Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/Fpf2EGgVDzg

Day 13 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 9, 2025. Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik is back on the stand with Cross Examination and Defense Attorney Alan Jackson keeps cornering him about Proctor's true involvements. At one point he says that he gave evidence bag to someone but didn't know who.

A significant portion of the day involved reading text messages between Brian Higgins and Karen Read into evidence. These texts were described as potentially "flirtatious" and revealed details about Karen's relationship with John O'Keefe, her feelings about children, and the presence of ring cameras at O'Keefe's house. The defense aimed to highlight these texts to suggest the investigation should have looked more closely at Higgins.

Trooper Bukhenik was assigned to find the location of the Albert's dog, Chole, who was shortly rehomed after John O'Keefe's death. Chloe is supposed now named Cora but we are not sure if that is the same dog because they were rehomed twice after the Albert's. There were not transfer records, rehoming records, purchase records and the validity of the veterinary records are questioned because the dog's name and current owner were not on the document.

Alan Jackson asked if he was aware that there were more than 20 official police reports were not recorded for more than 100 days from the time of the event in question? There were 11 reports that were more than 300 days from the time of the event? Three reports were more than 400 days from the time of the event? Four reports were more than 500 days from the time of the event? The longest delay of any report in this investigation was 581 days? Bukhenik acknowledged that he was not aware of the exact dates and delays. He tried to explain that in a perfect world, reports would be written as events happen but implied there were reasons for the delays.

It was revealed during the cross-examination of Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik that there were significant delays in interviewing witnesses from Ricky D'Antuono's truck. While Ryan Nagle, who was also in the truck, was interviewed in February 2022, Ricky D'Antuono, who drove the truck, were not interviewed until September 2023. This is approximately a year and a half later!

The defense appears to be anticipating that the Commonwealth will not call certain witnesses (Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, Ricky D'Antuono, and potentially Trooper Proctor), and they are trying to introduce their desired information through Sergeant Bukhenik's testimony. Cross Examination continues on Monday.

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/Tag0fJcx9ZI

Day 12 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 8, 2025. Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik was the only witness to take the stand as he walked in with bins of evidence. There was confusion regarding John O'Keefe's sneakers being initially misidentified a being the one from from 34 Fairview versus from the hospital. Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan and Bukhenik talked briefly in the beginning about Proctor, calling him Mr. Proctor instead of Trooper Proctor but we know Defense Attorney Alan Jackson will call him Former Trooper Proctor.

Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik explained that there was an investigation against him due to failure to properly Supervise Michael Proctor. His punishment was that he lost 5 vacation days. He continues to work in homicide and has not been demoted from Sargent. When Bukhenik read the text message thread from Proctor, which contained horrible messages that he said he acknowledged with a thumbs up emoji, we can only image what was going through the jurors minds.

Bukhenik presented a video timeline of Karen Read drinking at CF McCarthy's and The Waterfall before we got to Cross Examination!

Sgt. Bukhenik refused to call Proctor the Lead Investigator of this case and said he was only a "Case Agent' and/or "Case Officer." He was questioned about the integrity of the investigation and whether Michael Proctor's involvement tainted it, to which he responded that the investigation was done with honor and integrity. When asked if Proctor handled the case with honor and integrity, Bukhenik relented and only said yes with integrity.

Access to evidence, specifically John O'Keefe's clothing, was discussed, noting that "anyone with a key card" had access to the room where it was stored for six days.

The timing and documentation of evidence collection, particularly clothing and items from 34 Fairview, were questioned. It was noted that reports about the searches weren't written until November 4th, 2023, despite the events happening in February 2022!

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/QZlJIBMCSsM

Day 11 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 7, 2025. It feels like Deja Vu for Emily because it is her birthday and last year she was covering Day 6 of the first Karen Read trial! The Prosecution's case said it would take 3 weeks and half to present their case and they are more than halfway through, but several key witnesses, such as Former Trooper Michael Proctor, have not yet been called.

Trooper Connor Keefe took the stand and displayed physical evidence, including pieces of tail light and a shoe, was shown to the jury. There was an issue with the evidence bag containing tail light pieces being marked as "two pieces" when there were actually three. Defense Attorney David Yanetti had an effective Cross Examination and Keefe tried to distance himself from Former Trooper Proctor or even say that he does good work. Yanetti pointed out that Keefe is a junior detective, and he was the only person who attended John O'Keefe's autopsy. It is usually the Lead Investigator that attends the autopsy and the fact that his partner, Trooper Bukhenik, didn't attend either is also strange. The fact that a fallen officer, John O'Keefe, was not treated with respect is baffling.

