Karen Read’s defense gets a boost from ‘Cannon’ test, revealing taillight damage that matches glass thrown at her

Karen Read’s legal team is nearing the end of the case for her defense with crash reconstruction expert Dr. Daniel Wolfe called to the stand Friday.

Kathie Wolfe was on her 28th day of a retrial for charges related to the death of her ex-boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, aged 46.

Wolfe is the director of accident reconstruction at a firm called ARCCA. 

Karen Read and John O’Keefe together in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Karen Read)

Special prosecutor Hank Brennan’s attempt to prevent Wolfe and Dr. Andrew Renstchler from testifying before the trial’s commencement was unsuccessful.

During the initial trial that resulted in a hung jury, Wolfe testified that the damage on victim Read’s SUV did not align with a collision with O’Keefe.

Karen Read attends her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Libby O’Neill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Read told reporters outside court Wednesday that her defense could rest as soon as next Tuesday. There was no court on Thursday.

She could face up to life in prison if convicted. Her first trial, in which the defense claimed she had been framed, ended with a deadlocked jury last year.