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After the Verdict: follow the civil cases and later developments ↗
THE DAY AT A GLANCEJanuary 29, 2022
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Massachusetts local time. Select an event for the fuller record. Approximate and disputed times are labeled; matching times do not establish the order of events.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 12:10 a.m.Colin Albert testified that he left 34 Fairview at this time.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:14 a.m.John texts Jennifer McCabe asking for directions.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:14 a.m.John answers a call from McCabe; she described giving him directions to Fairview.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 12:24 a.m.Whiffin places John's phone outside 34 Fairview Road, Canton, as John and Karen Read arrive in her Lexus SUV.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:27 a.m.McCabe texts John to ask whether he is there.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:29 a.m.John's phone records an answered, eight-second call from McCabe, according to Whiffin.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:31 a.m.McCabe texts John: “Pull behind me.”
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:31:56–12:32:16 a.m.John's phone logs 36 steps and an estimated 84 feet. This is an activity estimate, not a mapped route.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 12:32 a.m. · disputed alignmentWelcher describes about 34 feet forward, then reverse travel at roughly 74% throttle, reaching about 23 mph when recording ends. The clock alignment is disputed; this is not a recorded impact.
- Jan 29, 2022 · After about 12:32 a.m.No further Apple Health activity is recorded until after 6 a.m., Whiffin testified. This does not establish complete physical stillness.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:33 a.m.A “pocket state” entry appears in the phone data. Whiffin described a sensor check; the label does not identify what covered the phone.
Jan 29, 2022Calls and voicemails · after arrivalShow 5 timed entries
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:33 a.m. onwardRead repeatedly calls John's phone without an answer, according to Guarino's timeline.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:37 a.m.Read leaves an angry voicemail saying she hates John.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:59 a.m.In a voicemail, Read says she is with the children, asks where John is and insults him.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 1:10 a.m.Read leaves another angry message about being with John's niece and nephew.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 1:17 a.m.Read says she is going to Mansfield and accuses John of using her and being with another woman.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 12:36 a.m.Read's phone reconnects to John's home Wi-Fi, according to trial reporting.
Jan 29, 2022Phone battery readings · overnight through morningShow 8 timed entries
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:37 a.m.John's phone battery reads 72°F. The table shows lower readings later; these are battery temperatures, not air or body temperatures.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:45 a.m.John's phone battery reads 66°F.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:53 a.m.John's phone battery reads 61°F.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 1:07 a.m.John's phone battery reads 55°F.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 1:36 a.m.John's phone battery reads 50°F. No further readings appear in the displayed table until 6:06 a.m.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 6:06 a.m.John's phone battery reads 43°F, the first reading shown after the overnight gap.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 6:14 a.m.John's phone battery reads 37°F, the lowest temperature in the displayed table.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 6:35 a.m.The battery reading rises to 43°F; the table then shows 50°F at 6:40, 55°F at 6:48 and 61°F at 6:56 a.m.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:40 a.m.McCabe texts John: “Hello.”
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:42 a.m.McCabe texts John asking where he is.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 12:45 a.m.McCabe sends John another “Hello” text.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 1:30–1:45 a.m. · accounts differAs the McCabes drive Nagel and Levinson home, Levinson reports not seeing John in the yard. Nagel testified in the first trial that she saw an unidentified dark object near the flagpole. Darkness, snow and alcohol limited her observation; she did not identify a person. Departure estimates differ between the cited accounts.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 2:27 a.m. · disputed artifactWhiffin and Hyde attribute the earlier timestamp to Safari tab activity, not the cold-survival search. Green's first-trial analysis disagreed.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 2:40-3:40 a.m. · multiple passesLoughran reports multiple plow passes without seeing a person on the lawn. He described strong lighting but an obstructed view on a later pass. Timing and recollection were challenged.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 4:53 a.m.McCabe receives a call from John's niece, with Read asking about John, according to McCabe's testimony.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 5 a.m.Read calls Kerry Roberts. Roberts testified that Read said John was dead; this was a recalled statement, not a recorded call in this collection.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 5:07 a.m.Ring footage shows Read reversing beside John's parked Traverse. Welcher placed the contact below the upper taillight; the defense disputed his reconstruction.
