John O’Keefe, the victim in the Karen Read trial, was a veteran officer and devoted father figure

By James On Jun 28, 2024

CANTON, Mass. — CANTON, Mass. (AP) — John O’Keefe’ His title was Boston police officer, but to those who loved him, he was Johnny, JJ, or affectionately, the Godfather. His girlfriend once called him “the patron saint of Canton.”

That friend, Karen Readsnow stands trial, accused of the murder of O’Keefe in a case that has attracted national attention and questioned the integrity of much of the Massachusetts law enforcement community and even some of O’Keefe’s friends.

O’Keefe, born and raised in the suburb of Braintree, graduated from Northeastern University and received a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts. He was 46 at the time of his death and had been a Boston police officer for 16 years.

For much of that time, O’Keefe had also been raising his niece and nephew in Canton after his sister and her husband died just months apart. He also lost his best friend, fellow Boston officer Pat Rogers, to suicide. Rogers’ girlfriend was pregnant at the time, and O’Keefe quickly stepped in to support her as well, acting as godfather to her son.

“He was the first person in my delivery room after I gave birth,” Laura Sullivan testified at trial, describing O’Keefe as a “constant” presence in her son’s life.

Other witnesses described O’Keefe’s devotion to his niece and nephew, who called him JJ and were only six and three when he became their guardian. O’Keefe’s younger brother, Paul, was the first witness called by the prosecution. When asked to name his siblings, he struggled to remain calm as he referred to his deceased sister and “my brother John.” Everyone called him Johnny, he said, “especially if you were family.”

Paul O’Keefe said he had planned to see his brother the day before he died but that’s why they canceled an approaching snow storm. Their last communication was in a group text with family members. John O’Keefe was excited, he said, because their niece had been accepted to a private high school.