Day 4 - April 25, 2025

ADA Adam Lally calls Dr. Gary Faller, now chief of pathology at Signature Healthcare in Brockton and formerly in the same role at Good Samaritan Medical Center. Lally walks Faller through his credentials (Tufts-trained, board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology) and the CAP accreditation of Good Samaritan's laboratory. Faller explains the full chain of custody for blood alcohol testing — from phlebotomist protocols (non-alcohol swabs, bedside labeling, competency requirements) through centrifugation and analysis on the Roche Cobas machine. He testifies that Karen Read's blood was ordered at 9:03 a.m. on January 29, 2022, drawn at 9:08, received by the lab at 9:13, and resulted at 9:53, with a blood alcohol reading of 93 milligrams per deciliter.

Elizabeth Little cross-examines Dr. Gary Faller, establishing that Good Samaritan's lab holds clinical but not forensic accreditation and has never been evaluated by a forensic accreditation body. She walks Faller through the distinction between forensic headspace gas chromatography (which directly measures ethanol in whole blood) and the hospital's serum test (which measures the rate of NADH production as a proxy for alcohol). Faller acknowledges that elevated LDH and lactic acid can produce false positive readings, and that conditions including liver disease, kidney disease, muscle injury, trauma, and anemia can elevate LDH. Little asks whether Faller considered Karen Read's anemia and multiple sclerosis when conducting the test; he confirms the lab does not consider patient medical history. She closes by noting all other drug tests on Read were negative.

ADA Adam Lally conducts redirect examination of Dr. Gary Faller to address issues raised during Elizabeth Little's cross-examination. Lally first elicits testimony about the mathematical conversion from serum to whole-blood alcohol readings, with Faller explaining the conversion factor ranges from 1.1 to 1.18 (meaning serum results run 11-18% higher than whole blood). Lally then has Faller address the MS-related interference concern by referencing a study of 600 MS patients across three European centers, which found that even the highest lactic acid levels in symptomatic MS patients did not reach the threshold required to produce a false positive on the Roche testing system. Faller reiterates that Karen Read's test showed no flags for hemolysis, icterus, or lipemia. Finally, Lally has Faller testify about CAP proficiency testing, where Faller states that approximately 3,000 labs using the same enzymatic methodology produce consistent results, and that these results match those from labs using forensic headspace gas chromatography. Little declines recross.

Jason Becker, a Canton Fire Department firefighter paramedic, testified about his background in EMT and paramedic training before joining the Canton Fire Department. He described being dispatched from Station 2 with partner Dan Whitley to 34 Fairview Road for a Section 12 psychiatric evaluation call in the early morning of January 29, 2022, arriving after an extended 8-10 minute drive through heavy snow and low visibility. Becker found Karen Read in the front passenger seat of a black SUV with another person driving, conducted initial triage questions, and transported her to Good Samaritan Hospital's psychiatric section. He described Read's demeanor as fluctuating between agitated and calm, with pressured and repetitive speech, though ultimately cooperative. Read told Becker her last conversation with her husband had been an argument but provided no details about its content.

Alan Jackson established that Karen Read displayed signs consistent with significant trauma when Becker encountered her, including rapid and repetitive speech, fluctuating between calm and agitated states. Jackson confirmed Read was cooperative throughout transport, never combative, and that the blood on her face was consistent with her account of performing CPR. The core focus was on Read's statement about an argument — Jackson used Becker's own report and prior grand jury testimony to establish that Read described 'her last words to him' from 'earlier in the night,' and that she simultaneously showed Becker missed calls on her phone. Becker acknowledged putting the two together: Read's upset about her 'last words' referred to angry voicemails left via those missed calls, not an in-person argument.

Hank Brennan used redirect to neutralize the defense's suggestion during cross that Karen Read's reference to 'last words' meant angry voicemails rather than an in-person argument. Brennan walked Becker through his original report, his grand jury testimony from April 21, 2022, and his May 3, 2024 testimony, establishing that Becker consistently used the word 'argument' and that Read never mentioned voicemails or voice messages. Becker read his full grand jury statement aloud: Read was upset because 'the last time they had talked she had gotten into an argument' and 'that was like her last words to him.' Brennan also elicited context about Kerry Roberts being identified through a conversation between Read and firefighter Whitley about caring for the children. Becker explained he did not ask Read for more details about the argument because the crew's focus was supporting her and transporting her safely to the hospital.

In a brief recross of 17 utterances, Alan Jackson addressed two points raised during Hank Brennan's redirect. First, Jackson established that Brennan's framing of 'earlier in the night' as 12:00 or 12:15 a.m. was not the only interpretation — Becker agreed the phrase could equally refer to 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00 p.m. Second, Jackson returned to the phone issue: while Becker confirmed Read did not specifically mention voicemails, he acknowledged she attempted to show him her phone with missed calls. Jackson then connected the phone display to Read's statement about her 'last words' being the argument, though the judge sustained an objection and instructed jurors to disregard his final characterization.