Defense of woman accused of killing cop’s boyfriend tries to prove she was framed – WAVY.com

Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, a medical examiner with the state medical examiner’s office, testifies during the trial of Karen Read, Friday, June 21, 2024, in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, is accused of hitting her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV in the middle of a northeast storm, leaving him for dead after a night of drinking. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds, Pool)

Lawyers for a woman accused of hitting her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowbank outside another officer’s home began presenting their arguments Friday, saying police placed the blame on her and a snowplow driver said he did not see a body.

Snowplow driver Brian Loughran, who was on his usual route during a storm early in the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, was the first witness called by Karen Read’s defense attorneys after prosecutors rested.

Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the January 2022 death of Officer John O’Keefe. The 16-year Boston police veteran was found unconscious outside Brian Albert’s Canton home and later pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Prosecutors allege Read and O’Keefe were drinking and arguing before she dropped him off at Albert’s house shortly before 12:30 a.m. They say she hit him with her SUV while making a turn and then drove away.

Read’s lawyers say O’Keefe was beaten inside the house and bitten by Albert’s dog, then taken outside. They say investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who spared them from scrutinizing other suspects, including Albert and other police officers who were at the party.

Loughran testified that he drove by the house around 2:45 a.m. and could see “a very large portion, almost to the front steps” of the lawn, but “didn’t see anything.” When he drove by again about 30 minutes later, he said, he again saw nothing on the lawn, but saw a car parked on the street in front of the house. He said he knew Albert and his family, so he was “polite” and decided not to report the car for violating snowstorm parking restrictions.

When Loughran returned around 5:30 a.m., the road was closed and first responders were on the scene, he said.

Prosecutor Adam Lally questioned Loughran’s timing, suggesting he had stopped by much earlier, at midnight and 2 a.m., as well as his description of the vehicle. Loughran also told Lally that he had knocked over a basketball hoop on his way there, but could not remember the time.

Prosecutors rely on testimony from several first responders who said Read repeatedly screamed that she had hit O’Keefe. There is also evidence that Read was intoxicated or close to intoxication eight hours later. In addition, the tail light of her SUV was broken and parts of the broken light were found near O’Keefe.

Several witnesses testified the couple had a stormy relationship that began to deteriorate. Prosecutors presented angry text messages between the two written hours before O’Keefe’s death. They also played voice messages from Read to O’Keefe left after she allegedly hit him, including one left minutes later that said, “John, I (expletive) hate you.”

Massachusetts State Trooper Joseph Paul testified that an analysis of safety system data from Read’s SUV indicated that her vehicle slowed while reversing — from 24 to 24 mph — consistent with a “pedestrian crash.” He also said O’Keefe’s injuries were consistent with a vehicle-related collision.

Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, a medical examiner who led the autopsy, said O’Keefe suffered multiple skull fractures. “Any blunt object” could have struck him and caused his injuries, she said. They “could” be consistent with a fall to the ground, she added.

Scordi-Bello said she saw no signs of a “significant altercation,” but also said it was possible that some of the injuries to his face could have been caused by a blow.

When asked by the defense whether O’Keefe’s injuries were “inconsistent” with him being struck by Read’s SUV at 38 km/h, Scordi-Bello said, “I would say it’s both probable and improbable, depending on the position of the body and the vehicle involved.”

Scordi-Bello said she did not know what caused the cuts on O’Keefe’s arm, some of which had patterns. But Dr. Marie Russell, a recently retired emergency room physician and forensic pathologist, testified Friday that the injuries suggested an animal attack, possibly a large dog. Under cross-examination, she said she knew that swabs taken from O’Keefe’s clothing had tested negative for dog DNA.

The defense has repeatedly expressed doubts about the police investigation. Albert’s house was never searched for evidence of a fight with O’Keefe and the crime scene was not secured. They emphasized that the police collected traces of blood in plastic cups.

The defense has also pointed out myriad conflicts of interest among the police officers who worked the case. Many people at the house party knew the investigators, including the lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, who admitted to sending offensive text messages about Read to friends, family and colleagues during the investigation.

They also accused several witnesses of falsifying their statements and pointed out that at least two people at the party – including Albert – threw away their mobile phones during the investigation.

“There are no charges against me,” Read told reporters outside court on Tuesday. She added: “After eight weeks, this is all just smoke and mirrors, meddling in my private life and trying to construct a motive that never existed.”