Karen Read trial: Busted cocktail glass found near Boston cop John O’Keefe’s body presented as evidence

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion is advised.

CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS: The sixth day of Karen Read's trial unfolded on May 7 marking a significant juncture as jurors were presented with the first tangible evidence related to John O'Keefe's murder.

Read, a 44-year-old resident of Mansfield is facing charges including second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in O'Keefe's death. The 16-year veteran of the Boston police force had been Read's boyfriend for approximately two years at the time of the incident. The crucial piece of evidence emerged as a shattered cocktail glass, presented by the officer who alerted the State Police homicide detectives.  

Broken cocktail glass presented as first tangible evidence in John O'Keefe murder

Prosecutor Adam Lally handed a brown cardboard box to Canton Police Lieutenant Michael Lank during testimony as per the Boston Herald. Before opening the box, Lank donned evidence gloves and found the base and jagged lower edges of a drinking glass. 

The evidence was discovered by police near the location where John O’Keefe’s body was found on the far left side of 34 Fairview Road in Canton on the morning of January 29, 2022

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors suggested that the glass appeared to match the cocktail glass O’Keefe was holding when he left the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton with Read, heading to an afterparty at the same address with others they had been drinking. 

However, the defense raised questions about why the police did not search the home for matching glasses and instead assumed it was from the bar. This marked the first presentation of physical evidence in a trial where jurors have endured lengthy stretches of police dashcam footage. 

However, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone expressed concern over the slow pace of the trial, stating, “We’re taking an awful lot of these jurors’ time. Let’s move this along.”

The trial that commenced on April 29 is anticipated to last six or more weeks.

Tuesday's proceedings featured ongoing testimony from Canton Police Sergeant Sean Goode and two new witnesses, Lieutenant Lank and Canton PD L Charles Ray. However, Ray's testimony lasted only 15 minutes before the half-day session concluded at 1 pm.

Canton Police Lieutenant Michael Lank describes the crime scene

Canton Police Lieutenant Michael Lank said that he arrived at the scene around 6.30 am where O’Keefe was already being attended to in the ambulance. Upon receiving a briefing from other officers present, it became evident to Lank that O’Keefe's chances of survival were uncertain. 

Consequently, he decided to contact the Massachusetts State Police investigative unit at the Norfolk District Attorney's office, as they hold jurisdiction over cases involving "unattended deaths" and homicides.

When questioned by defense attorney Alan Jackson, Lank explained that he relayed to the MSP dispatch via phone that O’Keefe had sustained head trauma, adding, "I don’t know if he’s been in a fight or whatever." Lank acknowledged that various possibilities were running through his mind at that time.

Defense claims John O’Keefe killed by third-party culprit

In its opening statement, the defense outlined its intention to demonstrate that O’Keefe could not have been struck by a car, as claimed by the prosecution. Instead, they argue that O’Keefe was killed by another individual and then placed on the lawn to frame Read.

Lank mentioned conducting interviews with the owners of 34 Fairview Road, Brian and Nicole Albert, and Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert’s sister-in-law. McCabe, along with Kerry Roberts, had accompanied Read in the search for O’Keefe on the morning of his death. 

These interviews were not recorded. On February 4, 2022, a few days after O’Keefe’s death, Lank photographed a piece of a tail light, which he stated his police chief had noticed while driving past after much of the snow had melted.

During questioning by Jackson, concerns were raised about Lank's failure to search the Albert home for evidence of a fight, given the indications of trauma, and why he did not secure the house to preserve potential evidence. 

Lank, a sergeant at the time of the incident, was queried about his relationship with the Albert family. Brian Albert, a Boston police officer, features prominently in the defense’s theory of a setup. This connection was revisited during Lank's testimony before the jury.

The focus of this connection revolves around a 2002 altercation wherein Brian Albert's younger brother, Chris, was confronted by a group of men outside a bar. 

Although off duty, Lank intervened to defuse the situation, which escalated into a physical altercation involving him. Lank acknowledged his long-standing acquaintance with all three Albert brothers but asserted that he was only friends with Chris. 

He emphasized that the 2002 incident had no influence on his conduct during the O’Keefe investigation.