Explosive Testimony from Brian Higgins in John O’Keefe Death Investigation

Murder In The Morning | Daily True Crime News

Brian Higgins’s testimony reached a dramatic climax on Friday when defense attorney Alan Jackson accused him of discarding his phone and SIM card during the investigation into John O’Keefe’s death. “That is not correct,” Higgins firmly responded to Jackson’s allegation. Judge Beverly Cannone promptly ended the session without allowing further questions.
Higgins is one of three individuals Karen Read's lawyers have named in their theory that someone other than Read is responsible for O’Keefe's death. Earlier in the session, Higgins admitted to exchanging flirtatious texts and sharing a kiss with Read while she was dating O’Keefe. During cross-examination, Jackson scrutinized Higgins’s actions and phone records in the critical hours following O’Keefe’s death.
Higgins confirmed seeking advice about phone data extraction from a friend in the FBI’s regional computer forensics lab. “I asked him how I could pull text strings off my cellular telephone for the purpose of providing them to law enforcement,” Higgins testified, acknowledging that he could have handed over the entire device to the police.
Jackson pressed Higgins on whether he knew that federal regulations prohibit using one’s public office for personal gain. Higgins said he was unaware of this regulation. He also revealed that he no longer possessed the phone he had in 2022. “You’ve destroyed that phone, haven’t you?” Jackson asked. “No, I threw the phone away,” Higgins replied. “Well, that’s destroying the phone, isn’t it?” Jackson countered, to which Higgins responded, “I had every right to do that.”
Higgins stated that he likely cut or broke the SIM card before disposing of the phone but did not wipe any data from it. He confirmed receiving a notice on Sept. 30, 2022, preventing him from altering or destroying anything on his cellphone, although he switched phone carriers and numbers a day earlier.
In a pivotal moment, Jackson grilled Higgins about late-night phone calls with Brian Albert and then-Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz. Phone records indicated that Higgins and Albert exchanged calls at 2:22 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, when Higgins claimed he was asleep. Both men have testified that these calls were accidental “butt dials.” Jackson noted the suspicious timing, occurring just hours before O’Keefe’s body was discovered. Higgins insisted, “I have no recollection of any phone calls.”
Jackson also highlighted Higgins’s phone activity around the time Read’s SUV was brought to the Canton Police Department’s sally port. Video surveillance from this area at 5:36 a.m. was missing, and Higgins denied seeing any evidence in the garage.
As testimony concluded, Higgins remained firm in his denials, with more witness testimonies expected in the coming days. Read’s lawyers continue to assert that a conspiracy among witnesses and law enforcement is responsible for O’Keefe’s death, challenging the prosecution’s case against Read.
Higgins’s attorney, William Connolly, emphasized, “Brian Higgins has not participated in any kind of a cover up or conspiracy to cover up the criminal activity of others. Participating in a coverup is contrary to who he is as a human being and a professional.”
The trial will resume next Tuesday with a full day of witness testimonies. Jurors are set to hear from other key figures as the defense seeks to prove their case that Read is not responsible for O’Keefe’s death.
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