Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Karen Read Trial: 5 Controversial Moments in Cop Murder Case

Episode Date: May 2, 2024

The trial of Karen Read in Massachusetts has been one of the most divisive in recent memory. Read claims she's being framed for the murder of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe. But the Commonwealth says Read was driving drunk when she backed her SUV into O'Keefe during a blizzard in January 2022. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy details some of the things that have divided people most during the testimony of first responders in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.If you’ve used Incognito mode in Google’s Chrome browser, find out if you have a claim in a few clicks by visiting https://incognitoclaims.com/lctakeoverHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5CRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoAudio Editing - Brad MaybeGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@LawandCrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Karen Reed, thanks for coming, everyone. Love you, Karen. Karen Reed. Do you believe the witnesses so far have been truthful? Well, I mean, I just judged by the cross-examination from our attorneys, and you can make your own assessment on that.

Karen Reed on trial for murder in the death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe. She claims she's the victim of a police conspiracy. Karen Reed was framed. Her car never struck John O'Keefe. She did not cause his death. And that means that somebody else did. While prosecutors say there's no cover up. Defending Karen Reed is guilty of murder in the second degree,

striking the victim's door key for their car, locking him back onto the ground. I'm taking a look at why this case has so many people on the fence. Thanks for joining me for Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. The first week of Karen Reed's murder trial is underway, and so far, the jury has heard testimony from a handful of witnesses. To say this case has been divisive would probably be the understatement of the century. So many people believe that Karen Reed is innocent and that she has been framed for the murder of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe. The Boston police officer was found unconscious in the snow outside of a house on Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts on January 29, 2022. That house was owned by Brian Albert, another Boston police officer. On January 28, John O'Keefe and his girlfriend, Karen Reed,

were out and about. It was a Friday night. Surveillance video showed them at a bar. Then after midnight, they were supposed to go to Brian Albert's house to hang out with friends. But O'Keefe, according to the state's theory, never showed up. And it's just started to snow, and the pickup truck leaves from that home. As they pass by, they observe a female operator matching Bryce and Milly's description of the fact. From all of those people within that house that evening, none of them at any point in time was there to John O'Keefe come into the house. See the vehicle out front, they see the vehicle pull away,

and they just assume that they left, that no one was coming. The defense argues that Reed dropped O'Keefe off and then others at the house on Fairview Road killed him and that a family dog was actually involved in the murder. The evidence will show that what was not Christine was his right arm. You will take one look at that arm and you will conclude that a car did not cause those injuries.

The injuries to John O'Keefe's arm appear to be consistent with scratch marks and claw marks, marks that make it look as though an animal had attacked itself. But you won't have to rely just on your common sense when you look at those photos. You'll hear from an expert forensic pathologist who is world renowned, who has personally conducted thousands of autopsies. And he will testify that those marks are consistent with scratch and claw marks and bite marks from an animal, including a German Shepherd. You'll learn that on January 29th of 2022, Brian Albert's family dog, Chloe, was a German Shepherd. You'll learn that Brian Albert has admitted that this dog is not good around strangers. You'll learn that Brian Albert has admitted that this dog is not good around strangers. You'll learn that on January 29th of 2022, John O'Keefe would have been a stranger to

that dog. And you'll learn that Chloe had been the beloved family dog for the Alberts for seven years. The Albert family loved Chloe. Strangely, as we discuss this dog today, the Albert family doesn't have its beloved Chloe anymore. This is a Law & Crime Legal Alert and a Law & Crime YouTube Takeover. Google Incognito tracked users browsing data without their knowledge. Mass Tort Alliance, one of our legal sponsors, is helping users like you file for compensation because Google misled its users about the privacy of its incognito browser. If you've used Google Incognito anytime

since 2016, you can start your claim in less than 10 questions. Just log on to incognitoclaims.com slash lctakeover. So the defense says John O'Keefe was beaten up and attacked, likely by the Albert family dog, Chloe. We'll hear more about Chloe and her demeanor and where she is now later in the trial. I promise you that. The defense says the Albert home was never searched. So who knows if there was any evidence of a crime inside? The defense has argued their points in many, many pretrial hearings, and Karen Reed has an army of supporters who believe her claims. But the first officers and paramedics who arrived on scene described what they witnessed just after 6 a.m. on the morning

of January 29th. You can see from police dash cam video how snowy it was. It was a blizzard after all. The first officers and paramedics who arrived described what they saw driving to Fairview Road in that blizzard. And they encountered Karen Reed, Jennifer McCabe, and Kerry Roberts when they arrived. You can see Karen Reed running around in that body camera footage. The defense has questioned Officer Stephen Serif's account of what Karen Reed said that morning. He was the first officer to arrive on scene. You wrote in that report, quote, Karen Reed kept screaming, is he dead? Is he dead? She was severely distraught and not able to tell me what happened. Correct? That's correct. Yes. There was no limit to the amount of words that you could put on the page, correct? Defense attorney Alan Jackson continued to question Officer Serif about what he recalled Karen Reed saying right after O'Keefe was found in the snow. In the two times that you were asked to reflect back on exactly what happened that morning

on January 29th and January 30th, both times you attributed only three words to my client having been repeated continually in her distraught state. Is he dead? Right? Yes. And she wasn't saying that calmly. No, no. Matter of fact, you used the word she was severely distraught. Is that right? That's correct. When you say severely distraught, we saw part of that on your dash cam. She was emotional. Yes. Upset. Yes.

