Key Karen Read witness Jennifer McCabe says she left information out in meeting with investigators

Defendant Karen Read approaches the judge for a sidebar discussion with her lawyers during her murder trail in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Following key witness Jennifer McCabe’s tense cross-examination by defense attorney Alan Jackson, Court adjourned for the day. Testimony in Karen Read’s trial will resume Friday.

“You claimed on direct examination today, as a matter of fact, that [Karen] Read looked at you at the scene and said the phrase, ‘I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,’ she said it three times, very distinctly, according to your testimony, correct?” Jackson asked. 

“She did, yes,” McCabe said. 

“That was so impactful that it had the effect of putting you in some sort of shock and horror, is that right?” Jackson said. 

“I was in shock the whole morning, but that statement definitely was a lot,” McCabe replied. 

Jackson went on to call the statement the “centerpiece” of McCabe’s testimony before providing a transcript of McCabe’s statements to a grand jury showing she did not tell the jurors she heard Read say , “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.” 

Jackson grilled McCabe on her conflicting testimony, pointing out the difference between Read’s alleged statement versus question with McCabe previously telling the grand jury Read asked, “Could I have hit him?”

Defense attorney Alan Jackson fired off questions at Jennifer McCabe during cross-examination, zeroing in on her recollection of events at 34 Fairview before John O’Keefe’s body was found in the front yard. 

McCabe testified that she left Brian Albert’s home with Matt McCabe, Julie Nagel and Sarah Levinson at around 1:45 a.m. 

“You would have driven directly adjacent to the area where John O’Keefe’s body was later discovered at 6:03 a.m., correct?” Jackson asked. 

“Yes, correct,” McCabe said. 

Jackson pointed out the vehicle - a GMC Yukon - had automatic headlights, which would have illuminated the area as the group pulled out of the driveway. 

“Did you see anything out of the ordinary on that lawn as you drove by in that SUV?” Jackson asked. 

“No, because I wasn’t looking at the lawn,” McCabe said. 

“You certainly did not see John O’Keefe, dressed in dark clothing, laying prostrate in the lawn,” Jackson said. 

“No, I did not,” McCabe replied. 

McCabe testified she was engaged in a conversation with the other passengers in the car and did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions witness Jennifer McCabe during cross examination in Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Jennifer McCabe’s testimony resumed Wednesday afternoon with defense attorney Alan Jackson continuing to question McCabe on what she saw through the window of 34 Fairview. 

"It's fair to say that once you noted that the SUV, [Karen] Read’s SUV, was in front of [34 Fairview], you started paying some attention to it,” Jackson asked. 

“I went to the door a few times to look out,” McCabe said. 

McCabe testified she sent several texts to O’Keefe as she watched Read’s SUV pull in front of the home. 

Jackson grilled McCabe on her previous statement to investigators indicating she saw Read’s SUV five separate times as it was parked outside 34 Fairview, with McCabe insisting she does not remember the exact amount of times she looked outside. 

“But according to you, you saw the car in three different positions,” Jackson said. 

“Correct,” McCabe said. 

“So that’s at least three times to the door, correct?” Jackson asked. 

“Correct,” McCabe answered. 

McCabe went on to tell Jackson she went to the door a fourth time and noticed the SUV was gone and had a clear view across the front yard. 

“At no time did you hear anything, any noise that was unusual?” Jackson asked. 

“No, I didn’t,” McCabe said. 

“You didn’t hear any screaming?” Jackson said. 

“No,” McCabe said. 

McCabe went on to testify that she did not see John O’Keefe at any point, but did see tire tracks. 

“You certainly did not see [O’Keefe’s] body in the snow toward the flagpole,” Jackson asked. 

“No,” McCabe said.

Following a lunch break, testimony in Karen Read’s trial resumed Wednesday afternoon with defense attorney Alan Jackson continuing his cross-examination of Jennifer McCabe. 

Defense attorney Alan Jackson questioned witness Jennifer McCabe’s choice to ask Julie Nagel for a screenshot of a text from her brother, Ryan, saying he was outside 34 Fairview the night the group returned to Brian Albert’s home after a night of drinking. Ryan Nagel testified at Karen Read’s first trial that he was outside the home at the same time as Read. 

“At some point, you did become interested in exactly what time Ryan Nagel’s truck arrived, correct?” Jackson asked. 

“Yes, I did,” McCabe said. 

“As a matter of fact, you took it upon yourself to ask Julie Nagel, Ryan’s sister, to send you something, correct?” Jackson said. 

“Yes, I did,” McCabe said.

“What did you ask her to send you?” Jackson asked. 

“A text message,” McCabe replied. 

Jackson went on to ask McCabe about the possibility of her coordinating with witnesses as the investigation into John O’Keefe’s death remained ongoing, with McCabe insisting she asked for the screenshot for her own personal use. 

