Key witness in Karen Read murder retrial testifies for 3rd day

The Karen Read murder retrial continued with key witness Jennifer McCabe taking the stand for the third day in Dedham, Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege that Karen Read struck her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her Lexus SUV outside a gathering at another officer’s home after a night of drinking in Canton. O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow and later died of hypothermia and blunt force injuries to the head.

After a mistrial in the initial murder trial, Read is being retried on charges including second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision causing death. She maintains her innocence and has pleaded not guilty.

During McCabe’s testimony, she recounted attending a social gathering with O’Keefe the night before his death. She, along with another friend of O’Keefe’s, Kerry Roberts, drove through a blizzard with Read to search for O’Keefe after he didn’t come home. They found him unresponsive outside McCabe’s sister’s home.

McCabe testified that she overheard Read saying, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” while talking to a first responder at the scene. Defense attorney Alan Jackson questioned McCabe about inconsistencies in her various testimonies and police reports, including a Google search for how long it takes to die in the cold.

Jackson accused McCabe of colluding with family members in a group chat to coordinate their statements, which she denied. He also grilled her on why she didn’t run into the house to check on her sister and brother-in-law after finding O’Keefe in the snow.

On re-direct, special prosecutor Hank Brennan questioned McCabe about her state of mind upon finding O’Keefe and her texts with Roberts later that day. McCabe affirmed that Read asked her to make the Google search and denied that her state of mind was collusion.

McCabe has been dismissed as a witness, and a forensic scientist from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab is now on the stand. Read alleged that McCabe was lying on the stand and pointed out inconsistencies in her statements.

The trial will continue with further testimonies and evidence as the case unfolds.