Testimony resumed Monday in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her sport utility vehicle and leaving him to die in a snowbank. Read, 43, of Mansfield, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Her defense plans to argue that someone else is responsible for killing O’Keefe.Brian Albert, a retired Boston police officer who owned the home at 34 Fairview Road where O’Keefe was found, returned to the witness stand. He and his wife, Nicole Albert, were inside their house while O’Keefe was outside in the front yard. He said he was sleeping inside his bedroom when O’Keefe’s body was found and did not wake up as first responders arrived at his home. Defense attorney Alan Jackson asked if Brian Albert slept through “woman screaming at the top of her lungs.””Yes,” Brian Albert replied. Several people were invited back to the Alberts’ home after leaving Canton bars, but they testified Friday that neither O’Keefe nor Read ever showed up.”No, they never came into my home,” Nicole Albert said.”John O’Keefe and Karen Read never entered my house,” Brian Albert said.The defense also asked about the decision to re-house their dog, which Nicole Albert said was made after an incident in 2022. “I did not get rid of my dog. I rehomed my dog,” Nicole Albert said.Live updates: 11:54 a.m. Albert says no investigators or forensic teams entered his home. Defense asks Albert about training with boxers. “I have boxed in the past,” Albert says11:42 a.m. Albert says he did not receive a notice ordering him to preserve his phone11:30 a.m. Defense questions Albert about data allegedly missing from his cell phone11:15 a.m. Jurors shown photo of basement bulkhead at 34 Fairview Road10:35 a.m. Defense asks about home’s basement. Albert agrees someone could remove “something large” from basement through bulkhead that leads to yard10:30 a.m. Albert says he was sleeping in his bedroom when O’Keefe’s body was found. Says Chloe was nearby. 10:25 a.m. Albert says the family “rehomed” dog, Chloe, in May 2022 because it had been involved in fight with another dog10:21 a.m. Jackson asks Albert to describe his nephew Colin: 5’11” maybe 6′; 175 lbs; “big guy” who played football9:47 a.m. Jackson shows picture of Chris Albert, Brian Albert, O’Keefe and a man named Tim Daley at a bar 6 days before Jan 28th. Jackson: Karen Read took this picture, didn’t she? Albert says he doesn’t know. 9:24 a.m. Jackson begins cross examining Brian Albert. Albert says he’s testified about 100 times as a police officer. Initially says he hasn’t spoken with prosecutor Adam Lally in 2 yrs, then says he “prepped” for trial with Lally a few weeks agoFollow posts from reporter David Bienck What to know about the case:LINK: Recap of testimony, evidence from each day of the caseKaren Read, 43, of Mansfield, is accused of second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank.Read has pleaded not guilty.Read and her defense team claim she is the victim of a cover-up and plan to present a third-party culprit defense. They claim O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog, and then left outside.In pretrial motions, prosecutors revealed the existence of text messages they said suggested a “romantic entanglement” with a friend who was present at locations Read and O’Keefe visited on the night of the incident. Other documents have also suggested trouble in the relationship between Read and O’Keefe.Read is also accused of having frequent contact with a controversial blogger known as “Turtleboy,” Aiden Kearney, who now faces charges in related cases.Opening statements were delivered on April 29.The trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks.Two of O’Keefe’s neighbors, who are also relatives of the family that owns the house where he was found in the snow, testified Thursday.Read’s defense appeared to be suggesting the couple, Chris and Julie Albert, and their son had tension with O’Keefe. They also confronted Julie Albert about her telephone conversations with the sister of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who led the investigation.Evidence introduced on Thursday included receipts showing John O’Keefe bought two beers and a Tito’s vodka at the Waterfall Bar & Grille, the second bar that he and Read patronized that night. Previous testimony indicated that Read was drinking vodka.Also Thursday, the court distributed Judge Beverly Cannone’s order that the anticipated testimony of O’Keefe’s niece and nephew cannot be recorded, photographed or transmitted. The order also applies to any exhibits that may contain prior recorded statements from the children.On Wednesday, jurors saw surveillance videos from inside two Canton bars and heard testimony from others who were there with Read and O’Keefe. Witness after witness testified that they saw no trouble between Read and O’Keefe — but prosecutors have said the couple fought that night.One of the videos showed O’Keefe and friends at CF McCarthy’s pub. Read was also seen in the video when she arrived, greeting O’Keefe with a hug and a kiss.Other footage from the Waterfall Bar & Grille shows O’Keefe, Read and other members of the group after they moved across the street. Footage showed that Read left with two other women before O’Keefe exited a short time later with something in his hand, meeting Read at the door and walking together toward her car.Earlier in the case, evidence of a shattered drinking glass was shown to the jury. Prosecutors appear to be developing an argument that O’Keefe was holding the glass when he was hit by Read’s SUV.Testimony on May 6 described the unusual conditions faced by investigators and the unorthodox methods they employed, including the use of red plastic cups from a neighbor to collect samples of blood in the snow and bringing them back to the Canton police station in a Stop & Shop paper bag. Investigators said they didn’t have anything else to collect the evidence in and they had to improvise.Jurors last week also heard two 911 calls, the first saying Karen Read was freaking out because her boyfriend, O’Keefe, had not come home that night. The second call was from when Reed and two other women had just found O’Keefe’s body lying in a snowbank.Proceedings in the case the first week spanned four days, featuring testimony from numerous first responders and a tour of the Canton neighborhood where the death occurred. Several of the first responders who testified this week in the courtroom said they heard Read make some kind of confession at the scene.Jurors also had a chance to see Read’s Lexus 570 SUV, the one that allegedly hit O’Keefe. One tail light was missing, and a small dent was visible on the rear hatch.The trial’s first few days also detailed the futile efforts of first responders to save O’Keefe. They found him face up when they arrived just before dawn on Jan. 29. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, and an autopsy later found he died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.Part of what prosecutors are trying to do is show Read’s actions were intentional. To do that, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally started offering up evidence showing the couple had a stormy relationship that had begun to “sour” in the month before O’Keefe died. The prosecution’s first witness, O’Keefe’s brother Paul, testified they would regularly argue, including over what Read fed his two adopted children and that he witnessed a 2021 fight the couple had in Cape Cod over how O’Keefe treated her.Paul O’Keefe’s wife, Erin, testified that Read told her the couple fought in Aruba after she caught O’Keefe kissing another woman.Prosecutors appeared early on to be relying on Read’s own words to get a conviction. Most of the first week has been dominated by first responders, who detailed a harrowing scene that morning in January 2022.In their opening statement, the defense team laid out plans to portray the investigation into O’Keefe’s death as shoddy and undermined by the close relationship investigators had with the police and other law enforcement agents at the house party.They argued investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider,” and that prevented them from considering other suspects. They plan to argue someone other than Read was responsible for O’Keefe’s death but have only floated a theory that he was beaten inside the house and left for dead outside. They also got one witness, who testified to hearing Read say O’Keefe’s death was her fault, to acknowledge he never wrote that in a police report. They also questioned another witness’ memory and suggested another may have been too focused on saving O’Keefe’s life to be able to hear Read say she hit O’Keefe. They also tried to plant doubts in the jury’s mind about the overall investigation, getting several witnesses to say they never heard Read say she hit O’Keefe, nor did they see dozens of pieces of her broken taillight at the scene, evidence which prosecutors say shows she backed into him. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DEDHAM, Mass. —

