The highly-publicized Karen Read murder trial is now in its second month of testimony, with many prosecution witnesses remaining before the defense presents its case.
The defendant is accused of striking John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowbank in Canton, Massachusetts. O'Keefe died in Canton in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors say Read dropped him off at a house party hosted by a fellow Boston officer after a night of drinking, struck him while making a three-point turn and drove away.
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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.
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How much longer will the Karen Read trial last?
So how much longer will the trial last, and how long will it be until the jury gets the case?
Judge Beverly Cannone shed some light on this subject at the end of this week's proceedings on Thursday, saying that after talking with the prosecution and defense teams, she is confident that the jury will get the case for deliberations by the last week of June.
"We'll know better next week," she said.
If that schedule holds true, that will mean jurors have heard nearly two full months of testimony before they begin their deliberations.
Karen Read update: This week's testimony
The focus of much of this week's testimony in the trial was on a damaged taillight on Read's SUV, 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.
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 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.
Next week's Karen Read trial schedule
Cannone told jurors on Thursday that next week's trial schedule will include full days of testimony on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but no testimony on Tuesday.