- Jan 29, 2022 · During the morning search · before discoveryRoberts testified that Read pointed out her damaged taillight and asked whether she might have hit John. The exact time is not established here.
- Jan 29, 2022 · Around 6 a.m.Read, McCabe and Roberts find John unresponsive in the snow. McCabe calls 911, and the women attempt to help him.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 6:03 a.m.Read's final voicemail captures the emergency response, including McCabe's 911 call in the background.
- Jan 29, 2022 · After discovery · around 6 a.m.Nuttall and McLaughlin recalled Read saying she hit John. Read later said she had asked a question. The wording is disputed; this is not an agreed recorded confession.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 6:24 a.m. · expert interpretationHyde and Whiffin place the cold-survival search at this time. Hyde concluded that this search was not manually deleted; Green disputed the timing.
- Jan 29, 2022 · Morning · initial scene searchThe initial Canton police search recovered no taillight fragments, Bukhenik acknowledged. Gallagher described clearing snow with a leaf blower. Non-recovery in that search does not establish that no fragments were present.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 9:08 a.m.Hospital blood draw: serum ethanol is reported as 93 mg/dL. Knowles later estimates 0.14–0.28% blood alcohol at 12:45 a.m.; that estimate depends on conversion and elimination assumptions.
- Jan 29, 2022 · Morning · exact time not verifiedPolice speak with the Albert household. Bukhenik acknowledged that he did not search or photograph the interior or maintain a scene entry log.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 2:32 p.m.O'Hara receives a request for a SERT evidence search, according to his testimony.
- Jan 29, 2022 · Afternoon · before towingWitnesses report right-rear taillight damage in Dighton. Barros said Jackson's photograph differed from his recollection but agreed that Brennan's separately identified close-up was consistent. The extent and cause remain disputed.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 4:12 p.m. · corrected seizure timePolice seize Read's Lexus in Dighton. Trial reporting distinguishes this corrected time from its later arrival in Canton.
- Jan 29, 2022 · 4:56 p.m.O'Hara arrives at Fairview. He described fresh snow but also no scene tape, barricades or police presence when he arrived.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 5:30 p.m.Bukhenik places the tow's arrival at the Canton police station driveway around this time.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 5:35 p.m. · clocks unresolvedThe Lexus enters the sallyport, in Bukhenik's recollection. Video questioning also cites 5:37:18; those clocks have not been reconciled here.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 5:45 p.m.SERT finds its first taillight segment. Bukhenik testified that he and Proctor were at the station then; this is his account of their whereabouts.
- Jan 29, 2022 · During the SERT search · exact time unverifiedSERT also finds John's sneaker near the curb. The reviewed account does not establish a 5:50 p.m. discovery time.
- Jan 29, 2022 · About 6:15 p.m.SERT suspends the search. O'Hara said more evidence might remain and offered to return.
Grouped entries retain their individual times and links. The full records include sources and competing accounts.
What this sequence does not resolve
The hardest objection is the injury evidence. Rentschler said the injuries and proposed movement did not support a Lexus strike. Laposata disputed a fall onto the lawn as the explanation for the head wound. The medical examiner left the manner of death undetermined. These are substantial problems for a confident reconstruction, not details we can dismiss because they conflict with our view.
Autopsy findings and injury mechanismsARCCA testing and disputed biomechanicsOur conclusion
We believe Karen Read struck John O'Keefe with her SUV and that the collision contributed to his death. That is our interpretation of the evidence. The jury acquitted her of the death-related charges, and significant evidence challenges our conclusion. We explain both what persuades us and what remains unresolved.
Why we hold this view, and the challenges ↗Evidence examined laterRecoveries, laboratory findings and custody
These dates identify follow-up recoveries or courtroom testimony, not when material was deposited or laboratory tests were performed.
- February 2022 · follow-up recoveriesLater searches and evidence-bag documentation
Additional material was recovered at Fairview after the initial SERT search.
