Karen Read found not guilty of murder in retrial over policeman boyfriend's death
A jury found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges on Wednesday in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, a case that attracted legions of true crime followers who erupted in cheers when word of the acquittal spread outside court.
The same jury found her guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving. The jury handed down its decision after deliberating for at least 22 hours since June 13.
Cheers from the crowd outside could be heard in the courtroom as the verdict was read. With cheering supporters, Read departed the courthouse with her lawyers and family.
'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have,' Read said.
The verdict came nearly a year after a separate jury was deadlocked over Read's involvement in the January 2022 death of John O'Keefe and resulted in a judge declaring a mistrial.
It is a huge victory for Read's lawyers, who have long asserted she was framed by police after dropping O'Keefe off at a party at the home of a fellow officer. Prosecutors argued the 45-year-old Read hit O'Keefe, 46, with her SUV before driving away, but the defence maintained O'Keefe was killed inside the home and later dragged outside.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
an hour ago
- The Standard
Pro-Palestinian activist Khalil walks free after US judge orders release
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil speaks to media after being released from immigration custody in Jena, Louisiana, U.S. June 20, 2025. (Reuters)
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil released from US custody
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was released on Friday from US federal immigration detention, freed after 104 days by a judge's ruling after becoming a symbol of President Donald Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The former Columbia University graduate student left a federal facility in Louisiana on Friday. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his US citizen wife and infant son, born while Khalil was detained. 'Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue,' he said outside the facility in a remote part of Louisiana. 'This shouldn't have taken three months.' The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in pro-Palestinian protests. He was detained on March 8 at his apartment building in Manhattan. Khalil was released after US district judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be 'highly, highly unusual' for the government to continue detaining a legal US resident who was unlikely to flee and hadn't been accused of any violence. 'Petitioner is not a flight risk, and the evidence presented is that he is not a danger to the community,' he said. 'Period, full stop.'
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US doctor who posted videos of decapitated baby must pay parents US$2 million
An Atlanta doctor and his clinic must pay US$2.25 million to a couple after posting to his public social media account graphic videos of their decapitated baby during an autopsy, a jury has decided. Advertisement Jackson Gates and his business, Medical Diagnostic Choices, were found liable by default in the lawsuit brought against them by Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor after the couple discovered the social media posts. Ross and Taylor said they were horrified and outraged when they learned Gates had published without their knowledge or permission images of their child, who was decapitated during a difficult delivery July 9, 2023. The couple had hired Gates to perform an autopsy. On Wednesday, an Atlanta jury awarded the couple US$2 million in compensation and US$250,000 in damages designed to punish Gates and Medical Diagnostic Choices. The jurors found Gates did not intend to cause harm. 'They asked for US$30 million and they got just over US$2 million,' said Gates' lawyer, Ira Livnat. 'Obviously we were disappointed with the verdict, but the jurors' finding that he did not act with specific intent to cause harm was very significant.' Advertisement Lawyers for Ross and Taylor said they are pleased the jury punished Gates for his 'reprehensible' behaviour, though nothing can ease the couple's pain over their son's 'horrific' death.