Jessica Hyde, the Digital Forensics Examiner, took the stand to take about the Cellebrite data of Jen McCabe and John O'Keefe's phone. She talked about the various tools she used to decipher the information and her opinion on the "Hos long to die in cold" Google Search began at 6:23:49am because that is when Apple Suggested Term gave her, "How long does it take to digest food." After that, is when other variations of search happens like "how long ti die in cikd" at 6:23:51am, 6:23:57am, 6:24:18am, & 6:24:47am. Hyde also explained that a browser tab cannot be deleted and that Jen McCabe didn't manually delete any calls from her log. The phone has a limitation that it only stores 200 calls records and from Jan 29 to February 1st, when her phone was imaged, she must have made over 200 calls because the older calls were being erased from the phone in order to store new incoming calls. This is believable because we've heard her make 5 calls in 10 mins when the FBI unexpectedly showed up at her house for questing. Another notable instance is that Jessica Hyde noted in her report that John's phone interaction is at 12:20am but Ian Whiffin's report showed that the phone was locked with a button at 12:32am. In Jessica Hyde's testimony indicated that John O'Keefe's phone did not appear to have been secured in a Faraday bag or placed in airplane mode, as evidenced by the fact that SMS messages and ring notifications were still being received on the phone. This raised concerns about whether the phone was properly handled and secured by law enforcement, as new information could potentially still be added to the device.

Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan played a clip from ID Docuseries, April 30, 2024, where Karen Read says, "Jen McCabe- It's me or her. Either I'm going down, Jen, or you are!” The implications of these statements and how the jury might interpret them are considered. The Prosecution can infer that Karen is using Jen as a scapegoat and with more videos he will use at his disposal, make it to where she has no choice to take the stand to clarify her statements.

The Prosecution is presenting a stronger case in this retrial compared to the previous trial. However, concerns are raised about upcoming testimonies, such as the accident reconstructionist and medical experts.

RESOURCES

Day 6 of the first Karen Read Trial -

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/r2vEF0vxG2w

Day 10 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 6, 2025. We finished up Cross Examination of Lt. Paul Gallagher, along with Re-Directs and Re-Cross. When he was clearing the area with the leaf blower, he never found a hat, a shoe, and red pieces of plastic tail lights. He was also questioned why he never got a search warrant to the premises of 34 Fairview Rd.

Meteorologist, Robert Gilman, testified next and talked about the ground being frozen, the amount of snow on the ground, and visibility conditions at the time of the incident. Defense Attorney Robert Alessi used this testimony to highlight the relatively little amount of snow and good visibility when John arrived at 34 Fairview Rd. The Meteorologist also brought up the concept of windchill to argue about the potential effect on O'Keefe's body and to question whether he could have died from the cold outside.

Video clips of Karen Read in interviews with media saying she could have clipped John in the leg were played tot he jury.

Trooper Nick Guarino was recalled to the stand for the final time to bring in timeline evidence of evidence of Karen Read's communication with John O'Keefe's cell phone around the time they arrived to 34 Fairview Rd. Missed calls, voice messages, and texts messages varied from angry and accusatory around midnight to panicked at towards the morning up until she found John O'Keefe's body. A key piece of evidence is that Karen Read's cell phone automatically connected to John O'Keefe's home Wi-Fi Router at 12:36am.

Lt. Charles Rae testified to going to 1 Meadows where John O'Keefe lived to do a wellness check on his niece and nephew. No one answered the door because by the time they arrived their, John's friends and family had already taken care of the kids. He was able to bring in footage from his dash cam showing Karen Read's SUV was at 1 Meadows and had a cracked tail light and some snow inside it.

Kevin O'Hara from SERT was brought in to testify about evidence recovery around 5pm on January 29th. Their focus was initially on the area near the road to avoid evidence being plowed away. Five to six pieces of tail light and a shoe were found near the curb line. O'Hara testified that a man in a hoodie from 34 Faireview came outside the house asked "Are you here for what happened earlier?" And O'Hara replied, "Yes." And then the person just went back inside.

