DEDHAM, Mass. — The niece and nephew of late Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe were called to the stand Tuesday in the murder trial of Karen Read, testifying that Read and their uncle had many “disagreements and arguments” during their relationship.
O’Keefe took on the responsibility to raise his beloved niece and nephew and build a home and a life around their needs after his sister and brother-in-law passed away.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, is accused of striking O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowbank outside 34 Fairview Avenue in Canton in January 2022 after a night of drinking. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder.
The defense’s theory is that O’Keefe was actually beaten up inside the Albert home and dragged outside in a snowstorm and that the Albert family is at the center of an effort to frame Read.
Due to a court order, Boston 25 News and other media outlets were not allowed to stream the portion of testimony involving O’Keefe’s niece and nephew or live tweet about it due to them being minors. After their time on the stand concluded, Ted Daniel shared his handwritten notes on what they said.
O’Keefe’s nephew testified that he witnessed O’Keefe and Read have “lots of disagreements and arguments,” including during trips to Florida and Aruba. Last week, Laura Sullivan, a longtime friend of O’Keefe, testified that Read became enraged with O’Keefe during the Aruba trip, accusing him of kissing her sister, Marietta Sullivan, weeks before his death.
The boy also confirmed to Read’s attorney, David Yannetti, that he never saw O’Keefe or Read raise a hand to each other in anger.
O’Keefe’s niece described her uncle’s relationship with Read as “good at the beginning but bad at the end.” She also recalled the Aruba vacation, testifying that there was “yelling in the room” at the resort.
On the morning O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow outside the Albert’s home, the girl said Read “was on edge” and that Jennifer McCabe seemed “relaxed.” McCabe testified last week that Read screamed, “I hit him! I hit him! I hit him!” after discovering O’Keefe and frantically asked her to conduct a Google search on how long it takes for someone to die of hypothermia.
“I have never seen her that frantic, she was like pacing around,” the girl testified, adding that she never spoke to Read again after her uncle’s death.
Tuesday marks a full day of testimony in the trial, with the rest of the week serving as off days for jurors.
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