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Karen Read defense floats theory that ‘jealous’ Brian Higgins fought John O’Keefe before death

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Karen Read defense floats theory that ‘jealous’ Brian Higgins fought John O’Keefe before death

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Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe’s 2022 death could have been the result of a violent love triangle involving an ATF agent and his girlfriend, suspected killer Karen Read, who began texting each other just weeks before he was last seen alive, her defense posited on Monday inside a courtroom in Dedham, Massachusetts.

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Read, now 45, is accused of killing her 46-year-old boyfriend, a Boston police officer, on Jan. 29, 2022. Police allege she hit him with the rear end of her Lexus SUV and drove off, incapacitating him and leaving him to die during a blizzard.

Read has pleaded not guilty and denied striking O’Keefe at all through her attorneys.

“You were just asked about your opinion whether or not there was a motive that you found for Brian Higgins to want to murder John O’Keefe,” defense attorney Alan Jackson asked Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik of the Massachusetts State Police. “I’m asking you a different question. Did you, in your mind, in your opinion, after having read those texts, find a motive for Brian Higgins, perhaps want to confront John O’Keefe because of jealousy?”

KAREN READ TRIAL REVEALS FLIRTY TEXT MESSAGES WITH ATF AGENT BEHIND BOYFRIEND’S BACK

Judge Beverly J. Cannone listens to the testimony of Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik of the Massachusetts State Police during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via AP/Pool)

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“If you’re asking for my opinion, my opinion is that he wouldn’t need to confront Mr. O’Keefe,” Bukhenik said. “Mr. O’Keefe was not the one pursuing Mr. Higgins. It was your client that was pursuing Mr. Higgins.”

On Friday, Jackson had Bukhenik read through a lengthy string of texts between Read and Higgins exchanged in the weeks before O’Keefe’s death, where they flirted, invited one another over, discussed a kiss outside O’Keefe’s house and frequently brought up heavy drinking. 

Read began the conversation, and Higgins’ response was to ask how she got his number and why she was reaching out to him. Read stopped responding a few days before O’Keefe’s death. Higgins, Read and O’Keefe were all present at the Waterfall Bar and Grille on Jan. 28, 2022, and Jackson asked Bukhenik whether surveillance video showed Higgins being aggressive toward O’Keefe.

STATE TROOPER POINTS TO POSSIBLE WEAPON IN JOHN O’KEEFE DEATH – AND IT’S NOT KAREN READ’S CAR

Defense lawyer Alan Jackson in court at the Karen Read trial.

Karen Read’s attorney, Alan Jackson during Read’s trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.  (Matt Stone/Boston Herald via AP/Pool)

That same night, Higgins sent two unanswered texts to Read. 

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“After weeks of communicating with Miss Read in a romantic manner, and then … seeing her walk in the door with John O’Keefe and sending the text message, ‘Umm. Well,’ after having been intoxicated, do you see that, detective, as an investigator, as a reasonable, objective investigator, as a possible scenario for Brian Higgins to be jealous about John O’Keefe?”

“There’s a possibility there, but I didn’t see it,” Bukhenik said.

“Did you explore that possibility?” Jackson said. 

KAREN READ’S GOOGLE TIMELINE DERAILED AGAIN AS 2ND EXPERT DISPUTES DEFENSE CLAIMS

Footage shown to the court at the Karen Read trial.

A video frame shows murder victim John O’Keefe, top center, at the Waterfall Bar and Grille in Canton, Mass., on Jan 29, 2022. The video was shown as evidence during the Karen Read murder trial on May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/Sun Chronicle via AP/Pool)

Bukhenik testified that he did not but said he relied on the “totality of the investigation,” which led to charges against Read.

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Bukhenik returned to the stand for his third day of testimony and spent hours answering questions. His testimony concluded at the end of the day and Judge Beverly Cannone told him he would not have to return on Tuesday.

Under re-direct examination from special prosecutor Hank Brennan, Bukhenik testified that green marks on the back of O’Keefe’s jeans looked like grass stains that he surmised had been sustained when O’Keefe fell to the ground after being struck.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Alan Jackson asked if grass stains could come from someone being dragged.

GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Police display evidence in court at the Karen Read retrial.

Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik holds up pants worn by John O’Keefe during testimony in the trial of Karen Read on May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa/Pool)

“My common sense dictates that it was not a drag mark because it would have linear characterizations, and it would be both buttocks that are engaged in contact with the ground while being dragged,” Bukhenik said.

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Earlier in the day, Bukhenik read text messages from former state Trooper Michael Proctor, who has since been fired over his off-duty behavior during the initial investigation.

During questioning by Jackson, Bukhenik confirmed that Proctor called Read “retarded,” said he hated her other defense attorney, David Yannetti, and wrote about searching her phone for nude selfies.

