Former Canton police officer takes stand in Karen Read trial

Karen Read listens to testimony during her trial, Monday May 5, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Following a tense line of cross-examination between defense attorney Alan Jackson and retired Canton Police Lieutenant Paul Gallagher, Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed Court for the day. Gallagher is set to resume his testimony on Tuesday morning.

Paul Gallagher, a retired Canton Police Lieutenant, holds up a broken cocktail glass that was found in the snow near where John O’Keefe’s body was found outside 34 Fairview. (Pool)

Paul Gallagher, a retired Canton Police Lieutenant, testified he used a leaf blower to reveal the crime scene outside 34 Fairview, noting how the weather was deteriorating with snow quickly piling up within the crime scene. 

“I started with low speed and began whisking away the snow,” Gallagher said. “Then I saw how it was uncovering those pink spots [and] would become brighter red. So I verified it was frozen or coagulated blood at that time. And so out of the abundance of caution, I decided that was something we may want to collect.” 

Prosecutor Hank Brennan played two videos of Gallagher using the leaf blower at the crime scene, depicting how effective it was at revealing John O’Keefe’s blood on the snow. 

Gallagher also defended his choice to use red Solo cups to gather the blood-splattered snow to be taken as evidence. 

“[The cups] weren't going to get soggy,” Gallagher said. “They were large. I needed a small sample. My thought was, because [the blood] was frozen or coagulated, that we could collect it, transport it and transfer it to the crime lab, who could extract the DNA however they saw best fit.” 

Brennan noted a broken cocktail glass could be seen buried in the snow next to where O’Keefe’s body was found. Gallagher testified that he handed the glass off to another officer at the scene and did not see it again until it was moved from an evidence locker to the forensic unit. 

Gallagher went on to produce the glass inside the courtroom and held it up for the jurors in Karen Read’s trial.

Prosecutor Hank Brennan called Paul Gallagher, a retired Canton Police Lieutenant with nearly 33 years of experience in law enforcement.Gallagher was called to 34 Fairview on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022 regarding reports of an unconscious man in the snow.

Given the ongoing blizzard, Gallagher loaded up his personal vehicle with gear - including a tent to cover the body in the event the person was deceased - and drove to the crime scene.

Gallagher was the highest ranking officer upon arriving at 34 Fairview, testifying that the Canton Police Department was the only responding agency at the scene and John O’Keefe had already been transported to the hospital.

Brennan questioned Gallagher on what he saw when he located the area where O’Keefe’s body was found.

“Well, it was marked out with crime scene tape at that time,” Gallagher said. “And, what I saw was pink blood, and it was in a circular pattern.”

Following a lunch break, Karen Read's trial resumed Monday afternoon with the state calling Paul Gallagher, a retired Canton Police Lieutenant.

Karen Read listens to testimony during her trial on Monday, May 5, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Following paramedic Katie McLaughlin’s testimony on the witness stand, Judge Beverly Cannone called for a lunch break in Karen Read’s trial on Monday.

Katie McLaughlin, a paramedic/firefighter with the Canton Fire Department, points to defendant Karen Read, in Dedham, Mass., on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Paramedic Katie McLaughlin and defense attorney Alan Jackson sparred over a tense exchange during McLaughlin’s cross-examination during Karen Read’s trial. 

Jackson questioned McLaughlin about whether she disclosed to investigators that she knew Brian Albert’s daughter, Caitlin Albert, socially. McLaughlin testified that she told the district attorney’s office she knew Caitlin before Read’s first trial only after she began getting harassed online. 

“How was that harassment and insinuation if it hadn't been disclosed at the first proceeding?” Jackson said. 

“Because it's out there everywhere on the internet and has been before the first proceeding,” McLaughlin replied. 

Jackson pushed on, zeroing in on McLaughlin not mentioning the friendship during Read’s first trial, despite her saying she told investigators after she became the subject of online harassment. 

“If you hadn't testified at the first proceeding, at which point it was revealed how could you have ever suffered any harassment for it?” Jackson asked. “It wasn’t disclosed yet, Miss McLaughlin. Do you understand?” 

“I don’t think you understand,” McLaughlin fired back. 

Jackson went on to press McLaughlin on how well she knows Caitlin, confirming with McLaughlin that the pair had traveled with the same groups and attended events throughout the years.

Katie McLaughlin, a paramedic/firefighter with the Canton Fire Department, tells the jury Monday, May 5, 2025, in Dedham, Mass., that Karen Read repeated to her "I hit him. I hit him," on the night in question. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Katie McLaughlin, a paramedic with the Canton Fire Department, was called to the witness stand by prosecutor Hank Brennan. McLaughlin was one of the first responders on scene when John O’Keefe’s body was found in the front yard of 34 Fairview. 

McLaughlin testified that the paramedics did not sound the ambulance siren upon arriving at the home and she was unaware Brian Albert and his family lived inside 34 Fairview at the time. McLaughlin testified that she grew up with the Alberts' daughter, Caitlin Albert, and knew her socially, but she denied having a close personal relationship.

Upon arriving at the area where O’Keefe’s body was found, McLaughlin testified that she began gathering information from Karen Read. 

“I asked if there had been any significant trauma that happened that preceded this and she answered with a series of statements, that she repeated: ‘I hit him, I hit him’,” McLaughlin said. “There was a woman next to us who told her to calm down, ‘Stop talking, calm down, you're hysterical.’ She repeated, ‘I hit him’ and a police officer asked her, ‘You what?’ And she repeated it again, ‘I hit him,’ and the officer then signaled for his sergeant to come down to the scene.”

Following a morning recess, prosecutor Hank Brennan called Sarah Levinson to the stand as the state’s next witness. Levinson was visiting 34 Fairview with Julie Nagel on the night of Jan. 28, 2022 and is a longtime friend of Brian Albert.

