Day 16 - May 15, 2025

Robert Alessi resumes cross-examination of forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett on two main fronts. First, he establishes that no sand, salt, or debris was found inside the broken tail light, and that no biological testing was performed on tail light fragments recovered from 34 Fairview Road. Second, he focuses extensively on the handling of John O'Keefe's gray hoodie and orange t-shirt — establishing that the items were packaged together in the same bag, that debris scraped from both garments was combined into a single collection without separation, photographing, or characterization, and that Hartnett had no knowledge of where the clothing had been (ambulance floor, hospital) before reaching the lab. Alessi concludes by methodically separating which evidence items Hartnett personally submitted to the lab versus those submitted by the Norfolk Detective Unit, establishing that Hartnett has no chain of custody knowledge for items she did not personally submit.

ADA Hank Brennan conducts redirect examination of forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett, addressing points raised during Robert Alessi's cross-examination. Brennan establishes that Hartnett examined the entire vehicle but found hair, scratches, and dents only on the right rear quarter — not on the back, left side, or elsewhere. He shows video stills of the Lexus with snow and ice packed on the right rear on January 29, 2022, which was absent when Hartnett examined the vehicle days later, and references Ring camera videos from January 28. Brennan asks about the loose threads on O'Keefe's sweatshirt tear and the red solo cups containing red-brown liquid. He then pursues a line of questioning suggesting evidence could have been placed on the tail light after the fact — asking whether Hartnett could determine when items were placed on a surface — though several of these questions are sustained on objection. Hartnett testifies there are too many variables to determine timing of evidence placement.

Robert Alessi asks to republish Exhibit 147C, a photograph of the right sleeve of John O'Keefe's gray hoodie. He establishes that while Hartnett documented the tears on the sleeve, she performed no analysis of what could have caused the hole in the sweatshirt. After Alessi concludes, Hartnett tells the judge she wanted to correct something from the prior day's record — identifying it as a response to an Alessi question — but Judge Cannone declines to allow the correction and excuses the witness, stating that questions from both sides are completed.

Robert Alessi methodically establishes that Dr. Scordi-Bello's forensic investigation relied on law enforcement's working theory of a vehicle-pedestrian collision provided by former Trooper Proctor, while scene investigation falls outside the medical examiner's jurisdiction in Massachusetts. He elicits that she did not perform a differential diagnosis on alternative causes for hypothermia or the head injury, did not document any alternative considerations in her autopsy report or any other case documents, and had no information about the ground surface conditions (grass, rocks) at the scene. Alessi highlights that the wound pattern — a linear laceration with abrasion — was not analyzed against specific impact scenarios, and that no grass was found in the wound despite law enforcement's theory that O'Keefe fell on a lawn. He also establishes Dr. Stonebridge's superior neuropathology credentials before the court sustains objections on that line of questioning.

Robert Alessi resumes cross-examination of forensic pathologist Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, focusing on two main areas. First, he challenges her hypothermia diagnosis by establishing that pancreatic hemorrhaging can be caused by blunt force trauma or CPR, that a Lucas machine administered approximately 3,700 compressions to O'Keefe yet is not mentioned in the autopsy report, that the gastric hemorrhages she equates with Wischnewski ulcers covered only 10-15% of the stomach lining versus the majority coverage she typically sees in hypothermia deaths, and that O'Keefe showed no signs of frostbite despite blizzard conditions with windchill. Second, Alessi establishes through autopsy photographs that the right eyelid laceration and nasal abrasion could not have been caused by falling backward and hitting one's head, that the eyelid laceration is consistent with a punch, that the patterned arm wounds had no determined cause, and that O'Keefe's lower extremities showed no evidence of motor vehicle impact. Scordi-Bello declines to amend her hypothermia opinion but concedes each individual point.

ADA Hank Brennan conducts redirect examination of Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello addressing two main areas raised during cross-examination. First, he rehabilitates her hypothermia opinion by having her complete a grand jury statement that defense counsel had read only partially — the full answer affirmed that gastric and pancreatic hemorrhages, viewed in context of a body found in snow, were due to hypothermia. Second, Brennan systematically establishes the investigative information Scordi-Bello had (and did not have) before filing the death certificate on April 14th: she was aware of statements from first responders that Karen Read said 'I hit him,' knew about the broken tail light and the argument, but was not aware of phone forensics, location data, health data, battery temperature data, voicemails, text messages, or media statements. Brennan also elicits that no one ever asked her to reconsider her findings after additional evidence emerged, and that the police reports in her file were minimal (11 lines and 5 lines respectively). He briefly addresses the nasal laceration, establishing it could be consistent with broken glass or plastic shards, not only a punch as suggested on cross.

Robert Alessi conducts a focused recross on two points. First, he introduces O'Keefe's medical records showing he was prescribed omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor used to prevent gastric ulcers from alcohol consumption. Scordi-Bello concedes that the gastric ulcers observed in O'Keefe's stomach could have come from alcohol-related ulceration rather than hypothermia. Second, Alessi establishes that even though Scordi-Bello had information about Karen Read's statements ('Did I hit him? Could I hit him?') before issuing her final findings in April 2022, she still could not determine the manner of death. The proceeding concludes with the judge dismissing the jury for the day.