Things Are Getting Sneaky a Karen Read's Retrial — The Wrong Shoe Was Introduced Into Evidence

If you're here, it's because you are already well-versed in the Karen Read trials. We say trials, plural, because her first one resulted in a hung jury. A year later, the retrial began in April 2025. The good news for Read is, she and her legal team know what to expect. The bad news for the Canton, Mass. woman is the prosecution also knows what to expect. Any curve balls they threw during the first round could be caught by the state in round two.

There are some subtle differences in Read's trial which could ramp things up a bit. According to CNN, both sides of the courtroom have brought in new lawyers which could bring fresh perspectives to old arguments. Interestingly, comments Read has made in interviews and on television are also admissible. She has been charged with a very serious crime, but that doesn't mean levity doesn't occasionally occur in court. For example, the wrong shoe was introduced into evidence. Let's get into it.

On May 8, 2025, a few weeks into the retrial, Massachusetts State Police trooper Yuriy Bukhenik was questioned about the early days of the investigation into the murder of Read's boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. According to The New York Times, Bukhenik discussed the seizure of Read's car hours after O'Keefe's body was found in the show outside of a friend's house on Jan. 29, 2022. This included finding remnants of her broken taillight "days and weeks later."

The defense has suggested that locating the pieces of Read's taillight so long after O'Keefe's death could suggest they planted evidence. Sergeant Bukhenik also testified that he took photos of the fragments using his cell phone, instead of a forensic photographer. He also testified about O'Keefe's clothing and in particular, his shoes.

While Bukhenik was at the hospital with O'Keefe's body, he noticed that one of the police officer's shoes was missing, reported USA Today. "I was suspecting that he was hit out of his shoe," Sargeant Bukhenik theorized. O'Keefe's other shoe was found later at the crime scene and then introduced into evidence at the retrial. Or was it? "This is the left sneaker, excuse me it's the right sneaker," he said on the stand. The trooper then paused and looked confused. He meant to bring the left shoe.

Read's legal team maintains that Sergeant Bukhenik, and the members of law enforcement working this case, were not thorough in their investigation. For example, Bukhenik did not secure the crime scene nor did he question the owners of the house whose property O'Keefe's body was found on. It was owned by fellow police officer and friend Brian Albert, who was having people over after a night of bar hopping.

The state trooper was asked about his former subordinate Michael Proctor, who was fired for unrelated charges. During the first trial, crude text messages from Poctor sent to others were read out loud in the courtroom. They included messages about not finding nude photos of Read, and calling her a c--t. Bukhenik read them aloud during the retrial and said he didn't believe Proctor's involvement tainted the investigation. "All the evidence pointed in one direction and one direction only," he said.