Key Witness in Karen Read Trial: She Screamed, 'I Hit Him'

Whether Karen Read walks free after her high-profile murder trial in Boston or heads to prison might depend on whether the jury believes witness Jennifer McCabe. Read's former friend testified all day Wednesday in the second murder trial of Read, reports Fox News.

• "I can tell you with 100% accuracy she screamed, 'I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,'" McCabe told the court, referring to Read. The latter is accused of hitting boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow.

• Lead defense attorney Alan Jackson challenged her claim, noting that it does not appear in two police reports after officers interviewed her. He pointed out that she told the grand jury that Read asked, "Did I hit him?" and "Could I have hit him?" To which McCabe replied, "She also said that."
• Read, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene, denies hitting O'Keefe and claims she's being framed. "She's lying," she told reporters of McCabe upon leaving court. "Another witness, another instance of perjury, or instances, I'd say."
• On the stand, McCabe denied lying to law enforcement but acknowledged "she had been less than forthcoming with agents who interviewed her in 2023," per Boston.com. She said that what Jackson was presenting as a sinister conspiracy was really a matter of "traumatized ... normal moms" struggling to cope with a stressful situation at the time.
• Court is not in session Thursday, but McCabe will return to the stand on Friday.

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