“This is another example of you coordinating information with other witnesses in this case, correct?” Jackson asked. 

“No, that is not correct,” McCabe said.

Karen Read listens to the testimony of Jennifer McCabe during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Judge Beverly Cannone called for a lunch break in Karen Read's trial, with defense attorney Alan Jackson’s cross-examination of key witness Jennifer McCabe set to resume Wednesday afternoon.

Key witness Jennifer McCabe testified on the temperament of Brian Albert’s family dog, a German Shepherd named Chloe, during cross-examination. Albert owned 34 Fairview at the time of John O’Keefe’s death. 

“Are you aware that the dog was not good with strangers?” attorney Alan Jackson asked. 

“It wasn’t good with other dogs, that’s what I know,” McCabe said. “So I could never bring my dog over there, that’s all I know about the dog.” 

Jackson looked to point to the dog’s reported aggressive behavior, “at least with other dogs.”

Defense attorney Alan Jackson zeroed in on the group of friends and family not being separated by investigators prior to their interviews with authorities while cross-examining Jennifer McCabe. 

“So the entire family and friend network that we're talking about - with whom you discussed all these events - everybody was entitled to and did coordinate their statements without any separation, and without any law enforcement oversight, correct?” Jackson asked. 

“I was with my family - my sister, my brother-in-law - it wasn't really a big group of us, as I've mentioned, about five or six people,” McCabe said. “I was in shock, I didn't know what had happened. They were just asking me what happened and questions like that, and I absolutely told them, but it was no story. There was no us being allowed to do it, that was my family.”

Jennifer McCabe answers questions from defense attorney Alan Jackson during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Defense attorney Alan Jackson went on to grill Jennifer McCabe on her choice to call the unnamed investigators back after they left her house to tell them she “had been untruthful with them,” with McCabe testifying she had forgotten to tell the authorities about the additional people she had reached out to.

Jackson pointed out that McCabe contacted Matt McCabe, Kerry Roberts, Peggy O’Keefe, her witness advocate at the District Attorney’s office and Brian Albert. Albert was the homeowner of 34 Fairview when John O'Keefe's body was found in the front yard.

McCabe then testified on the identities of the individuals at the Waterfall Bar and Grille on the night before O’Keefe’s death, with Jackson asking about Brian Albert and Brian Higgins physically engaging with each other at the bar.

As the group left the bar, McCabe told Jackson she prompted Karen Read to ride back to Albert’s home in her vehicle, with Read opting to ride with O’Keefe.

Karen Read's lead defense attorney Alan Jackson questions witness Jennifer McCabe during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Court resumed after a brief recess with defense attorney Alan Jackson continuing his cross-examination of Jennifer McCabe. 

Jackson questioned McCabe regarding conversations she had with law enforcement officers not affiliated with Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department. Upon being approached by the officers, McCabe testified they did not identify themselves before she consented to an interview inside her house. Shortly after sitting down with the authorities, McCabe testified that she told them she no longer wanted to answer their questions and the interview was suspended. 

Before leaving, the unknown authorities asked McCabe if she had spoken to anyone in the ten minutes between when they approached her and subsequently sat down for an interview. 

McCabe testified that she contacted her husband, Matt McCabe, and Kerry Roberts. 

“Is that why you contacted [Roberts]? To find out if, in fact, they had contacted her before you?” Jackson asked. 

“Yes,” McCabe said. 

Jackson went on to press McCabe on if she called Roberts before speaking with the investigators so the women could get their stories straight. 

“Your motive in calling Kerry Roberts at that moment before your interview was to ensure that your story would line up with her story, Ms. McCabe, is that right?” Jackson asked. 

“No, that is not,” McCabe responded.  

Karen Read and Jennifer McCabe appear in court during Read's second trial. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool; Josh Reynolds/New York Post via AP, Pool)

Defense attorney Alan Jackson began his cross-examination of Jennifer McCabe asking if McCabe had worked with the prosecution to prepare for her time on the witness stand in Karen Read’s second trial. 

“Was there any discussion about crafting your testimony in any way, to suggest a softer approach?” Jackson asked. 

“No,” McCabe said. 

“Did [special prosecutor Hank] Brennan take you through a series of questions, for instance, as almost a test run of questions that you might be asked either on direct examination or cross-examination?” Jackson asked. 

“No,” McCabe replied. 

Following Jennifer McCabe’s direct examination from special prosecutor Hank Brennan, Karen Read’s defense team began McCabe’s cross-examination.

Key witness Jennifer McCabe testified that in the hours after finding John O’Keefe’s body outside 34 Fairview, she began to remember exchanges she had with Karen Read in the immediate aftermath. 