Later recoveries were not all made during the original search or by the same personnel. This summary is not a complete chain-of-custody audit.
- May 14, 2025 · testimonyVehicle and garment examination
Hartnett described collecting material, examining clothing, and testing sampled vehicle areas for blood.
A negative test applies to the areas and method tested. Examination photographs and laboratory findings do not independently date damage or establish the injury mechanism.
- May 16, 2025 · testimonyThe reconstructed taillight
Vallier described physical fits connecting recovered plastic to the damaged taillight.
The reported physical fits of larger pieces do not establish that the microscopic clothing debris mechanically matched the taillight. The reconstruction retained a gap. The reporting places receipt of the clothing at the lab on March 14, 2022; Vallier could not account for its storage before then. A laboratory comparison does not establish the earlier chain of custody.
- May 19, 2025 · testimonyDNA and the hair from the Lexus
Laboratory witnesses described DNA results associated with a taillight sample and a hair.
Neither test dated deposition. Mitochondrial DNA does not uniquely distinguish one person from others in the same maternal line. The swab result was not a result from every recovered fragment.
- May 21, 2025 · testimonyClothing debris and glass comparisons
Hanley described comparisons involving plastic particles and separate groups of glass fragments.
Material consistency is not unique identification of every particle. Glass from different recovery locations must not be silently combined into a single matched source.
Court outcome Read was acquitted of the death-related charges and convicted of operating under the influence. Read the verdict
- E18 / Video described in testimony
Bar footage and departure
Bukhenik used surveillance footage to describe Read and O'Keefe's evening in Canton.
The bar layout is consistent with the C.F. McCarthy's setting in the cited courtroom reporting. We include this still as context for the evening's chronology. Its exact time and original recording have not been independently verified. A single frame does not establish how much anyone drank, their state of mind, or what happened later. - E22 / Witness testimony
Directions and arrival at Fairview
McCabe described giving O'Keefe directions and expecting him to join the gathering.
2024 exhibit 592 lists suggested routes, distances and estimated travel times. We show the table as route context, retaining its published redaction. These are route estimates, not GPS traces, proof of the route actually driven, or verified arrival times. - E04 / Witness testimony
McCabe's arrival messages
McCabe described sending arrival and parking messages while seeing a dark SUV outside the house.
- E01 / Expert interpretation
The recorded reverse maneuver
Welcher described reverse travel at about 23 mph when the recorded interval ended.
2024 exhibit 596 is a distance-calculation table, with a displayed cumulative reverse total of 97.35 feet. It is shown for comparison with the later testimony. This is not an independently verified travel distance, an impact recording, or the 2025 Welcher exhibit whose reverse-only interval remains unresolved here. - E02 / Expert interpretation
O'Keefe's final overnight Apple Health activity
Whiffin placed the last recorded overnight Apple Health activity at approximately 12:32 a.m.
Courtroom photograph from April 28, 2025, showing a location-data slide discussed during Whiffin's testimony. The slide limits its plotted coordinates to a stated accuracy of 10 metres or under. We show that selection alongside the record's accuracy limits; it is not the complete phone history or proof of a precise position. - E06 / Recorded communications
Overnight calls, texts, and voicemails
Jurors heard voicemails and were shown messages sent after O'Keefe stopped responding.
- E05 / Recorded communications
Read's phone reconnects to home Wi-Fi
Trial reporting places a connection to O'Keefe's home Wi-Fi at approximately 12:36 a.m.
- E03 / Expert interpretation
The phone battery-temperature record
Whiffin described the battery cooling from about 72 F at 12:37 a.m. to 37 F at 6:14 a.m.
The January 29 battery-temperature table shown during Ian Whiffin's April 28, 2025 testimony. It lists 72 F at 12:37 a.m., 50 F at 1:36 a.m., 43 F at 6:06 a.m. and a low of 37 F at 6:14 a.m., followed by higher readings. No readings are shown between 1:36 and 6:06 a.m.; we cannot fill that gap with a continuous cooling claim. These are internal battery readings, not air or body temperatures, and do not independently establish where the phone was. The blue highlight belongs to the presentation. - E33 / Witness testimony
The snowplow driver's observations
Loughran described multiple overnight passes without seeing a body; the timing and reliability of his recollection were challenged.
