Crime

Here’s what happened on the second day of Karen Read’s murder trial

Read's high-profile murder trial continued Tuesday with a half-day in Norfolk Superior Court.

By Abby Patkin

updated on April 30, 2024

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On the stand: 

• Anthony Flematti, Canton Fire Department

Judge Beverly Cannone concluded Tuesday’s court proceedings soon after acting Canton Fire Lt. Anthony Flematti took the stand. The trial is not in session Wednesday and will pick up on Thursday morning for another half-day in court.

Previously:

• Timothy Nuttall, Canton Fire Department
• Officer Stephen Mullaney, Canton Police Department
• Officer Steven Saraf, Canton Police Department

Follow here for regular updates on Tuesday’s court proceedings.

12:45 update: Canton firefighter describes John O’Keefe’s injuries

Canton firefighter and paramedic Timothy Nuttall, who treated O’Keefe at the scene, testified that there appeared to be a small pool of blood under O’Keefe.

Nuttall described scratches on O’Keefe’s right arm and a hematoma on his forehead above his right eye. 

“He had a pretty good egg on his head,” Nuttall told the jury.

O’Keefe was “cold all around to the touch” and had blood, mucus, and bile in the back of his airway, according to Nuttall. He said O’Keefe’s fingers were cold, immobile, and stiff.

“As I was ventilating, I was able to ask, ‘Did anybody see anything? … What happened?’ and there was one individual that replied several times, ‘I hit him. I hit him,’” Nuttall said. Prosecutors have previously said several first responders heard Read say the same thing. 

In cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Jackson alleged that during a February 2022 interview with Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, Nuttall provided a slightly different account of Read’s alleged “I hit him” statements. 

In response, Nuttall said he didn’t fully recall his meeting with Proctor. 

“So it’s fair to say that your memory is a little bit faulty as it pertains to that timeframe?” Jackson asked.

“Absolutely,” Nuttall replied.

Read’s lawyers have suggested O’Keefe’s injuries could have come from a physical altercation inside the home at 34 Fairview Road, and Jackson pressed Nuttall on whether O’Keefe’s injuries were consistent with a fist fight. 

“You would agree that a very common cause of a hematoma over one’s eye is being hit or punched,” Jackson asked. “Is that right?”

“Correct,” Nuttall said. “Yes.” 

Judge Beverly Cannone sustained prosecutors’ objection after Jackson asked Nuttall whether the injuries he saw on O’Keefe were consistent with a physical altercation. Jackson attempted to rephrase the question, prompting Cannone to call the lawyers for a brief sidebar. 

Backtracking, Jackson then asked Nuttall if, throughout his training, he’s come across the injuries that could result from a fist fight. Nuttall confirmed he had, and that injuries to the face, mouth, nose, ears, eyes, and hands are all possibilities.

Nuttall agreed O’Keefe’s injuries were consistent with a possible physical altercation, though he later clarified that a variety of incidents could result in the kinds of injuries O’Keefe sustained. 

Jackson also asked how many times Nuttall has discussed the case with his fellow firefighters.

“It’s brought up around the station semi-frequently,” Nuttall replied. “However, being involved in it, we try to stay clear of it just because we are involved in it.”

He denied that those discussions have impacted his recollection.

11:30 a.m. update: Canton officer testifies that he saw no broken plastic at the scene early on Jan. 29, 2022

Canton Police Officer Stephen Mullaney, one of the officers who responded to Fairview Road on Jan. 29, 2022, testified that a distraught Karen Read was taken to a hospital under a Section 12 order after she allegedly made suicidal statements following the discovery of John O’Keefe’s body. 

Defense attorney David Yannetti asked Mullaney whether he overheard Read make certain statements at the scene. 

“During the time that you were on scene and you heard Karen Read screaming and yelling in this distraught and hysterical manner, you never once heard her say, ‘I did it,’ correct?” Yannetti asked.

