Day 4 - April 25, 2025

Judge Beverly J. Cannone · Trial 2 · 8 proceedings · 768 lines

Day 4 of 36

Appearing:

The jury views 34 Fairview Road as the prosecution establishes Karen Read's blood alcohol level and paramedic Jason Becker's account of her demeanor and statements becomes the day's central dispute.

Full day summary

Day 4 opened with the jury's view of 34 Fairview Road, where prosecution and defense used their view openings to direct jurors toward competing physical details of the scene. Dr. Gary Faller then testified about Good Samaritan's laboratory procedures and the recorded timing and reported result of Karen Read's hospital blood alcohol test — 93 mg/dL — before defense attorney Elizabeth Little challenged the clinical enzymatic method on cross and Lally rehabilitated it on redirect with a study of MS patients and proficiency-testing data. Canton Fire paramedic Jason Becker testified about transporting Read to Good Samaritan on the morning of January 29, 2022, describing her as agitated but cooperative, and recounting that she described an argument as her last conversation with John O'Keefe. The remainder of the day focused on what Read meant by 'last words': Jackson proposed a connection to calls and voicemails, Becker initially agreed with a compound question, and later said Read only tried to show him her phone and he did not know whom she called. Brennan elicited Becker's account of an argument and no recalled voicemail reference; the judge sustained an objection and instructed jurors to disregard Jackson's final statement.

Key Moments

The jury views 34 Fairview Road, with both sides directing attention to competing physical features of the scene including the Lexus's bumper height, the removed tail light, distances between landmarks, and the second-floor window.
Dr. Gary Faller testifies about Good Samaritan's laboratory procedures and the recorded blood-alcohol test timeline, including a reported result of 93 mg/dL.
Elizabeth Little challenges the hospital's lack of forensic accreditation and serum-test method; Faller says it measures the rate of NADH production and that markedly elevated LDH or lactic acid can cause false positives, while maintaining multiple-sclerosis-related elevations would not interfere. The court sustained an anemia question and struck asserted article findings.
Paramedic Becker testifies that Read's demeanor was consistent with significant trauma and that she described an argument as her last conversation with O'Keefe. Jackson proposed a phone-and-voicemail connection, but Becker later said Read only tried to show him her phone and he did not know whom she called; the court sustained an objection and instructed jurors to disregard Jackson's final statement.
Prosecution and defense spend three examination rounds contesting whether Read's 'last words' referred to an in-person argument or phone-based voicemails, with Becker's grand jury statement — 'the last time they had talked she had gotten into an argument' — read into the record.

Notable Quotes

Gary Faller

“Correct. And that's because lactic acid or LDH actually forms NADH.”

Within Little's methodological challenge, Faller described a general mechanism: markedly elevated LDH or lactic acid can cause false positives. The defense explored whether that mechanism applied to Read; Faller said multiple-sclerosis-related elevations would not interfere, and the court sustained an anemia question and struck asserted article findings.

Jason Becker

“Her demeanor was consistent with having gone through a significant trauma for the situation.”

Becker characterized Read's demeanor as consistent with significant trauma, while saying he did not know what caused that trauma.

Jason Becker

“Uh, so she — she was also um — she was upset also because she said they had, you know, the last time they had talked she had gotten into an argument. So she was upset that that was like her last words to him.”

Becker reading his full grand jury statement aloud — describing Read's upset over an argument as 'her last words to him' with no mention of voicemails — is the prosecution's anchor against the defense's phone-based reframing.

Watch this day Day 4 — Faller, Becker Watch with synced transcript →

Procedural

Procedural - View Openings

20 lines

Judge Cannone instructs the jury on the purpose and rules of the view at 34 Fairview Road — they may use their observations in deliberations but cannot take notes, photographs, or conduct independent investigation. ADA Brennan directs the jury to observe the street, front yard, the defendant's Lexus (noting the removed right rear tail light, bumper height, and a hatchback protrusion), the flagpole, and the fire hydrant, while cautioning that weather and visibility conditions differ from January 29, 2022. Defense attorney Yannetti asks the jury to observe the house's second floor window, three front doors, the driveway, distances between key features, and to stand next to the Lexus to assess its size. Court officers are sworn in and the jury departs for the view, returning approximately 90 minutes later.

+1 procedural segment

Direct

Gary Faller Adam Lally

131 lines

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 and the CAP accreditation of Good Samaritan's laboratory. Faller describes Good Samaritan's policies for phlebotomy and alcohol testing, including patient-identification procedures. He explains that the blood alcohol test was ordered at 9:03 a.m., drawn at 9:08, received by the lab at 9:13, and entered into the computer at 9:53. Faller reports a result of 93 milligrams per deciliter.

Cross

Gary Faller Elizabeth Little

102 lines

Elizabeth Little cross-examines Dr. Gary Faller about Good Samaritan's lack of forensic accreditation and its serum alcohol method. Faller stated that Good Samaritan had not held forensic accreditation but defended the quality of its laboratory results, and he explained that the method measures the rate of NADH production and differs from forensic testing. Faller testified that markedly elevated LDH or lactic acid can cause false positives. Little's anemia question was sustained; after questions about multiple-sclerosis literature, the court struck the article's asserted findings. Faller said multiple-sclerosis patients may have elevated LDH and lactic acid, but not to an extent that would interfere with alcohol results. Little stated that the additional drug-test results were negative, and Faller agreed.

Redirect

Gary Faller Adam Lally

27 lines

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.

Direct

Jason Becker Hank Brennan

189 lines

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.

Cross

Jason Becker Alan Jackson

177 lines

Alan Jackson cross-examines firefighter Jason Becker about Karen Read's demeanor, trauma signs, and the nature of her statements about her 'last words' to John O'Keefe. 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 agreed with Jackson's compound proposition connecting Read's upset about her 'last words' to angry voicemails left via those missed calls.

Redirect

Jason Becker Hank Brennan

94 lines

Hank Brennan's redirect of Jason Becker addressed the defense's cross-examination suggestion that Karen Read's reference to 'last words' meant angry voicemails rather than an argument. Brennan used Becker's original report, his grand jury testimony from April 21, 2022, and his May 3, 2024 testimony to contextualize and rehabilitate Becker's prior account that Read described an argument. 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.

Recross

Jason Becker Alan Jackson

17 lines

In a brief recross of 17 utterances, Alan Jackson addressed two points raised during Hank Brennan's redirect. First, Jackson asked whether 'earlier in the night' could refer to 5:00, 6:00, or 7:00 p.m.; Becker agreed. Second, Jackson returned to the phone issue: while Becker confirmed Read did not specifically mention voicemails, he said she tried to show him her phone and that he was not going to look through it or know whom she called. Jackson then made a statement connecting the phone issue to Read's statement about her 'last words,' but the judge sustained an objection and instructed jurors to disregard that statement.

+1 procedural segment

◀ Day 3 Trial 2 Day 5 ▶

Day 4 - April 25, 2025

Procedural — Viewing Openings

Gary Faller — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Jason Becker — Direct/Cross/Redirect/Recross