Levinson testified that she left the home with Nagel, Matt McCabe and Jennifer McCabe at approximately 1:30 a.m., noting the weather had deteriorated while the group was inside.

During direct examination, Levinson told Brennan she did not see anything outside 34 Fairview that stood out to her as the group was leaving.

As Karen Read’s defense attorney Alan Jackson began cross-examining Levinson, she testified she was approached by then-investigator Michael Proctor for an interview in October 2022, approximately nine months after John O’Keefe’s death.

Brennan then asked Levinson if she looked over at the flagpole area in the front yard of 34 Fairview as the group was leaving, with Levinson testifying she did not.

Heather Mason testifies on the witness stand during Karen Read’s trial on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Pool)

Key witness Heather Maxon was dating Ryan Nagel when the pair spent an evening bar hopping before driving to 34 Fairview to pick up Nagel’s sister, Julie, from the house.

Maxon testified she was in the backseat of the vehicle as they drove to 34 Fairview when she noticed a black SUV driving toward them and turning in the same direction they were also heading.

Maxon went on to tell prosecutor Hank Brennan she saw a woman behind the steering wheel with a man in the passenger seat as they were driving to 34 Fairview, but she testified that she only saw the woman when they were driving away minutes later. Maxon said she did not see anyone cross the front yard of the home while she was sitting outside in the driveway.

During cross-examination, Maxon testified that the group chatted with Julie for approximately five minutes before driving off and confirmed she did not see a man in the SUV as it was parked outside 34 Fairview.

Brennan concluded his redirect questioning of Maxon and the courtroom broke for morning recess.

Ryan Nagel takes the witness stand, in Dedham, Mass., during the Karen Read trial on Monday May 5, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Following the prosecution’s direct examination, defense attorney David Yannetti looked to clarify what key witness Ryan Nagel saw outside 34 Fairview while checking on his sister the morning before John O’Keefe’s death.

Nagel testified he noticed a black SUV outside the home, but only saw one person - a woman - inside.“You saw one person inside the car at that time?” Yannetti asked.

“Correct, sir,” Nagel answered.

“It was a woman with long hair in the driver's seat, correct?” Yannetti said.

“Correct, sir,” Nagel said.

“And she looked like she was alone?” Yannetti said.

“Yes,” Nagel replied.

After prosecutor Hank Brennan asked Nagel a few questions during the redirect examination, the state called Heather Maxon as their next witness.

Ryan Nagel takes the witness stand, in Dedham, Mass., during the Karen Read trial on Monday May 5, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Prosecutor Hank Brennan called key witness Ryan Nagel to the stand for direct examination. Nagel and a few friends drove to 34 Fairview shortly after midnight to pick up his sister, Julie Nagel, following a night of drinking with friends. 

After Julie declined a ride home, Nagel was waiting for his sister to walk inside 34 Fairview when he noticed a woman sitting in a black vehicle outside the home. 

“I saw that there was a woman in the driver's seat of the black SUV in front of me, sitting there with her hands on the steering wheel at 10 and two,” Nagel said. 

Nagel testified he never saw an individual standing at the front door or entering the side door of 34 Fairview. 

Following direct examination, Brennan concluded his questions and defense attorney David Yannetti began cross-examining Nagel.

Defense attorney David Yannetti kicked off testimony Monday morning by grilling forensic scientist Hannah Knowles on the scientific technicalities surrounding tests of Karen Read’s blood alcohol concentration from the night before John O’Keefe’s lifeless body was found in the snow.

“Would somebody’s age be a factor in determining the amount of water in their blood?” Yannetti asked.

“I don’t know,” Knowles said.

“Could somebody's gender affect the amount of water in their blood?”

Yannetti said.“Yes,” Knowles replied.

Knowles was assigned to prepare a serum conversion and retrograde extrapolation report pertaining to Read’s BAC on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, with the results finding her alcohol levels were 93 milligrams per deciliter - or 0.093% - at 9:08 a.m.

Following a short line of cross-examination, prosecutor Adam Lally began redirect questioning of Knowles, focusing on the difference between comparing blood serum and a person’s whole blood when performing a BAC test.Knowles was dismissed from the stand, with the prosecution calling Ryan Nagel as the state’s next witness.

Judge Beverly Cannone, presiding in Norfolk Superior Court for the Karen Read trial in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)

Judge Beverly Cannone has called Court into session, kicking off the third week of Karen Read’s retrial. Massachusetts State Police forensic scientist Hannah Knowles is first up on the witness stand, resuming her cross-examination following Friday’s testimony on Read’s blood alcohol concentration the night before John O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow outside 34 Fairview.

Karen Read arrived alongside her defense team at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Monday morning. State Police forensic scientist Hannah Knowles is set to continue her cross-examination on Read’s blood alcohol concentration from the night before John O’Keefe was killed.

Karen Read confers with attorney David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. (Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool)

The third week of Karen Read’s second trial is set to resume Monday with Massachusetts State Police forensic scientist Hannah Knowles continuing her testimony on Read’s blood alcohol concentration the morning after John O’Keefe was found frozen to death outside 34 Fairview. 

On Friday, the prosecution conducted a direct examination of Knowles, who was tasked with preparing a serum conversion and retrograde extrapolation report pertaining to Read’s BAC. 

Knowles testified the results indicated Read’s BAC was 93 milligrams per deciliter - or 0.093% - at 9:08 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022.

Read is currently facing a retrial for the alleged murder of O’Keefe. The prosecution is arguing she hit O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage after the pair spent the night bar hopping with friends, but Read’s defense team insists she is being framed in an elaborate scheme by law enforcement.