The murder trial of Karen Read, the woman accused of striking her Boston Police Officer boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowbank in Canton in January 2022, enters its fifth week of testimony on Tuesday morning.
Good morning from day 18 in the Commonwealth vs. Read.
-ATF Agent Brian Higgins is expected back for a 2nd day
-Minor children could be called today. The court has ordered they not be shown on named.
-Today is the only day of the trial this week.
-30k flyover of Friday… pic.twitter.com/ZiBPjEKXxE
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) May 28, 2024
Brian Higgins, one of the men the defense claims is involved in a cover-up of O’Keefe’s death, is expected to take the stand once again.
Higgins is an ATF agent who was at 34 Fairview Road in Canton in the hours before and after O’Keefe’s body was found. The defense has long suggested he and others are part of a cover-up to frame Read.
During his testimony Friday, we learned he and Read exchanged flirtatious text messages but they stopped communicating immediately after O’Keefe’s death.
In one of the messages shared in court, Read texted Higgins, “You’re, hot.” “Are you serious or messing with me?” Higgins replied. “No, I’m serious,” Read wrote. “Feeling is mutual. Is that bad? How long have you thought that?” Higgins asked.
‘You’re hot’: ATF agent Brian Higgins testifies about flirtatious texts he exchanged with Karen Read
Higgins also said Read kissed him outside of O’Keefe’s house, telling the court, “As we were walking out, the defendant planted a kiss on me…Not like a friend.”
Higgins went to 34 Fairview Road, where Brian Albert lived, after being at the Waterfall bar with O’Keefe and Read. He testified that he didn’t see O’Keefe’s body on the front lawn when he left sometime before 1 a.m.
Higgins was also questioned by the defense as to why he went straight to the Canton police station in a blizzard after leaving the Alberts. He said it was to move vehicles.
During the trial Friday, the prosecution suggested Read had moved on from O’Keefe, but the defense suggested Higgins felt snubbed by Read.
“I’m not proud of these text messages, but I take responsibility at the same time,” Higgins said. “John was a friend.”
Higgins’ phone records also show a call from him to Albert, with the defense accusing Higgins of destroying his phone.
Tuesday will be the only day of testimony in the trial this week.
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