Focused on John. Yes. Trying to save his life. Yes. And asking, what was the question that she asked? Is he dead? Over and over and over, correct? Correct. Jackson then questioned Serif about his grand jury testimony two and a half months later.

In fact, on April 14th, 2022, months after this event, for the first time, you said, quote, and this is, these are your words. Tell me if I get them right. See, sorry, she, you know, this is my fault. I don't know. I don't know. She said, you know, I can't believe this happened. I mean, she kept asking if he was going to die, if he's dead. And, you know, I just basically said, you know, we're doing the best that we could. End quote. That's correct. Mary Roach? Yes. So in April of 2022, for the first time, you attributed the phrase, this is my fault. I can't believe this happened to my client. Correct?

That's correct. But nowhere in your official report did you say that. That's correct. And nowhere in your interview with Tupac Proctor the next day did you say that. That's correct. You think that was a pretty important omission on your part? It was an oversight. An oversight.

Yes, sir. On your part, it was an oversight, an oversight that a woman who you made contact with standing over the body of a fallen police officer said to you, this is my fault. Just missed that one. Yes, yes, I missed it. I didn't write it down. So these discrepancies are threads the defense is pulling on and things they've been discussing publicly for more than two years now, as they work to paint a picture that there's a massive cover up to protect the real killer or killers of John O'Keefe. On Redirect, the state asked Serif about what he said and remembered. And you were shown specifically some grand jury testimony from April of 2022, in which you indicated during that testimony that the defendant stated, this is my fault. Yes.

And is that based on your memory of what she said? Yes. And you also testified yesterday along those same lines, correct? Correct. What you testified to before this jury, as far as your memory, is that accurate as to what happens on that scene, January 29th, 2022? Yes.

Another reason supporters of Karen Reid believe her frame-up theory, she claims she was the only person who cared about trying to save John O'Keefe's life. You see her in that dash cam video with Kerry Roberts and Jennifer McCabe. Isn't it true that Jennifer McCabe pulled you aside while my client and Kerry Roberts stayed with John O'Keefe and began engaging you in a conversation? Yes. And she was providing some

sort of a narrative to you, correct? Correct. While the other two women are trying to save John O'Keefe's life, she's talking to you. For brief seconds, I would say. For brief seconds? Yes. You saw the dash cam video. It was several minutes on the dash cam video where she's standing and having a conversation with you. Are those the brief seconds? I don't know what time frame you're talking about. Right after you got there. Right after I got there.

Correct. Did you ever see Jennifer McCabe do anything physically to help John O'Keefe? No, I didn't see anything. Did Jennifer McCabe offer to you during that brief seconds that you described, this narrative that she was having, this conversation she was having with you, did she ever offer the fact that she was standing in front of her sister's house? No. Did she ever offer the fact that her brother-in-law, who lives in the house, is a first responder? Objection. Sustained. Were you apprised at any time while you were out there that the homeowner was the first responder?

Objection. Sustained. Sustained. Based on your observations between Karen Reed and Jennifer McKay, which one of those women appeared to be more focused on trying to save John's life in the moment? Objection. I'll allow it. Can you repeat the question, sir? Between Karen Reed and Jennifer McKay, which one of those two women, based on your observations, appeared to you to be more focused on physically trying to save John O'Keefe's life in the moment. At that point, it was Karen Reid. Now, very early on in this trial, we're in

week one, the defense is painting Jennifer McCabe as a major villain in their conspiracy theory. She is the sister-in-law of Brian Albert, the owner of the home at 34 Fairview Road. The defense is basically implying that Jennifer McCabe already knew that John O'Keefe was dead and the fix was in. The setup was in motion. Did you also see Kerry Roberts seemingly assisting in chest compressions? I don't remember who exactly it was, but it appeared that somebody was doing. What about the third woman, Jennifer McCabe? They were all around the body. Did you see Jennifer McCabe ever engage with John O'Keefe as he lay on the

ground and assist in any life-saving measures? I don't witness that. I don't, I don't recall. But you do recall my client engaged. Yes. Did Jennifer McCabe offer to you during that brief seconds that you described, this narrative that she was having, this conversation she was having with you, did she ever offer the fact that she was standing in front of her sister's

house? No. The defense has repeatedly brought up Jennifer McCabe and what she did or didn't do that morning. Did you see Jennifer McCabe approach that house at any point when you were on scene? No. Were you alerted at any point by anyone that she went into that house while you were on scene? No. Did you ever see Jennifer McCabe come out of that house with blankets or anything else that might comfort John O'Keefe?

