A key witness, Jennifer McCabe, resumed her testimony for a second day in the retrial of Karen Read, recounting the hours leading up to the death of Read’s boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, and the moment his body was discovered in the snow. McCabe, a mother of four, is a central figure for both the prosecution, highlighting Read’s behavior that morning, and the defense, which aims to suggest wrongdoing by others present at a nearby residence.
McCabe was present for the key events of the night: a gathering at a bar before a snowstorm, an after-party at her sister’s house, and the subsequent search for O’Keefe, whose body was found on her sister’s lawn. Prosecutors presented McCabe’s firsthand account of these events and described Read’s “hysterical” state the following morning. However, the defense is expected to cross-examine McCabe to raise questions about the involvement of individuals inside her sister’s home at 34 Fairview Road, suggesting a cover-up in O’Keefe’s death and framing Read. Read maintains her innocence, claiming she is a victim and that law enforcement officers present at the home killed O’Keefe.
McCabe testified that while she saw Read’s SUV parked outside her sister’s house, O’Keefe never entered the residence. Her text message to O’Keefe inquiring about their arrival went unanswered.