“Did something significant come back to you about what happened earlier? What you heard?” Special prosecutor Hank Brennan asked. 

“Yes,” McCabe replied.

“And what is that?” Brennan said. 

“When Miss Read stated to myself and [Kerry Roberts], ‘I hit him, I hit him, I hit him’,” McCabe said. 

McCabe recalled calling state police with the information and was then contacted by Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who arrived at her home to take her statement. 

“I know I had said what Karen had said to me and then she had said, ‘I hit him, could I have hit him?’” McCabe testified. “I told them how she showed up at my house, I just basically gave them the events of that morning.”

Jen McCabe speaks on the witness stand as Judge Beverly Cannone listens in the background during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Jennifer McCabe went on to testify about the chaotic moments after John O’Keefe’s body was discovered outside 34 Fairview, telling special prosecutor Hank Brennan she got into a police cruiser with Karen Read in an attempt to calm Read down.

“She just kind of was all over the place,” McCabe said, referring to Read. “And then at one point, we saw them moving John towards the ambulance. And at that point, Miss Read started yelling to [Kerry] Roberts, “Go check on him. Are they working on him? Is he dead? Is he dead?”

McCabe addressed the Google search conducted on her phone, “hos [sic] long to die in the cold,” telling Brennan she performed the search at the direction of Read.

“At that point, myself and Miss Read got out of the car and she started yelling and pulling on me to Google ‘hypothermia’ and Google how long it takes for somebody, you know, to die in the cold.”

Brennan aimed to double down on a cell phone expert’s previous findings that while McCabe’s browser tab was opened at 2:27 a.m., the actual search was conducted at 6:23 a.m.

“Had you ever, ever attempted to search by hypothermia any time before that moment?” Brennan asked.

“That morning? No,” McCabe said.

Jennifer McCabe returned to the stand on Wednesday to continue facing direct examination from special prosecutor Hank Brennan.

Brennan began by playing McCabe’s 911 call from the moment John O’Keefe’s body was discovered in the yard of 34 Fairview.

“There’s a man unresponsive in the snow,” McCabe is heard telling the operator.

McCabe can be heard relaying information to the 911 operator regarding O’Keefe’s age and condition as commotion is heard in the background.

“I think he’s passed away,” McCabe whispered.

Judge Beverly Cannone called Court into session Wednesday morning, with special prosecutor Hank Brennan set to call key witness Jennifer McCabe to continue her direct examination.

Karen Read listens to testimony during her murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Libby O'Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Judge Beverly Cannone denied a motion from the prosecution Tuesday to block key defense experts from testifying in defense of Karen Read at her retrial on murder charges in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe.

With dozens of text messages between experts at the ARCCA crash reconstruction firm and defense counsel unaccounted for, and missed discovery deadlines, Cannone said she understood the prosecution's complaints but ruled against them anyway.

"I understand completely the commonwealth's argument, the ambush that has been set upon here," she said. "However, a defendant's right to a fair trial is paramount to everything. So I'm going to allow the ARCCA witnesses to testify. I'm going to allow what I expect will be a very robust cross-examination."

Tuesday marked a week since opening statements, but the experts' report is not expected to be finalized until May 7, more than two weeks after the start of the trial. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan called that unfair to the state, but Cannone denied his motion to block the experts from testifying.

The ARCCA experts are expected to bolster the defense claims that Read's SUV never collided with O'Keefe.

Read the full story here.

Jennifer McCabe testifies on the witness stand in Karen Read’s trial in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Pool)

Jennifer McCabe is set to testify in Karen Read’s second murder trial on Wednesday, following a half day on the stand facing direct examination from special prosecutor Hank Brennan. 

McCabe is a central figure in Read’s case and a key witness for the prosecution. She is the sister-in-law of Brian Albert, the owner of 34 Fairview when Boston police officer John O’Keefe’s lifeless body was found in the house’s front yard on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022. 

McCabe testified she was with Read and O’Keefe while the friends were bar hopping in the hours before O’Keefe’s death. The defense has said Read called McCabe the next morning to tell her O’Keefe never returned home after Read dropped him off at 34 Fairview, but McCabe testified yesterday the pair arrived in the driveway but never entered the house. 

Read, McCabe and Kerry Roberts frantically searched for O’Keefe in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, only to find O’Keefe’s lifeless body lying in the front yard of 34 Fairview and covered in snow. 

The timing of the infamous internet search, “hos [sic] long to die in the cold,” originating from McCabe’s cell phone has been a contentious topic within the investigation and trial. 

Earlier this week, the prosecution brought cell phone data expert Ian Whiffin to the witness stand to testify that while the internet tab had been opened at 2:27 a.m. - between the hours of O’Keefe’s last movement - the actual search was conducted  at 6:23 a.m., after O’Keefe body was discovered.