked to collect buccal swabs from Canton Police Chief Berkowitz, Detective Kevin Albert, or Lt. Brian Tully.

Key Moments

Clark says he did not know how long Proctor had been with Karen Read's vehicle, whether anyone monitored him, or how much access he had before Clark arrived.
Brent testifies that when he arrived February 3 he saw no crime scene tape or tent and was unaware of a guard; he did not know who had accessed the lawn before then.
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 apparent glass rested on the bumper, an apparent hair was unsecured on the smooth quarter panel, and Hartnett took two swabs from one of six cups; those swabs were not tested for blood or DNA.
Yannetti establishes that Gallerani was not asked to collect DNA buccal swabs 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 defense's chain-of-custody argument, but Brent did not adopt that proposition: he said he did not know who had access before he arrived February 3.

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 says she took two swabs from one of six cups and no blood or DNA testing was performed on those swabs. She returned the cups to a Canton police officer and did not know who later controlled them.

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 establishes only his own involvement; it does not establish whether later recoveries occurred or how they were documented.