DEDHAM, Mass. — The defense in the Karen Read murder trial on Monday continued with the cross-examination of Brian Albert, the man who lived at a Canton home where Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe was found dead in the snow in January 2022.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, is facing charges including second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, her boyfriend.
[ Karen Read murder trial: A guide to the key players you need to know ]
- WATCH LIVE: Streaming coverage of Monday’s witness testimony begins at 9 a.m.
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Brian Albert’s son, Brian Albert Jr., and his daughter, Caitlin Albert, were also called to the stand Monday.
PLAY-BY-PLAY FROM DAY 10 OF TESTIMONY (Monday, May 13, 2024):
4:00 pm.
- Testimony ended for the day. Watch for Ted Daniel’s live reports on Boston 25 News at 5 pm and 6 pm.
3:35 p.m.
- Caitlin Albert says she didn’t notice any issues or any “negative things happening” with the people at the Waterfall before they went back to her family home in Canton. Caitlin Albert tells ADA Lally that John O’Keefe and Karen Read never entered her family’s home.
3:15 p.m.
- Brian Albert, Jr.’s testimony has ended. His sister Caitlin Albert is now on the stand.
3:05 p.m.
- Brian Albert Jr. says he didn’t look outside because it would have given him “anxiety” to do so.
2:55 p.m.
- Eliza Little is doing the cross on Brian Albert Jr. She says the 1st time he spoke to MSP was at his attorney’s office and only after a separate proceeding (federal grand jury).
2:45 p.m.
- Brian Albert Jr says, “No not all,” when asked if there were any fights or tension at his then-Canton home on the morning O’Keefe was killed.
2:30 p.m.
- Brian Albert Jr. says he looked out the window and “saw another car there as well.” Describes a dark SUV that he didn’t recognize.
- Brian Albert Jr. says the SUV moved further down towards the flag pole. And he saw “tracks in the snow, indicating the car had moved up.”
2:25 p.m.
- Brian Albert Jr. says his cousin, Colin Albert, came over around 10:45-11p. He says everyone stayed on the first floor and he didn’t see anyone go to the basement or upstairs.
2:15 p.m.
- Brian Albert Jr. says he used to live at 34 Fairview Road with his parents, Brian and Nicole. Now lives in Norwood.
2:10 p.m.
- Lally dismisses Albert from the stand.
- Brian Albert Jr., son of Brian Albert, is called to the stand.
2:05 p.m.
- Albert tells ADA Lally by the time he came downstairs there was no victim outside his house to give first aid to and “there was nothing I could do” when asked why he never went outside.
- Albert tells ADA Lally the preservation order for his phone was “denied on multiple occasions.” Says he hasn’t been a boxer for 20 years.
- Albert says O’Keefe never came in my home that night. If he had, he and the defendant would have been “welcomed with open arms”. I wish they would have, he said.
1:55 p.m.
- The defense announces no further questions for Brian Albert. ADA Lally begins redirect questioning.
- He says nobody went into the basement of his then home the morning O’Keefe was killed.
1:45 p.m.
- Brian Albert returns to the stand after 1-hour lunch break. Cross-examination continues.
12:45 p.m.
- The judge excuses the jury for lunch. Testimony will resume around 1:45 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
- The first person Albert called after learning of O’Keefe’s death was Brian Higgins (7:20 a.m. call). He says he thought it was important to let Higgins know what was going on.
- Albert also spoke with former Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz later that morning.
12:20 p.m.
- Albert says it was a “butt dial.” Jackson says Albert told a federal grand jury he was in an “intimate situation” with his wife around the time of the Higgins call.
12:15 p.m.
- Albert says he took his phone to bed with him on the night of Jan. 28, 2022, and “inadvertently” called Brian Higgins at 2:22 a.m. (just hours before O’Keefe was found dead) but didn’t speak with him.
12:10 p.m.
- Jackson asks if the video from the Waterfall depicts the moments before the group of friends, including O’Keefe, left to go to his Canton home at 34 Fairview Road. Albert says yes.
12:05 p.m.
- Jackson asks Albert if he is practicing a fighting technique. Albert says it looks like fooling around.
12 p.m.
- Video from Waterfall played in court showing Albert and Brian Higgins in fighting poses.
- Albert says he was playing around getting into a boxing stance, a fighting stance.
11:55 a.m.
Jackson: “You are aware Brian Higgins also got rid of his phone?” Albert: “I know at some point, yes.”
11:45 a.m.
- Jackson asks if Albert received a preservation order from the court on 9/22 for his cell phone. Jackson reads from the letter. Albert says he never got it.
- Albert says his phone was failing and that is why he got rid of it. Jackson says Albert was asked the same question in 6/22 (federal grand jury) when he said it was just a “coincidence.”
11:35 a.m.
- Brian Albert confirms he “upgraded” his phone before he says ADA Lally told him to preserve it. Jackson said it was one week before the Lally call. Jackson said Albert also received an official order to preserve it.
11:20 a.m.
- Albert is questioned by Jackson without the jury present. Albert says he hired an attorney around the time he got subpoenaed to appear before the federal grand jury.
11:15 a.m.
