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3w ago

Key Witness Testifies Karen Read Admitted to Hitting Boyfriend in 2022 Death

As the retrial enters its third week, testimony highlights forensic evidence, alleged admissions, and defense claims of a police conspiracy.

Karen Read sits at the defense table during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Karen Read listened to testimony by Jennifer McCabe on Wednesday.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor was fired in the period between Karen Read's first trial and her second.
Jennifer McCabe answers questions from defense attorney Alan Jackson in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Wednesday.

Overview

  • Canton paramedic Katie McLaughlin testified that Karen Read repeatedly said, 'I hit him,' after discovering John O’Keefe’s body in the snow in January 2022.
  • Forensic scientist Hannah Knowles testified that Read’s blood alcohol content at the time of the incident could have been as high as 0.28%, over three times the legal limit for driving in Massachusetts.
  • Jennifer McCabe, another prosecution witness, also testified last week that Read admitted to hitting O’Keefe, though the defense questioned her credibility and alleged inconsistencies with earlier statements.
  • The defense continues to argue that O’Keefe was killed by other law enforcement officers at the party and that Read is being framed as part of a conspiracy.
  • The retrial follows a 2024 mistrial and features new legal teams and evidence, including video clips of Read’s media interviews used by prosecutors to support their case.