Colin Albert is the nephew of retired Boston police sergeant Brian Albert, and his role in the Karen Read case was as a witness and a person Read’s defense sought to name as an alternate suspect in the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe. He was never charged with a crime, and before Read’s retrial a judge barred the defense from pointing to him as a possible killer. He testified at the first trial in May 2024, and he remains a party to civil litigation that outlived the criminal case.
Who Colin Albert Is
Colin Albert is the son of Chris and Julie Albert. His father is Brian Albert’s brother, a former Canton government board member, and the owner of D&E Pizza. The extended family’s ties run through the case: Brian Albert’s wife Nicole is the sister of Jennifer McCabe, whose contested Google search became one of the trial’s most examined pieces of evidence, and Brian’s brother Kevin served as a Canton police officer for nearly two decades.1Court TV. Key Players in the Karen Read Murder Case
On the night of January 28, 2022, Colin Albert attended a birthday gathering at 34 Fairview Road for his cousin, Brian Albert Jr. He was twenty when he testified in 2024. O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside that same home the following morning; the medical examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt impact injuries to the head and hypothermia.2A&E. Karen Read Timeline
What He Told the Jury
Colin Albert took the stand on May 16, 2024, during Read’s first trial. Prosecutors called him. He told the jury he had been drinking beer at a friend’s house before heading to his uncle’s home, spent roughly ninety minutes there, and left around 12:10 a.m. He said he never saw O’Keefe that night.3WCVB. Karen Read Murder Trial Daily Summary
He also said Canton police never interviewed him about the death. His only interview came in the summer of 2023, roughly eighteen months after the incident, when Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor and another trooper questioned him at the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office. He described the tone as “friendly” and “cordial.”4NBC Boston. Karen Read Trial Day 13
Throughout cross-examination, Albert answered many questions with “I don’t remember” or “I don’t know,” even while recalling specific times he left the home that night. The defense also flagged a month-long gap in his text messages with Allison McCabe, running from January 29 to February 20, 2022. Albert said he had communicated with her on other platforms, including Snapchat, and denied deleting anything.4NBC Boston. Karen Read Trial Day 13
The Knuckle Injuries and the Old Videos
Defense attorney Alan Jackson’s cross-examination focused on physical evidence and character. Jackson showed the jury a photograph from February 26, 2022, less than a month after O’Keefe’s death, showing Albert at a bar called Fenway Johnnies with cut and bruised knuckles on his right hand. Albert said he had slipped on an icy driveway at a house party while walking up a steep hill and braced his fall with his right hand.4NBC Boston. Karen Read Trial Day 13 Jackson pointed to a second instance in July 2023, when Albert appeared for testimony with open injuries on his knuckles. Albert attributed those to hitting a heavy bag for cardio.5Boston Herald. Karen Read Murder Trial: Accused Suspect Colin Albert Says He’s Never Fought in His Life
Jackson also played videos from Albert’s high school years in which he directed expletive-laden threats at members of a hockey team, including lines like “I’ll beat all of your asses” and “You’ll be knocked out.” Albert acknowledged the videos were real but said they came out of a dispute involving friends. He denied ever being in a fight, telling the jury, “Other than with my brothers, no.”4NBC Boston. Karen Read Trial Day 13 The defense argued the injuries and the videos showed “violent proclivities” and that investigators had failed to explore whether people at the Albert home had a propensity for physical altercations.5Boston Herald. Karen Read Murder Trial: Accused Suspect Colin Albert Says He’s Never Fought in His Life
The defense separately alleged that Albert and O’Keefe had friction as neighbors, saying O’Keefe had complained about Albert throwing beer cans on his property and cutting across his lawn. Chris Albert denied any ill will and testified that O’Keefe was a friend. He acknowledged that he and his wife had teased O’Keefe by calling him “Mr. Nebbercracker,” a reference to a territorial character in the animated film Monster House, but said the nickname was “all for fun.”1Court TV. Key Players in the Karen Read Murder Case
The Family’s Ties to Michael Proctor
A recurring defense theme was the personal relationship between the Albert family and Proctor, the state trooper who led the investigation. Colin Albert testified that he had known Proctor “since I was a little kid” and considered the Proctor family close to his own. He was a ring bearer at the wedding of Proctor’s sister, Courtney Proctor, and said his aunt Jillian was “pretty friendly” with Courtney.4NBC Boston. Karen Read Trial Day 13
The defense showed Facebook photos of Chris and Colin Albert with Proctor’s mother and sister, and a wedding photo grouping a young Colin Albert with Michael Proctor.1Court TV. Key Players in the Karen Read Murder Case Prosecutors called the ties “tenuous,” and Proctor testified that the Alberts were acquaintances he knew through his sister. Prosecutors noted that Julie Albert had provided childcare for Courtney Proctor on several occasions, which they said explained the social overlap.