Testimony resumed Monday in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her sport utility vehicle and leaving him to die in a snowbank.

Read, 43, of Mansfield, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Her defense plans to argue that someone else is responsible for killing O’Keefe.

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Brian Albert, a retired Boston police officer who owned the home at 34 Fairview Road where O’Keefe was found, returned to the witness stand. He and his wife, Nicole Albert, were inside their house while O’Keefe was outside in the front yard.

He said he was sleeping inside his bedroom when O’Keefe’s body was found and did not wake up as first responders arrived at his home. Defense attorney Alan Jackson asked if Brian Albert slept through “woman screaming at the top of her lungs.”

“Yes,” Brian Albert replied.

Several people were invited back to the Alberts’ home after leaving Canton bars, but they testified Friday that neither O’Keefe nor Read ever showed up.

“No, they never came into my home,” Nicole Albert said.

“John O’Keefe and Karen Read never entered my house,” Brian Albert said.

The defense also asked about the decision to re-house their dog, which Nicole Albert said was made after an incident in 2022.

“I did not get rid of my dog. I rehomed my dog,” Nicole Albert said.

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Live updates:

• 11:54 a.m. Albert says no investigators or forensic teams entered his home. Defense asks Albert about training with boxers. “I have boxed in the past,” Albert says
• 11:42 a.m. Albert says he did not receive a notice ordering him to preserve his phone
• 11:30 a.m. Defense questions Albert about data allegedly missing from his cell phone
• 11:15 a.m. Jurors shown photo of basement bulkhead at 34 Fairview Road
• 10:35 a.m. Defense asks about home’s basement. Albert agrees someone could remove “something large” from basement through bulkhead that leads to yard
• 10:30 a.m. Albert says he was sleeping in his bedroom when O’Keefe’s body was found. Says Chloe was nearby.
• 10:25 a.m. Albert says the family “rehomed” dog, Chloe, in May 2022 because it had been involved in fight with another dog
• 10:21 a.m. Jackson asks Albert to describe his nephew Colin: 5’11” maybe 6′; 175 lbs; “big guy” who played football
• 9:47 a.m. Jackson shows picture of Chris Albert, Brian Albert, O’Keefe and a man named Tim Daley at a bar 6 days before Jan 28th. Jackson: Karen Read took this picture, didn’t she? Albert says he doesn’t know.
• 9:24 a.m. Jackson begins cross examining Brian Albert. Albert says he’s testified about 100 times as a police officer. Initially says he hasn’t spoken with prosecutor Adam Lally in 2 yrs, then says he “prepped” for trial with Lally a few weeks ago
• Follow posts from reporter David Bienck

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What to know about the case:

• LINK: Recap of testimony, evidence from each day of the case
• Karen Read, 43, of Mansfield, is accused of second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank.
• Read has pleaded not guilty.
• Read and her defense team claim she is the victim of a cover-up and plan to present a third-party culprit defense. They claim O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog, and then left outside.
• In pretrial motions, prosecutors revealed the existence of text messages they said suggested a “romantic entanglement” with a friend who was present at locations Read and O’Keefe visited on the night of the incident. Other documents have also suggested trouble in the relationship between Read and O’Keefe.
• Read is also accused of having frequent contact with a controversial blogger known as “Turtleboy,” Aiden Kearney, who now faces charges in related cases.
• Opening statements were delivered on April 29.
• The trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks.