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Officer John O’Keefe poses for his official headshot

John O’Keefe (Boston Police Department)

Jackson also played video that appears to show Brian Higgins at the Canton Police Department headquarters about an hour after prosecutors say O’Keefe died.

Higgins was seen on surveillance video among a group of people at the Waterfall Bar and Grille along with Read and O’Keefe on Jan. 28. He also went to an after-party at 34 Fairview Road, a home owned by another Boston cop, Brian Albert.

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O’Keefe was discovered dead outside the following morning.

Multiple witnesses have testified that they heard Read repeatedly saying, “I hit him,” the morning Read and two former friends found O’Keefe dead under a mound of snow on Albert’s lawn.

Karen Read in court for a retrial for the death of John O’Keefe.

Karen Read sits with her defense team during her trial, May 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Charles Krupa/AP Pool)

After sending jurors to lunch Monday, Cannone held a quick voir dire hearing and ultimately said she would not allow Jackson to question Bukhenik about what he knew about the relationship between Proctor and relatives of Albert, including one of his brothers, Chris, who was also at the Waterfall on Jan. 28.

Read could face up to life in prison if convicted of the top charge, second-degree murder. She is also accused of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident. 

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Police have not accused Higgins of a crime, and prosecutors say Read is the only suspect in O’Keefe’s death.



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Maine

Maine youth detained after Chelsea double homicide

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Maine youth detained after Chelsea double homicide


A Maine minor was taken into custody and transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center on Wednesday after two bodies were discovered at a Chelsea residence.

At around 8:37 p.m., Maine State Police troopers arrived at the Windsor Road residence, and found two dead adult men, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.

The bodies were transported to the Maine medical examiners office, where autopsies will be conducted.

The male minor found at the scene was arrested at the Chelsea residence and charged with murder. He is being held at Long Creek Youth Development Center.

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Officials do not believe there is a threat to the public at this time. The investigation remains ongoing, and further information was not immediately available Thursday afternoon.



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Massachusetts

Massachusetts town looking into ICE facility zoning violations after teen described conditions

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Massachusetts town looking into ICE facility zoning violations after teen described conditions


The New England Regional Headquarters for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is supposed to be a processing facility where people stay for only hours, and the town of Burlington where the facility is located says that’s how it is zoned. “What I’m just concerned about is fair and humane treatment for anybody in Burlington,” said Mike Espejo, chairman of the Select Board, “and this doesn’t seem like that’s happening.”

Milford teen describes conditions

He tells WBZ-TV the case of Marcelo Gomes da Silva has shined a new light on what is allegedly happening behind the doors. “No one deserves to be down there,” Gomes da Silva told reporters when he posted bail last week. “You sleep on concrete floors, I have to use the bathroom in the open. It’s humiliating.” 

He described what he called inhumane conditions for six days, leaving the town now more than concerned. 

“We had no idea anything like that was happening,” said Espejo. It is why town officials are now gathering information on the scope of the operations inside the building and whether the ICE facility is violating local zoning laws. “We are checking with our legal counsel to see if we can do any type of zoning enforcement, or health code violation enforcement,” Espejo said. “Anything we can do to just make sure that people are at least being treated humanely.”

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Town was told no one held overnight

There was some opposition in the town when the facility first opened in 2008, but residents received assurances that no one would be held overnight. Espejo said they were told the same thing in recent weeks when local officials began inquiries amid rumors. 

In a statement ICE tells WBZ-TV, “There are occasions where detainees might need to stay at the Burlington office for a short period that might exceed the anticipated administrative processing time.” 

The statement goes on to say, “detainees are given ample food, regular access to phones, showers and legal representation as well as medical care when needed.” 

That’s not what Marcelo Gomes da Silva said he experienced. “I haven’t showered in six days. I haven’t done anything,” he said when he was released. 

Espejo says it’s a gray area for the town. “It’s a federal facility so we don’t know how much jurisdiction we have over it,” Espejo said. He says town officials feel misled about a building where they believed mostly paperwork was being done. 

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New Hampshire

Home of the Week: A 20-sided round house in Chatham, N.H.

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Home of the Week: A 20-sided round house in Chatham, N.H.


Home of the Week

This unique, 20-sided round house in Chatham, N.H., features energy-saving amenities, stunning views, and a wood interior.

The home is surrounded by fields, trees, and mountains. Joe Viger Photography

2222 Main Road, Chatham, N.H.

$939,900

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Style 20-sided, round house

Year built 2004

Square feet 5,006

Bedrooms 4

Baths 4 full

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Sewer/Water Private

Taxes $7,862 (2024)

There’s just 15 parking spots at the trailhead for the Baldface Circle Trail, a popular part of the White Mountain National Forest in Chatham — the one in New Hampshire, not the summer spa on Cape Cod.

