Lecture Notes: Commonwealth vs Karen Reed

Case Details

• Case Number: 22117
• Court: Denam Superior Court, County of Norfolk
• Judge: Honorable Justice Beverly Kenon

Participants

• Defendant: Karen Reed
• Jury and Jurors present
• Witnesses: Miss Nagel, Miss Terry, Ryan Nagel, Heather Maxon, Ricky Dantono, Allison McCabe
• Legal Counsel: Mr. L (Prosecution), Mr. Jackson (Defense)

Key Witness Testimonies

Miss Nagel

• Interview with Trooper Proctor
• Observed a dark object (5-6 ft long) on January 29th morning
• Did not notice street lights
• Concluded the object was a body the next day
• Did not report the body immediately

Miss Terry (Forensic Scientist)

• Background: Works at UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Lab
• Experience: 25 years, published 7 times
• Lab accredited by AAB, follows same standards as human DNA testing labs
• DNA testing: performs both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA typing
• Tested samples related to the case; observed no canine DNA, but pig DNA was present, indicating possible contamination from food

Ryan Nagel

• Brother of Julie Nagel
• Described events on January 28-29, 2022
• Picked up Julie from Brian Albert’s house
• Observed a black SUV at the location, saw a woman with long hair inside
• Did not see anyone get out of the SUV or any signs of accident

Heather Maxon

• Girlfriend of Ryan Nagel
• Described events corroborating Ryan’s testimony
• Observed a male and female in the SUV
• Did not notice any unusual activity or damage to the SUV

Ricky Dantono

• Drove Ryan and Heather to the locations
• Did not recall any suspicious activity or damage to the SUV
• Interacted briefly with Julie outside Brian Albert’s house

Allison McCabe

• Drove Colin Albert home from Brian Albert’s house
• Described picking up a lost dog earlier that evening
• Provided text messages with Colin Albert from the night
• Texts show Colin was picked up around midnight

Other Details

• Colin Albert was at Brian Albert’s house for a birthday celebration
• Left with Allison McCabe around 12:10 AM
• Did not observe any abnormal activities at the house

Evidence Discussion

• DNA samples showed pig DNA but no canine DNA
• Text messages between Allison McCabe and Colin Albert were provided to the state police
• Photographic evidence from a family event on February 11th, 2022 shows Colin Albert with no injuries

Court Instructions

• Jurors reminded not to discuss the case or conduct independent investigations
• Next session scheduled for the following morning at 9 AM