Jennifer McCabe, a key witness in the Karen Read trial, finished testimony on Friday after several hours on the witness stand for cross-examination from defense attorney Alan Jackson in Norfolk Superior Court. Read is facing trial for the second time in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. O'Keefe's body was found in the snow outside Brian Albert's home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton.

Prosecutors say Read hit him with her SUV after a night of drinking. Read's attorneys argue O'Keefe was killed during a fight inside the home then dragged outside. According to Read's attorneys, McCabe played a central role in what they describe as a coverup.

"I would maybe use the word quarterback," Read said when asked about McCabe outside court Friday. The defense has been painting McCabe as a master manipulator, reading texts to show McCabe coordinated stories between friends and family to frame Read. Jennifer McCabe tense cross-examination ends It was McCabe's third day on the stand.

On Friday afternoon, Jackson asked her about what happened after she called 911, the morning that O'Keefe's body was found. McCabe said she called her sister, Nicole Albert, twice. She said that her sister did not answer the phone.

Jackson questioned McCabe whether she knew if anyone on the property knew CPR or had any life-saving training that could help O'Keefe. "Yes, my brother-in-law Brian Albert," McCabe said. Brian Albert was a Boston Police officer at the time.

Jackson then asked McCabe if she was concerned Brian and Nicole might be hurt after discovering O'Keefe's body on the lawn and seeing no lights on or movement in the house. "I didn't because your client was screaming she hit him, she had a cracked taillight. She was crying, she hit him, I didn't because my focus…." McCabe said before being interrupted by Jackson.

"You had solved the crime right then and there. You solved the whole case?" Jackson said.

"No, I didn't. I knew that John hadn't come in the house, so I had no concern for anyone's safety inside the house," McCabe answered. "The reason you didn't go inside the house was because you knew better.

You knew better! You knew that she wasn't in peril. You knew that Brian Albert wasn't in peril.

You weren't worried at all about them. Were you?" Jackson said.

"I wasn't worried at all because something happened on the front lawn that had nothing to do with anything inside that house," McCabe explained. "You weren't worried about them at all because you knew what really happened," Jackson said. "At that moment, I didn't know that he was hit by a vehicle and that there was taillight found next to him," McCabe finished.

Jackson ended his cross-examination of McCabe after the intense exchange. Jennifer McCabe's Google searches Another key piece of evidence in the case is McCabe's Google search about how long it would take for someone to die in the cold. Prosecutors say the search happened just after 6 a.m. at Read's request, while defense attorneys say McCabe made the search at 2:27 a.m., hours before O'Keefe's body was found.

McCabe maintains that she googled O-Zone basketball and Hockomock sports that night, but denies googling how long to die in the cold at that time. "Are you asking me if I made a Google search at 2:27?" McCabe said.

"Yes," Jackson said. "I don't know what time I was searching for Hockomock sports and O-Zone [basketball]. I have no idea what time that was," McCabe explained.

Jackson alleged that McCabe asked Kerry Roberts, a friend of O'Keefe's, to corroborate her story about the Google search. "You instructed Kerry Roberts to say that she heard that Google hypothermia statement from my client before she testified at the grand jury, didn't you?" Jackson said.

"No absolutely not. I never instructed her to do anything," McCabe answered. "You wanted some witness to back up your story about this Google search, correct?"

Jackson said. "No absolutely not. It was said.

Karen said it. It's that simple," McCabe said. Jen McCabe group chat with family, friends Text messages also took center stage during Friday's hearing.

The defense showed a string of messages from a group chat with Jennifer McCabe and her husband Matt, as well as Brian and Nicole Albert. The group discussed a news reporter who was at Chris Albert's pizza shop. Matt texted the chat and said, "Tell them the guy [O'Keefe] never went in the house."

McCabe then later said, "If she [Karen Read] pleads out, it will end; if she fights, it will be an episode." "I don't know what would make them think I'd plea to anything," Read said outside court Friday. "Because I didn't do anything."

The prosecution presented texts from that time period that painted a different picture. "I have that awful feeling in my gut like I am about to puke. Besides seeing the awful image, trying to wrap my mind around what happened to him," McCabe sent.

"There's nothing nefarious" She and Jackson went back and forth in the morning session about when specifically McCabe said she saw certain things and when certain phone calls were made. "Ms. McCabe, we can do this all day. Would it refresh your recollection to look at a copy of his notes?"

Jackson asked, regarding former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor's notes from his interview with McCabe. "No I wouldn't," McCabe said. Tensions were high as Jackson tried to poke holes and find inconsistencies in McCabe's testimony.

"There's nothing nefarious. I remembered who I called. I didn't go back and look at phone records", McCabe said.

"I didn't say it was nefarious. Why would you use the word nefarious?" Jackson replied.

"Because there's nothing about me calling my sister that is nefarious, and I feel like you're insinuating it might be and it's not," McCabe said. Jennifer McCabe on the stand during the Karen Read trial in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 2, 2025. Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise via AP, Pool Who is Jennifer McCabe?

McCabe first took the stand on Tuesday for direct questioning from special prosecutor Hank Brennan. Jennifer McCabe is Brian Albert's sister-in-law. Brian Albert lived at 34 Fairview Road at the time of O'Keefe's death with his wife, McCabe's sister Nicole Albert.

Jackson began cross-examination of McCabe on Wednesday and was still on the stand when testimony ended for the day. There was no court on Thursday. Jackson cross-examined McCabe on Friday.

Then Brennan had the opportunity for redirect questioning of McCabe before Jackson could recross-examination. McCabe finished her testimony Friday afternoon. McCabe and Kerry Roberts joined Read to search for O'Keefe on January 29, 2022 when he did not come home.

The women found him near the flagpole in the yard of Brian Albert's home around 6 a.m. and called police. Read was later charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. She has pleaded not guilty.

McCabe testified that she heard Read say "I hit him, I hit him, I hit him" with a first responder nearby at the scene of O'Keefe's death. Jackson attempted to show that McCabe never told a grand jury that information during her testimony in April 2022. Legal analyst on McCabe's testimony During Read's first trial, Jennifer McCabe's cross examination was a big moment.

WBZ Legal Analyst Katherine Loftus weighs in on whether the defense landed the same punches this time. "She really didn't give in to a lot of the questions he was pushing her on," Loftus said. "And she's finally starting to give it back a little bit, so then he can escalate it.

And you know that's only helpful to the defense. Really." Karen Read trial live You can watch the Karen Read trial live every day, streaming on CBS News Boston or in the video above.

Typically, court starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. There's a morning recess around 11 a.m. and 45 minutes for lunch at about 1 p.m.