(NewsNation) — Jurors in Karen Read’s murder retrial traveled Friday to the Canton, Massachusetts, property where her boyfriend was fatally injured and learned that Read’s blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit for a driver.
Read and John O’Keefe had been out partying hard the night before the Boston police officer was found dead in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022. A doctor testified that Read’s BAC was 0.093 hours after she allegedly struck and killed O’Keefe; the state’s legal driving limit is 0.08.
That testimony capped a big morning for the jury, which took a field trip to view the crime scene. The 18-person jury, along with the judge and attorneys, traveled by bus from the Dedham courthouse about 8 miles to Canton.
The home at 34 Fairview Road looked far different than it did in January 2022, when it was covered with snow. Prosecutors say Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die.
At the time of the fatality, the home belonged to Brian Albert, a friend and police colleague of O’Keefe’s. It has since been sold.
Prosecutors told jurors to take note of the house, the street and the yard. Defense instructions went even further, telling jurors to note the front doors of the house, the second-floor windows and the driveway and the distance between all of them.
Also parked at the house for jurors to see Friday was Read’s Lexus. The right rear taillight, which was broken after prosecutors say Read hit O’Keefe, had been completely removed. The field trip lasted a mere 15 minutes.
A juror who served in Read’s first trial — the members deadlocked, and a mistrial was declared — said the same trip taken by his panel was helpful.
“It helped to provide us some context and also an idea of the landmarks and where they were in proximity to each other,” Ronnie Estanislao told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Friday.
Read, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal collision.