A murderous romance or a frame job? Things to know about Boston’s Karen Read murder trial

The highly publicized trial of a woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowbank finished its sixth week on Thursday.

John O’Keefe, 46, died in the Boston suburb of Canton in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors say Karen Read, 44, dropped him off at a house party hosted by a fellow officer after a night of drinking, struck him while making a three-point turn and drove away.

Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. Her defense team argues that she has been framed by someone who beat O’Keefe to death inside the home and that the homeowner’s relationship with local and state police tainted their investigation.

A look at the facts and legal arguments:

THE PROSECUTION: TAILLIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Multiple witnesses have described Read frantically asking, “Did I hit him?” just before O’Keefe was found later that morning or saying afterward, “I hit him.” Others have said the couple had a stormy relationship and O’Keefe was trying to end it.

Read told authorities she and O’Keefe had fought the morning before he died, State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik testified Wednesday. He said Read ended their interview when he asked her to give a detailed account of what happened after she dropped O’Keefe off, and when asked how her SUV taillight was damaged, said, “I don’t know. It happened last night.”

The damaged taillight was the focus of much of this week’s testimony, with investigators describing where and when they found multiple pieces of clear and red plastic in the snow near O’Keefe’s body.

Christina Hanley, a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, testified that she analyzed small amounts of clear and red plastic material taken from O’Keefe’s clothing. She said the materials were “consistent” in color and other characteristics with a portion of the taillight she examined from Read’s SUV. She said they could have originated from the taillight or from another source with the same characteristics.

THE DEFENSE: SLOPPY OR SUSPICIOUS EVIDENCE HANDLING

Read’s lawyers have alleged that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a family dog and then left outside. They have portrayed the investigation as shoddy and undermined by the relationship investigators had with the law enforcement agents at the house party.

The defense argues that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider other suspects. Those they’ve implicated so far include Brian Albert, who owned the home where O’Keefe died; his nephew, Colin Albert; and Brian Higgins, a federal agent who also at the party.

On Monday, Read’s attorney suggested pieces of glass found on the bumper of Read’s SUV and a hair found on the vehicle’s exterior may have been planted. Maureen Hartnett, a state police forensic scientist, testified that the items were “perched” on the SUV even though it had been driven and towed roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) in a snowstorm.

The defense also raised the notion of evidence tampering when questioning Lt. Kevin O’Hara, a state police officer who searched the property hours after it had been left unsecured. On Thursday, the defense questioned Bukhenik about security camera video of the SUV after it was seized by police. Read’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, highlighted a snippet of video that showed someone “hovering” around the taillight and asked Bukhenik if part of the video appeared to have been deleted.

“I cannot tell what is happening with the video,” he answered.

Bukhenik also reviewed footage from O’Keefe’s home security camera showing Read’s SUV pulling out of the driveway early on Jan. 29. The defense claims Read’s taillight was damaged by striking O’Keefe’s car as she left to look for him. Bukhenik acknowledged that the video appears to show the back tire of O’Keefe’s vehicle shake slightly as the SUV backs up toward it. He previously testified that authorities found no damage or debris on or around O’Keefe’s car.

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