No. What was your state of mind regarding whether there were any first responders in that house? I wasn't aware of that. Nobody told you? No. But the Commonwealth suggests the questioning by the defense is much ado about nothing. Now, prior to this call, did you know Kerry Roberts? No. Did you know Karen Reed? No. Did you know John O'Keefe? No. Did you know Jennifer McCabe? No. Based on what you've seen

as far as the dash camera, would you be able to differentiate between Jennifer McCabe or Kerry Roberts from that dash camera footage? No. While you were on scene, did you see anybody from 34 Fairview Road from that address come outside? No. In fact, Officer Saref said for the entire 90 minutes he was on scene that morning, no one came outside of any house on Fairview Road. It was early in the morning on a Saturday, and it was a blizzard. As far as comparing the demeanor of Karen Reed to Carrie Roberts and Jennifer McCabe, the Commonwealth pointed out through witnesses that not every person reacts to situations in the same way. You've been to other scenes in which there is a deceased person on scene, family members or

friends around. Yes. And of those other scenes, does everybody who's a friend or a family member of the person who is injured or deceased do they all react the same no is every single one of them screaming and yelling different things no and there are actually three women on scene that morning correct yes okay so there was jennifer mccabe there was a defendant miss reed and there was kerry roberts correct correct and uh did you see any uh blood on miss roberts's face or hair? No. Was she screaming and yelling things and moving around the scene? No. Now, as far as the residents in 34 Fairview Road, did you see anybody go in or come out of that residence during the time that you were on scene? No. And as far as any of

the other residences on the entire rest of the street, did you see any of the neighbors or anybody else come outside at any point in time? I did not. The Commonwealth contends that Karen Reed hit John O'Keefe with her SUV and was putting on a show for police and paramedics, creating her own cover-up. Other officers and paramedics recalled seeing Karen Reid that morning. Now, as far as the defendant, Ms. Reid, what, if anything, do you recall her sort of doing as you're on scene and as you're going about what you're trying to do? She was screaming,

is that my boyfriend? Is he dead? When you say screaming in a fairly loud voice, correct? Very, very loud, yes. Officer Stephen Mullaney also described what Karen Reid's face looked like. Was there anything blocking your view of her face? Not that I recall. All right. You noticed, obviously, that she had blood on her face, correct? I did not notice that. You didn't notice that she had blood in her hair? I did not

notice that. You did notice that she was absolutely hysterical? Yes. And that morning, Reed had apparently made statements that raised concerns among some of the police and paramedics that she might be suicidal. Another paramedic recalled encountering Karen Reed that morning as well. And as far as your conversation with Ms. Reed, what if any questions asked in regard to the demographics or anything else? So do you have any information of who this is? How are they here? in regard to the demographics or anything else. So do you have any information of who this is? How are they here? Tried to get any type of information we could from her at that time,

but with no luck. When you say with no luck, what if anything, what if any response did you receive from Ms. Reed in regards to your question? So the only response that I was personally given was just, I hit him. I hit him. Oh, my God, I hit him. And when she's saying, I hit him, I hit him. Oh, my God, how loudly is she saying that?

So she was within two feet of me, but very loud. Any type of follow-up questioning? Did you hit him with your hand? Did you kick him? What happened? She just repeated the phrase over and over again. I hit him. I hit him. So these are just some of the reasons people are on the fence when it comes to this case. There are people who believe Karen Reed was drunk and backed her SUV into John O'Keefe and took off after they had a major fight and then later returned to fabricate a cover story. Others believe she's being framed by corrupt police officers, including lead detective Michael Proctor. Called Karen Reid names you would reserve only for your worst enemies. He told his friends that he hoped that she would kill herself.

He told his friends that he had seized her cell phone. And you will learn that he knew he shouldn't have been accessing any content on her cell phone. Because he knew there would likely be attorney-client communications on between Karen and me at that time. He knew that he was supposed to wait for a search warrant or other permission from a judge in order to go through that phone. But you'll learn that he went through the phone anyway without permission. And you'll know that he did because he told his high school buddies that he was searching her phone for nude photos of Karen Reed. And he was disappointed he hadn't found any yet. That is the professional and unbiased investigator who was chosen to lead the investigation into the death of John O'Keefe.

In the end, it will be up to the jury to decide what the truth is in this case. And we'll keep on top of it for you. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with us. We'll see you back here next time.