Today's focus is on foundational testimony and evidence gathering, setting the stage for future discussions from accident reconstructionist. Though it was a less dramatic exchange between attorneys and witnesses than some previous days, how the jury will interpret the information, video clips and timeline presentation will impact the verdict.

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/CQm0FID9AXY

Day 9 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 5, 2025. We continue with Cross Examination and finishing up the testimony of Hannah Knowles from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory who explains the blood alcohol conversions and retrograde extrapolation, and how timing is critical in this case. Testimonies from Ryan Nagle, Heather Maxom, and Sarah Levinson provide insights into the events at 34 Fairview, including arrival times and observations of Karen Read's SUV. Sarah Levenson's surprisingly states never seeing the dog, Chloe, at the Albert's residence despite being friends with Brian Albert Jr. for many years.

Katie McLaughlin, the female EMT who Jen McCabe stated Karen read said, "I hit him" three time in front of took the said. She also said that she heard Karen read say, "I hit him," but it was four times. Cross-examination by Alan Jackson focused on the timing of these statements and used dashcam video to break down these interactions and how her testimony does match up with what is happening on the video. Unfortunately, Jackson spent a majority of the time trying to get a "gotcha" moment by trying to prove that Katie McLaughlin and Caitlin Albert are close friends but he was unable to recreate that moment from the first trial due Special Prosecutor allowing Katie to explain her acquaintance relationship with Caitlin ahead of the Cross Examination. Jackson did manage to impeach Katie based on her words of first trial where she said that she knew of a girl by the name of Caitlin Albert that went to her school but that victory was short lived because he tried to being in picture evidence that kept being objected and sustained by Judge Cannone.

Last witness of the day, Lt. Paul Gallagher, worked for the Canton Police Department at the time of the John O'Keefe's death and was the site supervisor. His testimony reveals issues with evidence handling and a lack of reports. It was his decision to use a leaf blower on the snow to uncover evidence, put blood found in the snow in Red Solo Cup and then transport them in Stop & Shop bags and found and handled the shattered drinking cocktail glass. Lt. Gallagher never wrote a report about his methods or even logged evidence with the blood he transferred. Questions about the chain of custody and why crucial information regarding Karen Read's statements was not relayed to the site supervisor. We also learn that Lieutenant Gallagher was not interviewed until just before the previous trial on April 3, 2024 by the Prosecution. We will resume with Cross Examination on Day 10. Stay tuned as we continue to follow the Karen Read Retrial and provide detailed breakdowns of each day's proceedings.

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS

Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to https://honeylove.com/LAWNERD! #honeylovepod #ad

Jury selection begins today, May 5th, for the Diddy trial! Get the details on expert witnesses, defense team changes, and what to expect in this federal case. You might remember Dr. Donna Hughes from the Depp v Heard trial. She is an expert witness in the Diddy trial and her testimony has been limited. Remember, this hearing will not be televised but court reports inside will provide updates on various online platforms.

Bryan Kohberger has a sealed hearing coming up. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was for discussion for a plea deal. Testimony about “Busy Eyebrows” are allowed to come in and the judge denied motions to remove the death penalty. The court revealed a possible timeline of events or the night of the murders and surviving witnesses' experiences. There is also a possibility that the hearing will be postponed due to the defense needing more time and being unable to adequately represent the defendant.

The trial of Donna Adelson is continued due to more digital evidence being turned over. We don’t have a new date yet. Kouri Richins trial continues to be put over indefinitely pending an appeal for change of venue.

Week 2 of the Karen Read Retrial has just finished and is moving full speed ahead with week 3’s coverage. This gavel to gavel ride has been wild so far. The Emily Show channel and audio podcast has been providing Daily Case Briefs with key points and analysis of that day to keep you in the loop if you don’t have time to watch the whole trial day. If you haven’t experienced a live stream trial, now is the best time to hop on to The Emily D. Baker YouTube channel! I provide on the spot analysis and answer your questions in real time! I can’t wait to see what Former Trooper Proctor’s testimony will be and how the Prosecution will explain away his actions as the Lead Investigator.

