The Karen Read murder trial reconvened on Friday in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, as the seventh week of the trial came to a close. Read stands accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV after a night of drinking on January 29, 2022. Prosecutors allege that she ran over O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV while making a three-point turn outside a house party at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, before fleeing the scene during a snowstorm. The party was hosted by former Boston police officer Brian Albert.

During Friday's proceedings, the prosecution called Jessica Hyde to the stand. Hyde, a digital forensics examiner from Hexordia, a company specializing in digital forensics training in upstate New York, testified about the time stamps and Google search history of Jennifer McCabe, who was with Read during the search for O'Keefe in the snowstorm. McCabe had previously been questioned about a Google search she made on the morning of January 29, 2022, after finding O'Keefe's body. Prosecutors claimed that the searches were conducted at 6:23 a.m. and 6:24 a.m., while the defense argued that the time stamp was actually 2:27 a.m., hours before O'Keefe was discovered.

Hyde explained to the court that the 2:27 a.m. time stamp could indicate when the search tab was initially opened or moved. She stated that the last search on McCabe's phone occurred at 6:24 a.m., emphasizing that there was no evidence of the search term being entered prior to that time. During cross-examination, Read's attorney, David Yannetti, asked Hyde if she could confirm whether a Google search had been conducted at 2:27 a.m. Hyde responded that she couldn't rule out something that didn't exist, likening it to searching for nonexistent evidence such as "pandas."

Following Hyde's testimony, Massachusetts State Trooper Joe Paul, a crash reconstructionist, took the stand. Paul explained the testing process conducted on Read's SUV and discussed the data retrieved from a server inside the vehicle. The data indicated that the SUV shifted from drive to reverse in front of 34 Fairview Road, slowing down to zero and then accelerating up to 24.2 miles per hour, covering a distance of 62.5 feet. Paul mentioned that the sudden change in speed aligned with the possibility of a pedestrian strike, consistent with O'Keefe's injuries.

Video footage was presented to the jury showing Paul testing the backup and 360-degree cameras on Read's SUV, demonstrating that they were fully functional. The defense did not cross-examine any of the forensic experts who testified on Thursday about DNA evidence linking O'Keefe to the SUV's broken taillight and a broken drinking glass found near his body. The defense claims that O'Keefe's DNA was planted and alleges that the lead investigator, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, tampered with the evidence. Tests showed that Proctor's DNA was not found on Read's taillight.

In a separate development, there were delays at the start of Friday's proceedings when the camera inadvertently captured a juror entering the courtroom during a sidebar with Judge Beverly Cannone. Subsequently, the camera stream was shut off for the morning session, and a Zoom feed was provided instead. Cannone met individually with four jurors before testimony began, and one juror was dismissed for personal reasons. The trial is scheduled to continue with full days of testimony on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and a half day on Friday, with the trial expected to conclude in the last week of June.

As the trial unfolds, Read's defense team prepares to present their case to the jury, while the prosecution anticipates resting their case by Tuesday. The trial, initially estimated to last 6 to 8 weeks, has been closely followed by the public, as the defendant pleads not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the tragic death of John O'Keefe.