Brian Loughran testifying on June 4, 2025. We use the later courtroom photograph to identify the account discussed here. It does not show the overnight plow route, corroborate the estimated pass times, or establish which vehicle was outside the house. - E24 / Witness testimony
The early-morning calls to friends
McCabe and Roberts described calls from Read before O'Keefe was found.
Kerry Roberts being questioned on April 22, 2025. We place this later testimony photograph beside her account of the early-morning calls. It does not show a January 2022 call, establish its exact words, or resolve differences between accounts. - E07 / Video with expert analysis
The driveway contact on Ring video
Trial reporting describes Ring footage of Read reversing beside O'Keefe's parked Traverse and Welcher's contact analysis.
- E25 / Recorded communications and testimony
Discovery, 911 call, and attempted aid
The women found O'Keefe on the lawn, and the jury heard the ensuing emergency call.
Paramedic Timothy Nuttall demonstrates checking a carotid pulse during testimony on April 22, 2025. We include the courtroom demonstration as context for the emergency-response account. It is not a photograph of aid being administered to O'Keefe or an independent record of the discovery time. - E08 / Disputed witness testimony
Statements reported by first responders
First responders attributed affirmative statements about hitting O'Keefe to Read.
Katie McLaughlin testifying on May 5, 2025, in the retrial. This later courtroom photograph locates the source of one first-responder account. We do not treat it as a recording of the January 2022 words or as evidence that one recollection is more reliable than another. - E26 / Laboratory result and expert calculation
Hospital alcohol testing and extrapolation
Knowles estimated an earlier blood-alcohol range using a later hospital serum result.
Forensic scientist Hannah Knowles testifying on May 2, 2025. We identify the testimony behind the serum conversion and retrospective estimate. This photograph is not a laboratory result or a measurement of blood-alcohol concentration at the earlier time; the assumptions and range remain in the record. - E27 / Witness testimony
Police contact with the Albert household
Witnesses described conversations with household occupants rather than a forensic search of the home.
This photograph labeled 2024 exhibit 18 shows the snow-covered exterior and flagpole area in the trial collection. We use it for setting context only. It does not show police interviewing the household or establish what occurred inside, who entered, or whether the interior was searched. - E19 / Investigation testimony
The initial snow-covered scene search
Gallagher described clearing snow and collecting apparently bloodstained snow in plastic cups.
2024 exhibit 20A shows disturbed snow and an exposed patch of ground. We include the full photograph as scene context for the initial-search discussion. It does not date each disturbance, show the collection procedure, or independently establish which items were present before the search. - E09 / Disputed witness testimony
The taillight before towing
Witnesses described damage in Dighton before the Lexus was towed to Canton.
- E10 / Investigation testimony
The taillight recovery timeline
The Dighton observations, Canton arrival, and first SERT recovery, with our assessment of the sallyport planting allegation.
2024 exhibit 114 shows a red object in a snow-covered scene. We include it as visual context for the recovery discussion. The photograph is not a synchronized timestamp: it does not independently establish the first discovery time, the object's identity, or its earlier custody. - E29 / Video and witness testimony
Sallyport video orientation and custody testimony
The jury examined mirrored surveillance footage and a corrected orientation.
Courtroom photograph from May 12, 2025, showing footage identified by the source as the Canton Police Department parking lot on January 29, 2022. We distinguish this exterior camera view from the disputed sallyport view. It does not establish uninterrupted custody or resolve the interior video's orientation. - E28 / Witness testimony
Later searches and evidence-bag documentation
Additional material was recovered at Fairview after the initial SERT search.
2024 exhibit 328 shows an evidence bag whose handwriting records a February 10, 2022 collection and describes glass and plastic fragments. We retain the annotations as documentation to examine. A bag label is not a continuous custody record or independent verification of the recovery account. - E32 / Witness testimony
Albert-family accounts and overnight calls
Family members described the gathering and denied seeing O'Keefe enter the house.
