Video, updates: MSP sergeant who investigated O’Keefe’s death takes stand in Karen Read murder trial

DEDHAM, Mass. — After a day off, one of the state police detectives who supervised the investigation into the death of John O’Keefe took the stand in the Karen Read murder trial. Read, 44, of Mansfield, is facing charges including second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, who was her boyfriend at the time. She has pleaded not guilty.

Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Yuriy Bukhenik brought evidence with him to show the jury, including the shirt, belt and other clothes, O’Keefe was wearing at the time of his death. While Trooper Michael Proctor was the lead investigator in the case, he worked alongside Bukhenik, his immediate supervisor.

Bukenhik testified that he and Trooper Michael Proctor first spoke to Karen Read at her parent’s home in Dighton.

Video was also shown of Read and her father arriving there earlier and walking towards the rear of Read’s Lexus

Bukenhik testified he and Trooper Proctor saw damage to Read’s right rear taillight before they had her Lexus towed to Canton Police headquarters. For the first time, the jury got to see how the defense says that damage occurred: Read is seen in this video backing out of O’keefe’s driveway – her Lexus appears to bump O’Keefe’s vehicle.

The jury also got to see video from a Canton bar – where Bukenhik noted Karen Read had six drinks before heading to another bar.

O’Keefe’s autopsy photos were also shown in the courtroom. John O’Keefe’s mother, who has been in the courtroom throughout the trial, briefly exited the room.

MSP forensic scientists Ashley Vallier and Christina Hanley also took the stand earlier in the day.

Bukenhik is expected to be back on the stand Wednesday morning.

• WATCH LIVE: Streaming coverage of Tuesday’s witness testimony begins at 9 a.m.
• Also streaming on Facebook, X, and YouTube
• Live court updates from Boston 25′s Ted Daniel

PLAY-BY-PLAY FROM DAY 20 OF TESTIMONY:

4:20 p.m.

• Court wraps for the day. Trooper Bukenhik will return to the stand on Thursday.

4:15 p.m.

• ADA Lally has Bukhenik count all the drinks Read had in her possession and he also showed the jury the bar tabs.

4:00 p.m.

• The jury is seeing video from C.F. McCarthy’s. The bar before the Waterfall. Lally is asking to note the glass. You can see Read and O’Keefe in the lower left corner:

3:30 p.m.

• ADA Lally shows Read backing out O’Keefe’s driveway at 5 am on the morning of January 29th. This is how the defense says Read cracked her right taillight:

3:00 p.m.

• As jury watches video, Bukhenik says yellow tape was placed around the vehicle to secure it:

2:45 p.m.

• Defense asks to see prosecution video of Read’s SUV in Canton PD sallyport before it’s shown to jury

2:30 p.m.

• Bukhenik says video from Rea’d dad house shows Readand her father pulling and looking at rear of Read’s vehicle where the taillight damage was. AJ Lally objects to Bukhenik’s inference of what they were looking at.
• Bukhenik says he and Trooper Proctor followed the tow truck with Read’s Lexus to Canton Police sallyport

2:10 p.m.

• Judge instructs jury that they are about to hear statements Read made to Trooper Bukhenik
• Bukhenik says Read told him she “got into a fight with Mr. O’Keefe over what the niece and nephew… had for breakfast” and “Mr. O’Keefe did not get into a fight or psychical altercation to sustain those injuries”
• Bukhenik says Read said O’Keefe did not go into 34 Fairview and she made a 3-point turn when she left. Bukhenik says KR said “I don’t know what happened last night” when he asked about damage to her SUV

2:00 p.m.

• Lally briefly displayed autopsy photos and had Bukenhik describe O’Keefe’s injuries

1:45 p.m.

• Court is back in session
• Bukenhik says “Absolutely not” when Lally asks him if any taillight pieces were placed in the evidence bags JO’s clothing was stored in

1:00 p.m.

• Judge calls for half hour lunch break.

12:45 p.m.

• Bukenhik says even as supervisor he doesn’t have access to the evidence room. He says 3 troopers have access.
• AJ objects when YB begins to explain his analysis of JO’s injuries. Judge sustains and says there needs to be foundation.
• Bukenhik tells ADA Lally he’s worked on “scores” of death cases involving head trauma. AJ objects and Judge strikes YB’s interpretation of the “pooling” around JO’s eyes.
• Bukenhik on injuries to O’Keefe’s right arm: “Each abrasion appeared to be linear and concentrated to a specific location on the arm.”
• Bukenhik brought a bag of evidence with him. Lally asks permission to show items of JO’s clothing
• Trooper Bukenhik shows the jury John O’Keefe’s t-shirt:

12:30 p.m.

