Karen Read trial: Brian Albert and his 2 children deny seeing John O'Keefe in their home before his death

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

NORFOLK, DEDHAM: Karen Read’s trial has now entered its third week after hearing testimonies from first responders, paramedics, and firefighters who were involved in finding John O' Keefe's body.

On Day 10 of the trial, which took place on May 13, Brian Albert provided his testimony regarding the discovery of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe’s body.

In addition to Albert, his two children also testified before the prosecutors and Judge Beverly Cannone.

Read faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the 2022 death of O'Keefe, her boyfriend. His body was discovered in the snow outside the home of retired Boston Police Officer Brian Albert in Canton.

Prosecutors allege that Read struck O'Keefe with her SUV, while Read maintains her innocence, claiming she is being framed as part of a broader cover-up orchestrated by the Albert family to shift blame onto her.

Karen Read's attorney cross-examines Brian Albert on Day 10 of trial

Karen Read's attorney Alan Jackson asked Brian Albert about his previous testimony to the grand jury.

Initially, Albert stated he had never met Karen Read before. However, he later changed his statement, admitting he saw Read with John O'Keefe at the Hillside Pub a week before O'Keefe's death.

Jackson presented a photo showing Albert, his brother Chris, O'Keefe, and another man, supposedly taken by Read. Albert couldn't confirm who took the photo but remembered conversing with O'Keefe that night.

He denied speaking directly to Read in surveillance footage from the Waterfall Bar & Grill.

“I remember having conversations with John that evening. I don't remember having conversations with Karen,” he said.

Jackson questioned Albert about his nephew's presence at his house on January 28, 2022, which Albert hadn't mentioned to the police initially. Albert explained that his nephew had left shortly after he arrived home, hence the omission.

Jackson also raised concerns about Albert's cell phone, which he had recently upgraded and traded in before being instructed to preserve it by the district attorney's office.

Albert confirmed his past boxing experience but clarified that it had been many years since he actively participated. He also addressed footage of him and Brian Higgins engaging in playful behavior at the Waterfall, stating they were merely having fun.

“We're in the bar together, we're good friends, we're just being silly and fooling,” he said, as per NBC.

Jackson questioned Albert about a late-night phone call to Higgins, suggesting it contradicted his earlier claim of being in an intimate moment with his wife. Albert insisted it was a "butt dial" and denied intentionally answering Higgins' subsequent call.

Jackson highlighted inconsistencies in Albert's account regarding his phone's locking mechanism and the sequence of events surrounding the calls made on the night of O'Keefe's death.

Albert maintained that he didn't go into the basement upon returning home from the Waterfall and reiterated that O'Keefe never entered his house that night.

Brian Albert Jr testifies he never met Karen Read

Brian Albert Jr, the son of Brian and Nicole Albert, took the stand as the second witness on Monday.

The 25-year-old used to reside in the Fairview Road house with his parents until it was sold. Currently, he lives with them in Norwood.

Recalling the events of January 28, 2022, the night before his 23rd birthday, he mentioned hosting a gathering at the Fairview Road home with friends. They enjoyed music, food, drinks, and card games, describing it as a “normal hangout.”

Later, three more friends joined, followed by his cousin Colin Albert, and his family and other acquaintances, including Higgins, returned home. Brian Jr noticed a dark SUV parked outside the house that snowy night, initially near the mailbox and later closer to a flagpole. He observed tire tracks in the snow but heard no disturbances.

Retiring to bed around 1 am, he woke up to his father knocking on his door around 7.30 or 8 am. He asserted that neither O'Keefe nor Read entered the house that night. He admitted to possibly being around O'Keefe but stated he never formally met him and never met Read.

Under questioning from defense attorney Elizabeth Little, Brian Jr revealed that his first conversation with investigators regarding the Karen Read case occurred on July 6, 2023, about 18 months after O'Keefe's death.

He admitted avoiding looking outside on the morning of O'Keefe's discovery out of anxiety and clarified that he never saw O'Keefe's body. Brian Jr's testimony concluded shortly after 3 pm.

Caitlin Albert remembers events from day before body was found

Caitlin Albert, the daughter of Brian and Nicole Albert and sister of Brian Albert Jr, testified at just after 3 pm. Her testimony centered on the events of January 28, 2022, when she arrived in Canton with her boyfriend to meet her mom and aunt at the Waterfall around 6 pm.

They dined and had drinks, with her boyfriend departing early due to an early morning commitment. They left the Waterfall around midnight, with Caitlin's father driving them home to their house on Fairview Road.

Upon arrival, Caitlin encountered her cousin Colin Albert. She noted that snow had already started falling, gradually worsening.

During cross-examination by defense attorney David Yannetti, Caitlin confirmed she wasn't the last to leave the house that night and that she wasn't contacted by investigators until May 2023, more than a year after O'Keefe's death.

Yannetti also inquired about Caitlin's relationship with Katie McLaughlin, a Canton firefighter and a previous witness, whom Caitlin attended high school with. Caitlin clarified they were not close friends, describing McLaughlin as more of a friend of a mutual acquaintance.

Court recessed at 4 pm, with Caitlin slated to resume her testimony on Tuesday morning, which will be a half-day of proceedings.