Karen Read has been found not guilty by a Massachusetts jury on charges related to the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, after seven weeks of trial and twenty two hours of deliberation. Prosecutors alleged that Read had backed her SUV into O’Keefe in a drunken fit of rage in January 2022, leaving him to die in the snow after they had been out drinking with friends. Read’s defense argued that she was the victim of a conspiracy by other cops, who beat O’Keefe and even let a dog attack him, dumping his body in the snow and sabotaging the ensuing investigation to shield themselves.
The story surrounding O’Keefe’s death became a cultural phenomenon ever since Read’s case first ended with a hung jury in July of last year, spawning a number of true-crime series and podcasts analyzing the investigation and trial up to that point. Read was greeted by fans wearing pink shirts who cheered on the verdict as she left the courthouse, chanting “Karen Read is free!”
While the media surrounding the case had apparently garnered support for Read, witnesses issued a statement condemning the verdict, and laying some of the blame on the attention given to the case after the mistrial. “While we may have more to say in the future, today we mourn with John’s family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team, and some in the media,” a statement issued by witnesses that were with Read on the night of O’Keefe’s death reads. “The result is a devastating miscarriage of justice.”
The prosecution presented forensic evidence backing up their claim that Read had hit O’Keefe with her car, showing the court bits of plastic from her Lexus that were caught in his clothes, as well as pieces her tail light at the scene. The defense’s strategy was focused on sowing doubt in the integrity of the investigation, pointing out biases against Read from former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who was investigating the case. They cited text messages from Proctor to his friends indicating as much, and questioned whether he had planted evidence at the scene. The defense also put an expert witness on the stand who alleged that some of the injuries sustained by O’Keefe were caused by a dog, buttressing their theory that he had been beaten in the house and laid outside after the fact.
Read was found not guilty of second-degree murder, and guilty of a lesser charge of drunk driving.