• AJ objects to Lally’s questions about Trooper Bukhenik’s conversations with Sgt. Goode at Canton PD about what had transpired
• Trooper Bukhenik says he and Trooper Proctor went directly to “McCabe residence” after meeting at Canton PD
• Bukenhik says he interviewed Jennifer McCabe, Matt McCabe, and Brian Albert separately at the McCabe home. They then went to Good Sam in Brockton to the ER.
• Bukenhik tells ADA Lally: O”Keefe’es clothes “were positioned on the floor” of the hospital., including boxers, shirt, belt, lucky jeans, sweatshirt and one nike sneaker. Says he recognized “traces of vomit” on the clothing

12:15 p.m.

• MSP Trooper Yuriy Bukhenik takes the stand in the Karen Read murder trial
• Trooper Bukenhik says he’s supervised Trooper Proctor since Proctor arrived in the unit in September or October of 2019. He says Proctor was the on-call detective on 1/29/22 and he was the supervisor.
• Bukhenik says 10-15 inches of snow had accumulated in the morning so he took his personal truck (4wheel drive) and met Proctor at Canton PD at 9:15a.m.

12:00 p.m.

• On cross-examination, AJ asks about 3 items of glass that were “not a match with the cup”. “As you sit here none of the items on the bumper were deemed to match the cup” he says.
• AJ: “the cup was not found to match any items found on the bumper?” Hanley: “That’s correct.”
• Hanley confirms the only thing the glass on the bumper was consistent with is the glass submitted by Trooper Proctor.

11:30 a.m.

• Hanley analyzed the broken cocktail glass. She tells jury a piece found on Read’s bumper match glass collected at the scene.
• While Vallier testified how pieces of evidence matched structurally, Hanley focused on matching evidence based on its composition

11:10 a.m.

• Court resumes with ADA Lally calling Christina Hanley, a forensic scientist and supervisor with the MSP trace unit to the stand.

10:40 a.m.

• Quick redirect by Lally and then Vallier is excused. Jury says yes when Judge asks if they want morning break. Judge calls both sides to sidebar. Appears cordial, likely scheduling

10:30 a.m.

• Yannetti asks about multiple pieces of taillight submitted by Trooper Proctor in the days and weeks after O’Keefe’s death on January 29. Vallier confirms some pieces submitted by Proctor were larger than the ones found by another Trooper who searched on February 3

10: 20 a.m.

• During cross-examination Yannetti, asks about the chain of custody for the evidence Vallier examined. She says O’Keefe’s clothing was delivered to her on March 14 2022 (6 weeks after JO’s death)
• Yannetti asks: “You do not know what Micheal Proctor did or did not do with the t-shirt....? Vallier responds: “I do not.”

9:50 a.m.

• ADA Lally is going through every piece of taillight Vallier analyzed and asking about them.
• The image below is a partial reconstruction of the broken taillight from different pieces:

9:40 a.m.

• “Pieces c and d were found to fit together”, Vallier describes how she reconstructed the broken taillight and how pieces fit together.

9:20 a.m.

• ADA Lally begins by displaying pictures of broken taillight pieces on the screen and asking Vallier if she recognizes them. Vallier took the photos.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Three members of Massachusetts State Police took the stand on Monday, who were part of the investigation after John O’Keefe’s body was found and examined evidence.

Vallier started her testimony Monday but there was no court Tuesday.

Her colleagues, another forensic scientist, and a trooper who runs the SERT team shared what they found.

Lt. Kevin O’Hara led a search for evidence outside 34 Fairview Road more than 6 hours after the scene had been cleared.

O’Hara said the state police supervisor of detectives for the Norfolk DA’s office told him O’Keefe had been hit and dragged by a vehicle and directed him where to look.

The team reported finding O’Keefe’s missing Nike sneaker and 6 to 7 pieces of red and clear plastic taillight on the street near the curb.

Defense attorney Yannetti asked Lt. O’Hara if he had been aware the scene was left open to the public for hours before he was asked to search. He said he wasn’t aware of that.

WATCH DAY 19 OF WITNESS TESTIMONY:

Also inside the courtroom Monday, the jury saw John O’Keefe’s red, brown-stained clothing for the first time. That includes a gray and black sweatshirt and an orange colored t-shirt.

State police forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett said the screening tested positive for blood.

Hartnett testified she examined the clothes and Karen Read’s Lexus LX 570.

She pointed out damage on Read’s bumper, noted pieces of broken cocktail glass on the bumper, and a strand of suspected human hair on the right rear quarter panel.

The defense said Monday they are expecting to be able to start presenting their case in about a week and a half.

They expect to take about a week to bring witnesses to the stand.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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