“I did not,” Mullaney responded. 

“You never once heard her say, ‘It’s my fault,’ correct?”

“I did not.”

“You never once heard her say, ‘I hit him. I hit him. I hit him,’ correct?”

“I did not.”

Mullaney, who said he spent some of the morning standing about 10 to 12 feet from where O’Keefe’s body was found, also testified that he did not see pieces of broken plastic at the scene.

11 a.m. update: Defense cross-examines Canton police officer on Read’s alleged statements

Defense attorney Alan Jackson put his cross-examination skills on display Tuesday morning, questioning Canton Police Officer Steven Saraf about discrepancies in his prior reports and testimony about the morning John O’Keefe died.

Jackson first pointed out that the Canton Police Department’s dispatch log from Jan. 29, 2022, incorrectly shows three Canton police officers arriving at 34 Fairview Road within seconds of each other, and in the wrong order.

“That is completely false, isn’t it?” Jackson asked Saraf. 

“Yes,” the officer responded.

Jackson also noted that the dispatch log lists an incorrect address on Fairview Road, and that Saraf similarly gave a wrong address while testifying before a state grand jury in 2022. 

Saraf chalked the errors up to mistakes. 

He previously told jurors he saw Read performing CPR on O’Keefe when he arrived at the scene, testifying Tuesday that he didn’t recall whether he saw witness Jennifer McCabe assist in any lifesaving measures. McCabe, sister-in-law of homeowner Brian Albert, accompanied Read on her search for O’Keefe that morning.

Jackson asked Saraf which woman, Read of McCabe, appeared to be more focused on physically trying to save O’Keefe’s life. 

“In that moment, it was Karen Read,” Saraf said. 

Jackson then turned his attention to Saraf’s Monday testimony of what he heard Read say at the scene. According to Saraf, Read said, “This is all my fault. This is my fault. I did this” — statements reportedly missing from Saraf’s initial incident report and an interview he gave to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor soon after O’Keefe died.

“You think that was a pretty important omission on your part?” Jackson asked.

“It was an oversight,” Saraf replied. 

“An oversight? That a woman who you made contact with, standing over the body of a fallen police officer, said to you, ‘This is my fault.’ You just missed that one?” Jackson pressed. 

“Yes, I missed it,” Saraf acknowledged. “I didn’t write it down.”

Saraf later confirmed that he didn’t see pieces of broken tail light while he was at the scene that morning.

Livestream via NBC10 Boston.

Testimony in the Karen Read murder trial kicked off this week, with more witnesses expected to take the stand Tuesday.

Contrary to Monday’s packed day in court, which saw lawyers on both sides deliver their opening statements, Tuesday’s session will be a half-day and run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The prosecution and defense previously laid the foundation for their respective cases, with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office outlining a complex timeline of witnesses and evidence while lawyers for Read summarized their theory of the case in an impactful opening line: “Karen Read was framed.” 

Read, 44, is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, and leaving him to die outside a fellow Boston officer’s home in Canton in January 2022. Lawyers for the Mansfield woman have alleged a widespread cover-up among witnesses and law enforcement, suggesting O’Keefe was actually beaten inside the home and possibly attacked by the family’s pet dog.

Jurors on Monday heard testimony from O’Keefe’s brother and sister-in-law, Paul and Erin O’Keefe. The couple spoke in part about John O’Keefe’s character, his relationship with Read, and his unplanned leap into parenthood after he took custody of a young niece and nephew who lost both of their parents in quick succession.

Canton Police Officer Steven Saraf, the first officer at the scene after O’Keefe was found unresponsive, also testified about seeing a “hysterical” Read give O’Keefe CPR on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022. Read repeatedly asked if O’Keefe was dead and said, “This is all my fault. This is my fault. I did this,” Saraf alleged.

Judge Beverly Cannone ended Monday’s court session ahead of the defense team’s cross-examination of Saraf.