- E35 / Laboratory testimony
Animal-DNA testing of two clothing swabs
Kun reported no canine DNA and detected pig DNA in the submitted swabs.
Teri Kun testifying in the first trial on May 15, 2024. We identify the testimony about the submitted clothing swabs. This photograph is not a DNA result and does not enlarge the scope of that testing to the wounds or the entire garment. - E31 / Witness testimony
Higgins: messages and telephone handling
Higgins was questioned about communications, movements, and disposal of a phone and SIM card.
Brian Higgins testifying on May 24, 2024. We place this first-trial photograph with the account of his communications and telephone handling. It is not an image of an extracted message, the discarded phone, or proof of either side's account of its disposal. - E20 / Court outcome
The first trial ends in a mistrial
The first jury did not return a verdict. A mistrial was declared on July 1, 2024.
Karen Read and attorney David Yannetti outside court after the mistrial on July 1, 2024, as identified in WBUR's caption. We distinguish this procedural outcome from the verdict returned at the 2025 retrial; expressions in this photograph do not establish guilt or innocence. - E37 / Court outcome
The appellate decision allowing retrial
The Supreme Judicial Court allowed the case to proceed after the first mistrial.
Cover page of Read v. Commonwealth, SJC-13663, decided February 11, 2025, from a publisher-hosted copy of the opinion. We link the complete decision for its reasoning. The cover identifies the proceeding and date; it is not a factual finding about the cause of O'Keefe's death. - E17 / Disputed expert interpretation
The disputed Safari search timestamp
Experts disagreed over the meaning of a 2:27 a.m. artifact associated with a later cold-survival search.
2024 exhibit 618 explains the components of a search URL. We use this earlier explanatory slide as context for interpreting browser artifacts. It contains no timestamp establishing when the search occurred and does not decide the competing timing interpretations summarized here. - E30 / Laboratory testimony
Vehicle and garment examination
Hartnett described collecting material, examining clothing, and testing sampled vehicle areas for blood.
2024 exhibit 161 shows the damaged taillight on a vehicle inside a garage. It accompanies the examination record, not the pre-tow account. Neither this view nor the exhibit sticker dates when the damage occurred. - E11 / Laboratory testimony
The reconstructed taillight
Vallier described physical fits connecting recovered plastic to the damaged taillight.
2024 exhibit 403 shows labeled lens sections arranged on a taillight housing. We use this view to explain the physical-fit discussion, alongside the separate view of the open region. The arrangement does not establish when the pieces broke or how they reached the recovery scene. - E34 / Recorded messages and testimony
Proctor's messages and their admission at the retrial
Messages were admitted through a recipient, with a limitation tied to the investigator's state of mind.
Jonathan Diamandis testifying on June 2, 2025. We distinguish his testimony about Proctor's messages from an original message record. This photograph contains no message text and does not independently establish evidence tampering or the absence of it. - E36 / Expert interpretation
Russell's opinion about the arm wounds
Russell attributed the arm-mark pattern to a dog; the prosecution challenged her analysis.
Dr. Marie Russell under questioning on June 3, 2025, following her opinion testimony the previous day. We use this later courtroom photograph alongside the account of her methods and cross-examination. It is not an injury photograph, a DNA finding, or proof of a particular animal or mechanism. - E40 / Expert interpretation
ARCCA test configurations and cross-examination
Wolfe described controlled tests; cross-examination examined how their conditions differed from a person.
Alan Jackson holds an assembly identified by the source as a 2021 Lexus SUV taillight while questioning Daniel Wolfe on June 6, 2025. We distinguish this courtroom object from the test apparatus and the case vehicle's recovered assembly. The photograph does not establish the test configuration or validate its results. - E21 / Court outcome
The June 18, 2025 verdict
Read was acquitted of the death-related charges and convicted of operating under the influence.
Karen Read embraces her parents after the June 18, 2025 verdict, according to the source caption. We use the photograph to mark the courtroom outcome. The returned verdicts, summarized in this record, are the basis for the legal result; a reaction photograph is not a verdict form.
