Every second matters in Karen Read’s second murder trial.
That’s at least according to an analysis of crucial data from the Massachusetts’ woman’s Lexus SUV recorded the night before her Boston police officer boyfriend was discovered dead in front of another cop’s home.
Read, 45, is accused of striking John O’Keefe with the car in a drunken rage and leaving him to die during a massive snowstorm in January 2022. Her lawyers say she was framed for the death in an elaborate conspiracy contrived by Massachusetts police officers.
As the case entered it’s fifth week of witness testimony, prosecutors brought out digital forensics expert Shanon Burgess to lay out a timeline that potentially ties Read to the crime. It relies on clock data from Read’s vehicle and O’Keefe’s phone and a timeframe of about 10 seconds.
Read’s defense attorney’s have attempted to sow doubt about Burgess’ integrity, as they seek to paint a broader picture for the jury of an investigation into O’Keefe’s death riddled with bias, incompetence and deceit.
The testimony comes at a point where jurors have already heard about a bombshell admission Read allegedly made to first responders, the damaged state Read’s vehicle was in after O’Keefe’s death and DNA evidence left on items at the crime scene.
The Norfolk County case marks the second time Read has been tried for O’Keefe’s death. A trial in 2024 ended in a hung jury. It spurred a years-long whodunnit legal saga that has fixated true-crime fans across the country, spurring an array of podcasts, movies and television shows.
