Karen Read Acquitted of Murder in 2022 Death of Boston Police Officer Boyfriend John O'Keefe
Karen Read stood trial for the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who was found unresponsive in the snow outside a house party in Canton, Mass.
Prosecutors alleged that Read, while intoxicated, backed her SUV into O'Keefe and left the scene — charges included second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash
Read's defense argued that she was the target of a police cover-up and that O'Keefe was fatally injured inside the house during a fightAfter a lengthy and high-profile second trial, Karen Read was found not guilty of killing her boyfriend John O'Keefe, but was found guilty of operating under the influence of liquor.
On the fourth day of deliberations, the jury in Dedham, Mass., found Read not guilty of second-degree murder, the most serious charge. They also found her not guilty of manslaughter, and not guilty of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, Court TV, NBC Boston and Boston.com report.
On Monday, June 16, Read's attorneys filed a motion asking to revise the verdict slips to make them less confusing, which they said was an issue with jurors in the first trial, Boston.com reports.
Arrested in 2022, Read pleaded not guilty to all three charges and staunchly maintained her innocence, saying she was the target of a law enforcement cover-up.
The verdict came as a shock to the considering how divided the community and others watching the case from across the nation had become over the sensational case.
Read exited the court to her supporters cheering her on.
In the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022, O'Keefe, 46, was found unresponsive in the snow outside a gathering at the home of then-Boston police officer Brian Albert in Canton, Mass.
Read, 45, who worked in equity research at Fidelity and was also a former adjunct finance professor at Bentley University, was accused of drunkenly backing into O'Keefe with her vehicle during a winter storm. He died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia, an autopsy revealed.
O'Keefe was found at about 6 a.m. in Albert's front yard with two black eyes and deep cuts on the back of his head and right arm. Prosecutors claim that Read dropped O'Keefe off outside Albert's house, backed into him with her Lexus SUV while driving intoxicated and drove off.
Related: Mistrial Declared in Karen Read Case After Jury Can't Reach a Verdict in Murder Trial
Read's defense attorneys argued that O'Keefe, who allegedly had a long-standing disagreement with someone at the party, was severely injured during an argument at the party and may have been attacked by a dog given the deep wounds on his arm.The defense has also claimed that Read is the victim of a cover-up by police.
Read's attorneys also alleged that authorities planted evidence to protect one of their own.
Related: Karen Read Says She 'Collapsed on the Floor' and Didn't 'Want to Be Alive' After Learning of Boyfriend's Death
In July 2024, Read's first trial was declared a mistrial after the jury remained deadlocked after five days of deliberations.
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