Karen Read’s fifth week of trial is underway, continuing witness and expert testimony. The prosecution continues to build its case against the 45-year-old Massachusetts woman who is accused of ramming into her boyfriend and leaving him to die in the snow. Read maintains her innocence and is confident the jury will return with a verdict in her favor.Â
In 2024, Karen Read’s first trial lasted months before Judge Beverly Cannone declared it a mistrial. The jury was unable to decide on the manslaughter charge; however, they came forward to admit they found her not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crime. Read’s defense believes this was not properly explained during the trial, so they sought to have the charges removed, claiming double jeopardy. Their motion was denied, and Karen Read faces life in prison if convicted of all charges.Â
New DNA Evidence
This week’s testimony is expected to begin with new DNA evidence that was recovered from the scene of the crime where the body of John O’Keefe, a former Boston Police Officer, was found. Read is accused of backing into O’Keefe with her SUV in a drunken rage and abandoning him, leading to his death in a blizzard. She and her defense team insist she is being framed by fellow Boston Officers who were in the home that night, just feet away from O’Keefe’s body.
Nicholas Bradford, a DNA expert with Bode Technologies in Virginia, previously testified that the evidence is strong enough to support that the DNA found on Karen Read’s headlight matches O’Keefe and two other unknown individuals. Bradford was asked to test two other officers’ DNA to see if it matched the unknown. He claims the results show they do not statistically match.Â
Read’s defense questioned Bradford about further DNA testing and if he compared the unknown to any other individuals who may have conspired against Karen Read: Brian Higgins, Brian Albert, Kevin Albert, or former Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz. He admitted to no further testing related to those individuals.Â
Previous DNA Testimony
Karl Miyasako, a DNA analyst from Bode Technologies, testified last week to finding a piece of hair on the right rear panel of Karen Read’s SUV. He said it was a potential match for O’Keefe and explained that the lab tested the hair for mitochondrial DNA. Since mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother and not any specific individual on the maternal side, Read’s defense asked if it could have come from O’Keefe’s nephew. O’Keefe’s mother instinctively rolled her eyes, but this could give the jury reasonable doubt.
Watch Karen Read Trial Live
CBS Boston News and CourtTV are live streaming every day. If you want to watch the Karen Read trial live, visit CourtTV or CBS News to view the proceedings from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. CourtTV has been following the murder case since the investigation started. Proceedings begin every weekday at 9 a.m. ET.
