Karen Read defense takes aim at scientist's DNA testing, hair discovery in police investigation
incoming update…
On Wednesday, Maureen Hartnett of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab testified she found broken glass, scratches and at least one dent on the back of Karen Read's vehicle, as well as blood and debris recovered from John O'Keefe's clothes.
She also swabbed the evidence that Canton Police collected in red Solo cups, although she testified that it had never been tested. As a result, she couldn't even identify it as blood.
Hartnett collected samples for additional testing but testified that she did not perform testing herself. That was someone else's responsibility.
She also testified she could not rule out that any of the damage to Read's SUV happened before Jan. 29, 2022, the morning O'Keefe died.
The red substance, described as "red-brown" by the time she saw it, was collected by Canton Police from the front lawn at 34 Fairview Road under a dusting of snow at the spot where investigators believed O'Keefe had been found.
"I think you test it anyway, even if there is no chain of custody, just to contextualize the case," said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD investigator who is following the case. "If there was a fight inside the house, presumably O'Keefe would've fought back. If the blood in the snow came back to one of the Alberts or Higgins, if you're the defense, you're doing backflips."
Read the full story here.
Karen Read's trial is resuming Thursday morning with Massachusetts State Police forensic scientist Maureen Hartnett set to return to the witness stand for cross-examination.
Hartnett testified yesterday regarding her testing of DNA evidence from the crime scene at 34 Fairview Road, telling defense attorney Alan Jackson the blood samples collected in red Solo cups were never tested by the police lab.
Read is facing murder charges and the possibility of life in prison for the alleged killing
of Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The prosecution, led by attorney Hank Brennan, alleges Read struck O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage and left him to freeze to death in a blizzard. Read's defense claims she never struck O'Keefe on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022.
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