Watch Live: Karen Read trial resumes with defense crash expert back on stand

CBS News

09-06-2025

The Karen Read trial is likely entering its final days inside a Massachusetts courtroom as Dr. Daniel Wolfe, a defense crash reconstructionist for engineering consulting firm ARCCA, returns for a second day of testimony.
You can watch testimony live on CBS News Boston when it begins at 9 a.m. by clicking on the video player above.
Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton. The defense argues O'Keefe was killed during a fight inside the home, then dragged outside.
Wolfe first took the stand Friday for questioning from Read's attorney Alan Jackson and was later cross-examined by special prosecutor Hank Brennan. He was still on the stand when court ended for the day and is returning for re-direct questioning to start the day Monday.
What is ARCCA?
ARCCA's testimony has been a contentious issue dating back to Read's first trial and throughout pretrial hearings for the subsequent retrial.
The witnesses were hired as part of a now-closed federal investigation into the handling of the case. It was later revealed ARCCA, despite being presented in the first trial as witnesses not hired by the defense, sent a bill to Read's lawyers for nearly $24,000.
During a pretrial hearing, the prosecution also said Wolfe deleted text messages with the defense, which the crash expert said he does routinely for his job.
The defense played video video in court on Friday from ARCCA's testing. The video showed what happens when a taillight collides at various speeds with a dummy arm.
"Based on the test results, [the damage] is inconsistent with striking an arm," Wolfe testified.
On cross-examination, Brennan questioned Wolfe's credentials, and also highlighted that the dummy arm used for testing was lighter than O'Keefe's arm.
Karen Read trial latest
When she dismissed jurors for the day on Friday, Judge Beverly Cannone said the case is beginning to wrap up. Read previously told reporters that the defense would likely rest its case on "Tuesday, give or take." Attorneys in the case are unable to say how many witnesses are left because they are under a gag order.
"I'm told that we're nearing the end of the case," Cannone told the jury on Friday.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Her first trial in 2024 ended with a mistrial due to a hung jury.