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In a verdict that reverberated beyond Massachusetts, Karen Read was acquitted of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The case, which divided communities and drew national attention, ended after a second high-profile trial with jurors rejecting the prosecution's theory of vehicular homicide.
O'Keefe, 46, was discovered unresponsive in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022, outside a party hosted by then-officer Brian Albert in Canton. He suffered blunt force trauma, hypothermia, and had two black eyes along with deep arm lacerations, according to the autopsy.
Prosecutors contended that Read, intoxicated and enraged, backed her Lexus SUV into O'Keefe, leaving him to die in subzero conditions. Charges included second-degree murder, manslaughter while under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. Yet, after four days of deliberations, the Dedham jury found Read not guilty on all but one count.
Read, 45, was only convicted of operating under the influence, resulting in one year of probation. "We are grateful that the jury listened closely to the evidence," her attorney Alan Jackson said outside the Norfolk Superior Court, where supporters cheered Read's emotional exit.
Her defense rejected the vehicular assault narrative and instead alleged a police cover-up. They claimed O'Keefe was attacked inside the house, possibly beaten and bitten by a dog, and later left outside. The defense further accused investigators of planting evidence to shield fellow officers.
Tension mounted throughout the retrial, especially after the prosecution's lead investigator, Michael Proctor, failed to appear. Proctor had previously admitted under oath to sending derogatory texts about Read, including one calling her a "wack job c--t." He was fired between trials.
New prosecutors, including special counsel Hank Brennan, focused on O'Keefe's personal life rather than his police record, a marked shift from the first trial, which ended in a mistrial in July 2024. Meanwhile, Read's team added attorneys Robert Alessi and Victoria George, the latter a former juror from her first trial.
During court proceedings, jurors watched a "Dateline" clip where Read speculated, "Could I have clipped him, tagged him in the knee?" Yet, the jury ultimately dismissed this possibility as criminally liable.
Despite a gag order on her legal team, Read has remained vocal. "I didn't want to be alive," she said in a prior interview reflecting on O'Keefe's death. Her acquittal, after three years of legal warfare, now leaves lingering questions about what truly happened that winter night.