Proctor was relieved of duty in July 2024, the same day the first trial ended in a mistrial, and was fired from the Massachusetts State Police in March 2025 after an internal review found he had sent sexist and racist text messages about Read, shared confidential investigative information with people outside law enforcement, and created the appearance of bias.6CNN. Karen Read Trial Update
Why the Judge Barred Naming Him at Retrial
After the first trial ended without a unanimous verdict, the defense asked to again identify Colin Albert, Brian Albert, and Brian Higgins as third-party culprits. On March 31, 2025, Judge Beverly Cannone split the three. She barred the defense from pointing to Colin Albert, finding the evidence “insufficient to support a preliminary finding that Colin Albert had the motive, intent, and opportunity to commit the crime.” She wrote that “the evidence of opportunity is wholly inadequate… There is no evidence that Colin Albert was at 34 Fairview when the defendant and Mr. O’Keefe arrived at the home.” She dismissed claims of “bad blood” between him and O’Keefe as “speculative at best.”7Boston.com. Karen Read Can’t Point to Colin Albert as Possible Killer, Judge Rules
The judge allowed the defense to continue pursuing Brian Albert and Brian Higgins as alternate suspects, though she called that evidentiary offer “barely sufficient” and barred any mention of third-party culprits during opening statements.8NBC Boston. Karen Read Third-Party Defense Ruling On June 18, 2025, the retrial jury acquitted Read of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death, convicting her only of operating under the influence.9NPR. Karen Read Acquitted Trial Verdict Not Guilty
Where He Stands Now
Colin Albert has never been charged with any crime in connection with O’Keefe’s death. He remains a figure in two civil cases.
On April 16, 2026, he joined Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, and Brian Higgins in filing a defamation suit in Barnstable Superior Court against Read and blogger Aidan Kearney, known online as “Turtleboy.” The complaint alleges Read and Kearney “worked hand in hand to construct and amplify a false narrative” that the four plaintiffs were responsible for O’Keefe’s death and a cover-up, and that they have faced “relentless false accusations, harassment, and intimidation based on a deliberate campaign of lies.”10CBS News Boston. Karen Read Turtleboy Aidan Kearney Defamation Lawsuit Kearney’s attorney, Timothy Bradl, stated that “proving the truth of the allegedly defamatory statements is an absolute defense.” Read’s team has called the suit “retaliation” and “desperation on a page.”11NBC Boston. Karen Read Jennifer McCabe Brian Albert Higgins Lawsuit
He is also being sought for a deposition in the O’Keefe family’s wrongful death lawsuit in Plymouth Superior Court. Read’s attorneys subpoenaed him in April 2026, arguing he has relevant information about the night in question, his communications with others at the house, and the Proctor-led investigation. His attorney, James Tuxbury, said Albert had enlisted in the U.S. Army and begun basic training on June 2, 2026, making him unavailable until the fall.12MassLive. A Bitter Fight Over One Witness Has a Judge Criticizing the Lawyers in Karen Read Lawsuits At a June 17, 2026 hearing, Judge Mark Gildea rejected the delay, telling the parties, “We’re not waiting until the fall. Discovery ends in this case on August 17,” and ordered the lawyers to find an earlier date. He also criticized both sides for procedural gamesmanship and told them to “stop pandering to social media.”13CBS News Boston. Colin Albert Deposition Karen Read Lawsuit