Is she a murderer or was she framed? Things to know about the Boston-area trial of Karen Read
DEDHAM, Mass. — Did Karen Read kill her police officer boyfriend by crashing her Lexus into him and then leaving him for dead in a snowstorm after a night out?
Or did John O’Keefe get out of the SUV that night, go to an after-hours meeting with other officers and get beaten up in a fight, only to have his body dumped outside in a panic and they charge Read with murder?
Those are the questions a Massachusetts jury will decide in a case that created a carnivalesque atmosphere outside the courtroom, where a “sidewalk jury” of true crime bloggers and pink-shirted Read supporters have gathered since the trial began nearly two months ago. collected every day.
Read, 44, had worked as an equity analyst and was an adjunct lecturer in finance at her alma mater, Bentley University. O’Keefe, 46, was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department. She often stayed at O’Keefe’s home in suburban Canton, where after a night of bar hopping in January 2022, the couple ended up at the home of another Boston police officer, Brian Albert. who entered the meeting.
Read has been charged with second-degree murder, which in Massachusetts carries a penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole. She also faces lesser charges of manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, which carries a penalty of five to 20 years, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, punishable by up to 10 years.
Pieces of Read’s broken taillight were found at the scene and a single hair belonging to O’Keefe was found on the rear bumper of Read’s SUV. Prosecutors say Read repeatedly said, “I hit him. I hit him. Oh my God, I hit him” to first responders and others. Prosecutors played angry voicemails that Read left for O’Keefe, painting a picture of a failing relationship. questioned her behavior and said she never cried after O’Keefe’s body was found.
Her defense is that the entire prosecution case is based on lies by officers who stick together to protect themselves. Her lawyers say the pieces of taillight and hair were planted in the hours before the crime scene was secured. They have suggested that O’Keefe may have been beaten by Higgins, who had flirted with Read over text messages, and that the men panicked before trying to cover up the crime.
Whether or not Read is found guilty, the case has shed a poor light on the techniques and actions of law enforcement officers and others Michael Proctor, Massachusetts State Trooperwho was the lead investigator despite personal relationships with several of those involved. Proctor called Read a “nut job” in text messages, joked with supervisors about not finding nude photos of Read on her phone, and texted his sister that he wished Read would “commit suicide.” He called it a figure of speech and said emotions got the better of him.
The defense pointed to conflicts of interest and sloppy police conduct: the crime scene was left unsecured for hours, the house was not searched, blood-stained snow was scooped up with red plastic drinking cups and a leaf blower was used to clear snow. Other suspicious actions included deleted search histories, destroyed phones and doctored videos.
The case may have seemed open and shut, but as more evidence emerged, interest grew among true crime fans and others with suspicions about the motives and actions of law enforcement.
Outside the courthouse, a self-described “sidewalk jury” of dozens of Read supporters dressed in pink — a color she favors — remained glued to their phones as they awaited a verdict. Their mood was jubilant, with supporters singing, waving American flags and being cheered on by passing motorists who honked their horns.