Karen Read murder trial livestream video: Thursday, May 16

Crime

Colin Albert testified Wednesday that there was no animosity between him and his former neighbor, murder victim John O’Keefe.

Livestream via NBC10 Boston.�

On the stand:

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The Karen Read trial returns for a half-day Thursday with the highly anticipated cross-examination of key witness Colin Albert.�

Albert testified Wednesday that there was no animosity between him and his former neighbor, John O’Keefe. He described O’Keefe as “a nice guy, a good guy.”

Albert also maintained he never saw O’Keefe the night of Jan. 28, 2022, up to and including the point he left his uncle’s house at 34 Fairview Road at 12:10 a.m. on the 29th. He estimated he returned home around 10 minutes later.

Prosecutors have previously said O’Keefe’s cellphone data indicates he arrived at 34 Fairview Road at 12:24 a.m. They allege Read, 44, struck O’Keefe with her SUV sometime after the couple pulled up to the house, leaving him mortally wounded in the snow.

However, lawyers for the Mansfield woman argue that O’Keefe was actually beaten inside the home, and they’ve sought to implicate Albert in their third-party culprit defense.�

The defense previously asserted there was “bad blood” between Albert and O’Keefe, alleging that Albert angered his former neighbor by throwing beer cans into O’Keefe’s bushes and cutting through his yard without permission. Testifying last week, Albert’s father, Chris, disputed allegations of hostility between O’Keefe and his middle son.�

In addition to their allegations of a physical altercation, Read’s lawyers have also suggested O’Keefe may have been attacked by the Albert family’s pet dog, a German shepherd named Chloe. Yet Teri Kun, a forensic scientist with the University of California, Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory Forensic Unit, testified Wednesday that swabs taken from a shirt in the murder investigation turned up no signs of canine DNA.�

Defense attorney Alan Jackson pointed out that Kun’s lab did not receive the actual item of clothing for testing, only swabs submitted by the Massachusetts State Police.�

“You’d agree that your analysis of those swabs is only as good as the starting material with which you have to work?” Jackson asked.

“That would be correct,” Kun replied. “I only have the swabs to test. That’s the only thing I can talk about.”

“So the integrity of any DNA testing has to start foundationally with the proper recovery techniques for what’s being tested, what goes on the swab?” Jackson asked.

“I have no idea how the agency collected the swabs,” Kun answered.