Massachusetts

Jurors are expected to hear more testimony from a key witness Thursday in the murder trial of Karen Read.

The Albert family continues to stay in the hot seat. Colin Albert — a nephew of Brian Albert, the man who owned the Fairview Road home in Canton, Massachusetts, where John O’Keefe’s body was found — will be first on the stand. 

Watch the Karen Read trial live on nbcboston.com, NECN, NBC Boston streaming platforms (including Roku, Peacock and Samsung TV) and NBC10 Boston’s YouTube page. Every night of the trial at 7 p.m., come back for analysis and more.

This after an eventful day of court where seven witnesses took the stand Wednesday. And for the first time in this trial, forensic evidence was introduced believed to have been retrieved from a shirt at the crime scene.

We also, for the first time, heard from two people who said they saw a man and woman inside a black SUV at the Canton home on the morning of the incident.

Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, her boyfriend. He was found in the snow outside retired Brian Albert’s home in Canton. Prosecutors say Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV, while Read says she has been framed in a wide-ranging coverup, claiming the Albert family and the state’s lead investigator, a family friend, put the blame on Read.

Read has pleaded not guilty and is free on bond.

With Colin Albert taking the stand again Thursday, we expect text messages he sent and received the night in question to be the focus. The defense believes his whereabouts the night in question are key to their case.

For a closer look at Wednesday’s testimony, watch last night’s Canton Confidential special below:

More on the Karen Read trial

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Young children impacted by Israel’s war in Gaza are in Boston as they recover from trauma.

Aser Abumuhaisen, 5, is making strides learning how to get around in a wheelchair. His leg had to be amputated below the knee.

In January, a bomb hit Aser’s home in Gaza, killing a dozen of his family members, including his parents.

“He has really severe burns,” the boy’s grandmother, Amira Abumuhaisen, said, as translated by Nour-Saida Harzallah, a student in the MD-PHD program at Harvard and MIT. “He’s not mobile. And he had a lot of infections. And they had to request a special plane for him to actually get to Boston.”

Aser’s 13-year-old brother, Anas, was also severely injured.

The brothers are receiving free medical care in Boston through HEAL Palestine, a nonprofit humanitarian organization.

Amira Abumuhaisen is watching over her grandchildren as their health continues to improve.

Anas refused to eat after his parents were killed, but has made progress, according to Harzallah.

“About two days ago, he started eating food, like, regularly and normally, without the need of a feeding tube,” she said.

Harzallah serves as a student volunteer for the nonprofit. She speaks fluent Arabic and helps support patients like Aser and his family, as well as a 10-month-old boy named Walid.

The infant was also flown to Boston with his mother, Heba, to receive crucial, time-sensitive treatment for a congenital condition after the war delayed his surgery.

“The first surgery was to open up the skull and relieve some of the pressure,” his mom said. “He’s doing very well now … He’s exceeding the the surgeon’s expectations, but he still has a couple more surgeries to go.”

Heba describes how tough it’s been being away from her home, her husband and her two daughters for months — sometimes with no communication. But she understands Walid needs special care, and she is very thankful for the host family that took them in.

“The host mom, I kind of consider like a sister. And the kids, they were, you know, they considered Walid their own, as well, like their little brother,” she said. “When she got home, it felt like another little, a little family was waiting for her.”

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