DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — After 23 days of testimony and 38 witnesses, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has rested its case against Karen Read, and now her defense has begun to present its case to the jury tasked with deciding her fate.

Karen Read listens to testimony on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Read is standing trial for the murder of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, who was found dead in the snow outside of a friend’s home after a night out drinking. Prosecutors say Read hit O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV and left him to die, while her defense maintains her innocence and has argued she is the victim of a wide-ranging cover-up. Read’s first trial, in 2024, ended in a mistrial.

The sixth week of Read’s trial was shortened by the Memorial Day holiday, but had no shortage of drama as the prosecution’s final witness faced tough cross-examination.

Expert: Read Pulled Forward 34 Feet, Reversed 53 Feet

Dr. Judson Welcher, the Commonwealth’s final witness, was presented as an expert in crash reconstruction. He told the jury, “I have no dog in this fight. I don’t, quite frankly, care. What I’m trying to do is do a good engineering job, look at the data, and draw sound principles and conclusions from the data.”

Welcher said the data recorded by the Lexus’ infotainment module showed two trigger events: the first a three-point turn on Cedarcrest Road at 12:23:38 a.m., and the second a backing maneuver 11 minutes and 28 seconds later, which would place Read’s vehicle outside of 34 Fairview Road at 12:32 a.m.

Blue Paint Test

Part of Welcher’s work in the case involved him performing a test using blue grease paint and a replica Lexus that matched Karen Read’s. Video of the test, shown in court, showed Welcher himself standing in clothing similar to John O’Keefe’s while getting struck by the Lexus at 2 miles per hour. The defense challenged the test, noting that Welcher’s own report suggested that O’Keefe was hit at 24 miles per hour.

Welcher Suggests Lexus Could Launch to Space

As the cross-examination grew increasingly contentious, Welcher suggested the Lexus could have launched to space. Welcher said that as an engineer the idea was possible, though highly improbable; Read attorney Robert Alessi suggested, “Let’s get back to reality.”

The Commonwealth Rests

After weeks of testimony and dozens of witnesses, Hank Brennan showed one final clip of Karen Read doing a media interview before he rested the Commonwealth’s case-in-chief. The case was much more concise than the first trial, which featured 68 witnesses for the prosecution, compared to 38 for the retrial.

Will Karen Read Testify? “TBD”

Read’s defense began presenting its case to the jury on Friday morning after Judge Beverly Cannone denied their motion for a directed verdict. Read has told Court TV’s Matt Johnson that her defense for the retrial is “robust” and will feature several expert witnesses. When Matt asked whether she plans to take the stand, Karen would only say, “TBD.”