- Jackson asks Albert (retired Boston Police Officer) if he’s ever received training on criminals covering up crime scenes or deleting phone evidence. Albert says no.
11:05 a.m.
- The Albert home was listed for sale in November 2022, just months after O’Keefe was found dead on his lawn. Jackson asked if it was a coincidence. Albert says he and his wife started looking in September 2021.
11 a.m.
- Albert is back on the stand after a 20-minute recess.
10:40 a.m.
- Judge Cannone calls for morning recess.
10:35 a.m.
Jackson: If you were to move something large or heavy out of the basement without going through the main house could you? Albert: Yes, depending on what it was… there’s a bulkhead.
10:30 a.m.
- Jackson asks, “You took no action to get rid of Chloe (family German Shepherd) until questions were raised about O’Keefe’s injuries?” Albert denies that, saying he was aware people were talking about O’Keefe’s arm injuries.
10:10 a.m.
- Jackson asks why Albert didn’t initially say his nephew, Colin Albert, was in his house.
- Albert says, “Colin wasn’t at the house for the duration of the night.”
10 a.m.
- Jackson: “Did John O’Keefe enter your house that night?” Albert: “No. I wish he did.”
9:50 a.m.
- Photo showing Brian Albert and John O’Keefe at Hillside six days before O’Keefe’s death displayed in court. Jackson says Karen Read took the picture.
- Jackson: “You knew you would have a lot to answer for when Karen Read’s boyfriend ended up dead on your lawn 6 days later?” Lally: “Objection.” Judge: “Sustained.”
9:45 a.m.
- Alan Jackson is grilling Brian Albert on previous statements where he said he had never met Karen Read or maybe only once.
- Jackson asks if Albert spent hours hanging out with Read and O’Keefe at the Hillside the Saturday before his death. Albert confirms he was there.
9:30 a.m.
- Jackson asks Albert about the video from the Waterfall bar showing him and Brian Higgins. Albert says they were “fooling around” at the bar.
- Jackson: “At some point did you flip him around and put him in a wrestling hold?” Albert: “I don’t remember.”
9:25 a.m.
- Brian Albert takes the stand for cross-examination.
- Jackson starts by asking him how many times he’s testified (he’s a former police officer). He says one hundred.
- Albert says he hasn’t spoken with ADA Lally since April 2022. Then he says except for the prep for this trial w/Lally a few weeks ago.
- Albert says he’s misunderstood the difference between “speaking” and “prepping” with ADA Lally.
9:15 a.m.
- We are underway. Both sides went immediately to a sidebar with Judge Beverly Cannone. Defense attorney Alan Jackson is talking with her and the others are listening.
PREVIOUS STORY
When testimony concluded on Friday, Brian Albert was still on the stand being questioned by the prosecution. He said O’Keefe never entered his home, and that he learned of what happened to him when his sister, Jen McCabe, burst into his bedroom hours after his death.
“She was very upset. Almost, almost hysterical,” Albert testified. “Shock. That’s how I would describe everybody’s reaction that morning was utter shock.”
Brian Albert said he never went outside to check on O’Keefe because he didn’t want to get in the way of first responders. He added that he was unaware that Read and O’Keefe had been invited over after being with them at the Waterfall bar.
The defense claims O’Keefe entered the home and was beaten and attacked by the family dog.
Brian Albert, along with his wife, Nicole, testified that selling their home and re-homing their dog had nothing to do with John O’Keefe’s death.
Last week, Julie Albert, the wife of current Canton selectman Christopher Albert, was questioned about her connection to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead detective assigned to investigate the death of O’Keefe.
Julie Albert testified that she was a longtime friend of Proctor’s sister, Courtney, but she denied using her friend as an intermediary to Proctor and the case focusing on Read.
Chris Albert testified that he and his family knew Trooper Proctor, the lead investigator assigned to the Read murder case, for many years and well before they were questioned in O’Keefe’s death.
Read’s defense has alleged that Proctor was not truthful with his relationship with people he has identified as witnesses in the case.
Both Chris and Julie, the family of Brian Albert, testified that they were at the Waterfall bar having drinks with Read but had gone to bed before her boyfriend’s death.
The defense has argued that Read is a scapegoat for a well-connected group of people, including the Albert family, who were at a party inside 34 Fairview Road in Canton on the night of O’Keefe’s death.
Read’s attorneys have long argued that O’Keefe was beaten up inside the home and then dragged outside. Read’s defense attorneys have also alleged that the Albert family is at the center of an effort to frame Read.
Prosecutors claim Read drunkenly struck O’Keefe with her luxury Lexus SUV while making a three-point after dropping him off at the home. They allege she fled the scene and left him to die.
Earlier in the trial, testimony focused on a busted cocktail glass and a piece of broken taillight in the snow. The prosecution said the taillight and other evidence led them directly to Read.
When the trial first started, testimony from first responders focused on Read’s demeanor and the words she uttered at the crime scene.
Testimony from two police officers and two firefighters described Read as distraught and screaming and that O’Keefe had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.
RELATED VIDEO:
Witness testimony in Karen Read murder trial from Friday, May 10, 2024
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