Getting to the trailhead is just a short walk for anyone living at 2222 Main Road. This home has an interior inspired by the Appalachian Mountain Club high mountain huts and an overall design evocative of a French onion soup bowl, the kind with a handle.

In other words, the main home is a 20-sided round house (the bowl) linked by a hallway to a three-car garage (the handle). This custom-built, two-story home was designed to maximize natural light, panoramic views, and energy efficiency.

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The 10.5 acres that surround the home help sustain the local flora and fauna. About half the property is covered with fields of native wild grasses. Roughly 5 acres is old-growth forest with a mix of pine, oak, maple, and other native trees, with the mountain views beyond.

An aerial view of the fields and trees surrounding the home. – Joe Viger Photography

In other ways to support green living, the Hydro-Air heating system is more efficient than traditional forced hot air. There are two 1,000-gallon underground propane tanks, enough to ensure you could go all winter without having to fill up. There is more than 6 inches of insulation in all exterior walls to offset any heat loss from the home’s abundance of windows.

The home has an insulated three-car attached garage. – Joe Viger Photography

The roofline was built an extra foot beyond standard to ensure falling snow and water would not affect the foundation or siding. The garage is also insulated. This home would be a good candidate for solar to make it even more energy efficient.

Starting in the 807-square-foot garage, the connecting hallway begins with a 110-square-foot mudroom that has radiant heat ceramic tile flooring leading to the foyer. This 229-square-foot area has ceramic tile flooring.

Sunlight flows into the dining area, which seamlessly connects to the living room and kitchen. – Joe Viger Photography

The hallway ends with the beginning of the circle in the form of a massive open floor plan that combines the living, dining, and kitchen areas into 1,703 square feet. The flooring is oak and the ceiling is unstained knotty pine, tongue and groove style. The walls are the same type of knotty pine, but stained a shade darker, making them visually separate from the ceiling. These designs continue — with slight variations — throughout the home.

There are views from every window in the home. – Joe Viger Photography

Walls are windows at nearly every point on the compass as one moves across the common area that is completely free of any beams, walls, or other physical interruptions. The 1,137-square-foot living room has a working wood stove, and the 270-square-foot dining area has built-in cabinets.

The living room, which contains a wood stove, offers panoramic views. – Joe Viger Photography

The 296-square-foot kitchen follows and curves along with the exterior wall. In an ode to the Granite State, the countertops and backsplash are gray granite. There is a central island and two layers of cabinets made of stained knotty pine above ceramic tile flooring. The double bowl sink is underneath a window, and the appliances are stainless steel, including the propane gas range. The kitchen connects to a 424-square-foot pantry with built-in shelving. The laundry area is also in this space.

The kitchen continues the home’s wood theme, with stainless steel appliances. – Joe Viger Photography

The remainder of this level is occupied by what could be the primary suite — there is an alternative choice on the second floor — that includes a 302-square-foot bedroom. There are two large closets and great views out the window of the surrounding natural countryside. There is also a walk-in closet.

The first-floor bedroom has a ceiling fan. – Joe Viger Photography

The 55-square-foot full bath in the hallway features a double vanity with a laminate top, a knotty pine vanity, and a shower insert with a glass door. There is radiant floor heat in the ceramic tile flooring.

The second floor is reached by a stairwell just off the foyer. It leads to three bedrooms — all en suite — including one that could be the primary. This one is 420 square feet and located past an 865-square-foot second family room — where the views are outstanding.

The second-floor primary bedroom has a wall of windows. – Joe Viger Photography

This bedroom also has three large windows. The walk-in closet is 73 square feet, and the bath is 135 square feet, featuring an oversized ceramic tiled shower with glass door, laminate vanity top, and radiant heat via ceramic tile flooring.

The view is even available from the second-floor primary bathroom. – Joe Viger Photography
The walk-in closet for the second-floor primary bedroom is ringed by shelving and drawers. – Joe Viger Photography

The larger of the two remaining bedrooms is 340 square feet with a 95-square-foot bath featuring a shower/bath combination in a fiberglass insert, laminate vanity top, and radiant heat flooring. It’s the only bathtub in the house.

One of the second-floor bedrooms. – Joe Viger Photography

The final bedroom is 317 square feet with a bath of 67 square feet that has a fiberglass shower insert with a glass door and a laminate vanity countertop. The flooring again is ceramic tile with radiant heat.

Some information not visible to the naked eye: The septic system is double the size needed for a four-bedroom home. The well is 900 feet deep and tapped into a large water source. There are no power lines to obstruct the view; in addition to the propane tanks, the electric service from the road that connects to two 200-AMP panels also is underground.

The home has separate heating and central cooling for each floor. It can be rented to vacationers, according to the listing agent, Austin Hale of Badger Peabody Smith Realty in North Conway. As of press time, an offer on the home was pending.

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Follow John R. Ellement on X @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes unless they are new-builds or gut renovations and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter.





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