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Two of O’Keefe’s neighbors, who are also relatives of the family that owns the house where he was found in the snow, testified Thursday.

Read’s defense appeared to be suggesting the couple, Chris and Julie Albert, and their son had tension with O’Keefe. They also confronted Julie Albert about her telephone conversations with the sister of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who led the investigation.

Evidence introduced on Thursday included receipts showing John O’Keefe bought two beers and a Tito’s vodka at the Waterfall Bar & Grille, the second bar that he and Read patronized that night. Previous testimony indicated that Read was drinking vodka.

Also Thursday, the court distributed Judge Beverly Cannone’s order that the anticipated testimony of O’Keefe’s niece and nephew cannot be recorded, photographed or transmitted. The order also applies to any exhibits that may contain prior recorded statements from the children.

On Wednesday, jurors saw surveillance videos from inside two Canton bars and heard testimony from others who were there with Read and O’Keefe. Witness after witness testified that they saw no trouble between Read and O’Keefe — but prosecutors have said the couple fought that night.

One of the videos showed O’Keefe and friends at CF McCarthy’s pub. Read was also seen in the video when she arrived, greeting O’Keefe with a hug and a kiss.

Other footage from the Waterfall Bar & Grille shows O’Keefe, Read and other members of the group after they moved across the street. Footage showed that Read left with two other women before O’Keefe exited a short time later with something in his hand, meeting Read at the door and walking together toward her car.

Earlier in the case, evidence of a shattered drinking glass was shown to the jury. Prosecutors appear to be developing an argument that O’Keefe was holding the glass when he was hit by Read’s SUV.

Hearst Owned

Testimony on May 6 described the unusual conditions faced by investigators and the unorthodox methods they employed, including the use of red plastic cups from a neighbor to collect samples of blood in the snow and bringing them back to the Canton police station in a Stop & Shop paper bag. Investigators said they didn’t have anything else to collect the evidence in and they had to improvise.

Jurors last week also heard two 911 calls, the first saying Karen Read was freaking out because her boyfriend, O’Keefe, had not come home that night. The second call was from when Reed and two other women had just found O’Keefe’s body lying in a snowbank.

Proceedings in the case the first week spanned four days, featuring testimony from numerous first responders and a tour of the Canton neighborhood where the death occurred. Several of the first responders who testified this week in the courtroom said they heard Read make some kind of confession at the scene.

Jurors also had a chance to see Read’s Lexus 570 SUV, the one that allegedly hit O’Keefe. One tail light was missing, and a small dent was visible on the rear hatch.

The trial’s first few days also detailed the futile efforts of first responders to save O’Keefe. They found him face up when they arrived just before dawn on Jan. 29. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, and an autopsy later found he died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Hearst Owned

Part of what prosecutors are trying to do is show Read’s actions were intentional. To do that, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally started offering up evidence showing the couple had a stormy relationship that had begun to “sour” in the month before O’Keefe died. The prosecution’s first witness, O’Keefe’s brother Paul, testified they would regularly argue, including over what Read fed his two adopted children and that he witnessed a 2021 fight the couple had in Cape Cod over how O’Keefe treated her.

Paul O’Keefe’s wife, Erin, testified that Read told her the couple fought in Aruba after she caught O’Keefe kissing another woman.

Prosecutors appeared early on to be relying on Read’s own words to get a conviction. Most of the first week has been dominated by first responders, who detailed a harrowing scene that morning in January 2022.

David McGlynn

In their opening statement, the defense team laid out plans to portray the investigation into O’Keefe’s death as shoddy and undermined by the close relationship investigators had with the police and other law enforcement agents at the house party.

They argued investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider,” and that prevented them from considering other suspects. They plan to argue someone other than Read was responsible for O’Keefe’s death but have only floated a theory that he was beaten inside the house and left for dead outside.

David McGlynn

They also got one witness, who testified to hearing Read say O’Keefe’s death was her fault, to acknowledge he never wrote that in a police report. They also questioned another witness’ memory and suggested another may have been too focused on saving O’Keefe’s life to be able to hear Read say she hit O’Keefe.

They also tried to plant doubts in the jury’s mind about the overall investigation, getting several witnesses to say they never heard Read say she hit O’Keefe, nor did they see dozens of pieces of her broken taillight at the scene, evidence which prosecutors say shows she backed into him.

David McGlynn

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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