RESOURCES

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Retrial Daily Case Brief Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFdNnRZUqH615L7OogpsbPNCPQBFXtJCd

Kouri Richins Change of Venue Hearing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzw2nF2Xayk

YSL / Young Thug RICO Case Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gLrrA5-0W1pG9P5S7Xk6Vpo

Depp v Heard Trial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gLVeg1x2AInDBfPU6-ffnD0

Bryan Kohberger Motions Hearing -

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/W1usvKtssDo

Day 8 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on May 2, 2025. The majority of the day revolved around the continued cross-examination of Jen McCabe by Alan Jackson. Her testimony is described as "incredibly difficult" and "evasive," with her struggling to answer direct questions. I break down what is and isn't a hostile witness since a lot of Law Nerds were wanting to know if it fits this situation.

Group text message from Matt McCabe said, "Tell them the guy never came in the house," is highlighted, and Jen McCabe explains that "the guy" refers to John O'Keefe and that the "them" are the news reporters.

McCabe is questioned about Google searches, particularly "hos long to die in cold," with discrepancies in her timeline and explanations. The 2:27 AM Google search time is also discussed, and McCabe claims she does not recall doing a search around that time.

Jen McCabe was also caught calling her sister, Nicole Albert, the homeowner at 34 Fairview Rd, at 5:07am, after speaking over the phone with John O'Keefe's niece. The call log shows that they spoke for 38 seconds but Jen denies speaking to her. Questions arise about why Jen McCabe did not go inside Brian Albert Sr's house (a first responder with CPR training) for help when John O'Keefe was found, instead making phone calls to her sister, Nicole Albert, after calling 911. Jackson even questioned why she didn't go in the house after finding a John O'Keefe on the lawn because her sister, Nicole, could have been in perils danger and wasn't answering the phone according to Jen. You must check out this episode to this to hear her explanations of this, butt dials, and all of the other discrepancies in her testimony.

The Re-Direct Examination, conducted by Special Prosecutor Brennan, focused on humanizing Jen McCabe and addressing claims of collusion among witnesses. In Re-Cross Examination where Alan Jackson brought up the issue of the suspended interview with federal agents.

Lastly, testimony of Hannah Knowles from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, regarding Karen Read's blood alcohol content (BAC), included the conversion from blood serum and retrograde extrapolation. Cross Examination of this witness will continue on Day 9.

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS

Watch the full coverage of the live stream on The Emily D Baker YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/UwnYctoUtyU

Day 4 of the Karen Read Retrial happened on April 25, 2025. I covered it on May 1st when court was not in session. The Jury went to view the property at 34 Fairview Rd where John O'Keefe was found dead. Special Prosecutor Hank wanted the jury to observe specific details at the scene, such as the Lexus, rear tail light, bumper height, flagpole, and fire hydrant. David Yannetti ended his instructions with, "you will do a proper investigation." Judge Cannone reread the Jury View instructions, reinforcing that jurors are only to observe and not conduct their own investigations.

Dr. Garrey Faller, Chief of Pathology at Good Samaritan, testified to the methods of testing blood alcohol levels. At Cross Examination, attorney Elizabeth Little made a key point that the Hospital at Good Samaritan is a medical lab, not a forensic lab, meaning the blood test was for treatment purposes, not forensic purposes. This might not matter to jury as much due the interview clips of Karen Read admitting to driving slower while intoxicated and that she had been adding shots to her drink because they were weak so she didn't have as many as the Commonwealth had accounted for.

Jason Becker, the Fire Paramedic, who arrived at the scene with Daniel Whitley to put Karen Read in a Section 12 Hold. Mr. Becker had a conversation with Karen Read about her "last word" or "last conversation" with John O'Keefe. The Prosecution was aiming for it to seem that it could be about a fight they had when she dropped him off at 34 Fairview Rd while the Defense was aiming for it to be that Karen read was concerned about the voicemails she left him that night. Jason Becker said that Karen read tried to show him her phone about missed called but he refused to go through her phone. Mr. Becker said he never heard Karen mention anything about voicemails.

Whether the jury believes that Karen Read was upset about her last words to John O'Keefe being a fight in the car, or her voicemails after she left him at 34 Fairview Rd, could impact acquittal of charges 1 and 3 which needs to prove intent. Remember, if there are two reasonable interpretations, the jury must pick the interpretation that leads to innocence.

RESOURCES

What You Need to Know About the Retrial - https://youtu.be/89Jpa8vz1RQ

Karen Read Retrial Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKOJlfL__9F027hlETVU-vo

Karen Read Trial - 2024 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsbUyvZas7gKUeCUzApgsEuQRXu5IXeTS