A second expert in smartphone forensics took the stand on Wednesday during Karen Read’s trial, testifying that Jennifer McCabe’s Google search related to hypothermia occurred after John O’Keefe’s body was discovered. This contradicts the defense’s previous claims.
Jessica Hyde stated with scientific certainty that McCabe used her iPhone at 6:24 a.m. to search “hos (sic) long to die in cold.”
According to her testimony, the defense is mistaken in asserting that this search took place at 2:27 a.m., which was hours before Read, McCabe, and Kerry Roberts reportedly found O’Keefe deceased in the snow on Fairview Road. The earlier timestamp corresponds to when McCabe initially opened the browser tab, not when she conducted the search.
That testimony supported earlier testimony from Ian Whiffin, a digital forensic expert from the firm Cellebrite, which makes some of the software and hardware that investigators use to look for information on phones and other devices.
Karen Read, left, listens to lawyers Robert Alessi and Hank Brennan during her murder trial on May 7, 2025. (Greg Derr/Patriot Ledger via AP/Pool)
But Keefe’s testimony helped prosecutors establish a firm timeline of when and where police found broken taillight fragments: in the snow-covered street in front of 34 Fairview Road, where O’Keefe and Read had been seen the night before.
Testimony is expected to resume shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday.
