Canton police lieutenant testifies at Karen Read murder trial about Solo cups, leaf blower
DEDHAM, Mass. (WJAR) — A whirlwind of witnesses took the stand Monday in Karen Read's retrial on a second-degree murder charge in Norfolk Superior Court.
Some testified that they were at the Canton home just hours before John O'Keefe was found unresponsive outside.
For the first time, the jury heard from a Canton police officer who was at the scene and processed evidence.
He was one of six people who testified.
Earlier, Canton firefighter-paramedic Katie McLaughlin shared what she said Read said as first responders were trying to save O'Keefe in 2022.
"She repeated, 'I hit him, I hit him.' There was a woman next to us who told her to calm down," McLaughlin testified.
A line of questioning about the Canton firefighter's connection to Caitlin Albert turned contentious.
Albert's parents owned the house where O'Keefe was found outside.
"I socialize with her occasionally. I don’t have a personal relationship with her," McLaughlin said.
The commonwealth alleges that Read hit her boyfriend with her SUV. The defendant's lawyers claim she was framed in police coverup.
A retired Canton police officer took the stand to explain how a leaf blower was used to process the snowy scene.
The method uncovered blood and a broken cocktail glass.
"I wasn't going to get a second chance at it. It was either collect it or never have it," retired Lt. Paul Gallagher testified.
The defense had questions about initial evidence collected in red Solo cups.
One homeowner's brother is a Canton police officer. The department was later recused from the investigation.
"You've never seen an evidence log determining where that blood went and who's handling it between Jan. 29 and Feb. 1," defense attorney Alan Jackson said.
"I have never seen an evidence log," Gallagher said.
A handful of witnesses who had been at 34 Fairview after midnight testified too.
Ryan Nagel testified that he saw Read's SUV close to the flagpole where O'Keefe was later found.
"There was woman in the driver's seat of the black SUV in front of me," Nagel said.
"You didn’t see anybody else in the SUV?" defense attorney David Yannetti asked
"No, I did not," Nagel said.
Three witnesses testified they didn’t see O’Keefe enter the house.
Gallagher will be back on the stand Tuesday to answer more questions.
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