Karen Read trial: 3 key players in John O’Keefe murder as defense claims 'third-party' culprit killed cop
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS: On Day 1 of Karen Read murder trial prosecution delivered their opening statements and presented three witnesses, while the defense claimed Read was falsely accused and denied any involvement in the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
The defense also brought up the idea of a third party being involved in the murder. Read is charged with killing her boyfriend friend Keefe after moving him down with her SUV in January of 2022. The trial is taking place in Norfolk Superior Court, CBS News Boston reports. Judge Beverly Cannone administered the oath to the jury and provided them with their official instructions before the commencement of the lawyers' presentations.
Karen Read's defense team claims she was framed
After the prosecution presented three witnesses, including John Keefe’s brother Paul O’Keefe, the responding officer, and John O’Keefe’s wife, defense counsel David Yannetti read a statement to the court. He stated, "Her car never struck John O'Keefe. She never caused his death Karen Read was framed for a murder she did not commit."
Yannetti told the jury about what he called a botched-up investigation by Canton police. He said Canton police shouldn’t have investigated the case because of the relationship between John O’Keefe’s friend Brian Albert and Canton Police Officer Kevin Albert — Brian’s brother. Yannetti also described Massachusetts State Police investigator Michael Proctor as a “compromised.”
In March of this year, state police announced that they were conducting an internal investigation into Proctor for a possible violation of department policy. Through his attorney, Proctor denied any wrongdoing and stayed on full duty throughout the investigation.
Defense team claims third-party perpetrator in John O'Keefe murder
During the pretrial hearing on May 3, 2022, defense attorney Alan Jackson and defense attorney David Yannetti argued that O’Keefe was involved in a fight at Brian Albert’s home.
Jackson said, "Brian Albert is involved. Jennifer McCabe is involved. The rest of the folks that were in that house, there's some level of involvement by every one of them. Every single one of them. We're not going to rest until we get to the bottom of exactly who's behind this coverup. Not only Karen Read deserves this. John O'Keefe deserves this, and has deserved this from moment one. And that's why they're not going to rest."
After the April pretrial hearing, Judge Beverly Cannone weighed in on 30 motions that required her to make a ruling, hearing arguments from both sides on many of them. One of those motions was a motion filed by Read’s lawyers to allow a defense of a third-party culprit during the trial.
Judge claimed that they contended that individuals such as Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins, all present at the gathering where John O'Keefe was last seen alive, could have been responsible for his death.
After the pretrial hearing, Defense attorney David Yannetti stated that Read's legal team plans to employ a defense strategy centered around a third-party culprit during the Day 1 trial on Monday, April 30
Yannetti referenced an affidavit from a forensic pathologist indicating that O'Keefe's injuries were indicative of a physical altercation rather than being struck by a vehicle.
He asserted that three individuals—Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins—possessed both the motive and the means to assault John O'Keefe as per CBS.
Judge Cannone ruled that Read’s lawyers can’t use the argument of a third-party perpetrator in their opening statements, but they can during the trial as long as they submit admissible evidence in support of their argument.
Three key players in John O’Keefe murder
According to court documents, between January 28 and 29, 2022, Karen Read and John O'Keefe were in the company of several people during a night of bar hopping that ended with O'Keefe's body being discovered. The statements of each of the key participants to investigators came under further scrutiny when Read's lawyers began claiming that they were part of a plan to falsely blame her for her boyfriend's killing.
Brian Albert
Brian Albert owns the Canton home outside which O’Keefe’s body was found, reports CourtTV. Brian and Nicole Albert went to the Waterfall Bar and Grille in downtown Canton on the night of January 28, 2022, with family and friends. After the bar closed around midnight, they invited everyone to their house.
Even though they didn't know Karen Read and had only met John O’Keefe a few times, they were welcome. They found out about O’Keefe’s death the next morning from Nicole Albert’s sister, Jennifer McCabe.
Read’s defense says early morning phone calls between Brian Albert and his friend, Brian Higgins, suggest something was wrong before O’Keefe’s body was found. But Albert denied any involvement in O’Keefe’s death or any plot against Read.
Kevin Albert
Kevin Albert is the brother of Brian Albert and serves as a Canton Police officer. He is one of Brian Albert’s six siblings. According to Read’s defense, Kevin attempted to mediate between his brother and Brian Higgins, a friend of his brother, after federal grand jury subpoenas were issued.
When Higgins stopped responding to Brian’s calls and texts, Kevin reached out to him. Read lawyer David Yanetti stated in a hearing, “There’s only one way to interpret that: Brian Albert was concerned Brian Higgins had flipped on him.”
Kevin Albert’s attorney described him as a respected 19.5-year veteran of the Canton Police Department and refuted any suggestion that he was involved in a conspiracy.
Jennifer McCabe
Jennifer McCabe, who is married to Matthew McCabe and is the sister-in-law of Brian Albert, had connections to John O’Keefe through her daughter, who was friends with O’Keefe’s niece. McCabe got to know Karen Read through O’Keefe.
The McCabes said they arrived at the Waterfall Bar & Grille around 9 pm after attending a high school basketball game. They were part of the group that moved from the bar to the afterparty.
Jennifer McCabe invited O’Keefe and Read to the afterparty, sending O’Keefe the address and parking instructions. According to the McCabes, they saw Read's car arrive at the Albert residence but didn't witness Read or O’Keefe getting out of the car or entering the house.
They left the Albert residence around 1.30 am, giving rides home to two friends of Brian Albert, Jr. Read’s defense argued that an examination of McCabe’s cell phone suggested she left closer to 1.47 am and passed O’Keefe’s home on her way.
Around 4.53 am, Read called McCabe from O’Keefe’s niece’s phone, seeking O’Keefe's whereabouts. Read and McCabe, along with Read’s friend Kerry Roberts, drove to the Albert home. They arrived around 6.00 am and found O’Keefe’s body in the snow. After the discovery, McCabe said she and Read prayed together inside Read’s car.
McCabe stated that Read asked her to search something like “How long do you have to be left outside to die from hypothermia?” Read’s defense, however, claims McCabe’s cell phone data indicates the search occurred at 2.27 am. They also claim McCabe tried to delete the Google search, along with calls and texts with Brian Albert, which might suggest a cover-up.
The timing of the Google search is a crucial point in the case. The Commonwealth asserts that Read’s cell phone expert misinterpreted the data.
