How Karen Read could still be on the hook for dead cop boyfriend John O'Keefe's death: ‘Not out of the woods'
Karen Read may have been cleared on criminal murder charges Wednesday — but she isn't legally off the hook yet as still faces a civil wrongful death case brought by the family of her deceased cop boyfriend, John O'Keefe.
The 2024 lawsuit against Read, 45, has been on hold pending the outcome of her criminal case.
4 Karen Read isn't legally out of the woods despite her murder acquittal. She still faces a civil lawsuit by deceased cop John O'Keefe's family.
AP
But after she was acquitted in the Boston police officer's death Wednesday — and was sentenced to a year probation for drunk driving, the only charge she was found guilty of — the civil case is presumably free to go forward.
The Aug. 26 case was brought by O'Keefe's parents, brother and niece nearly two months after the first trial against Read ended in mistrial.
4 Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe died on Jan. 29, 2022, and his family filed a wrongful death suit against Karen Read last year.
Courtesy of David Yannetti
The family claimed Read, of Mansfield, Mass., intentionally hit O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV while she was drunk and then left him to die in a snowstorm.
The relatives also blamed two bars — C.F. McCarthy's and Waterfall Bar & Grille — for allegedly over-serving Read when she and O'Keefe, 46, went out bar hopping in the hours before his death on Jan. 29, 2022.
Read — a financial analyst — allegedly had nine drinks the night of Jan. 28 before she drove O'Keefe from the Waterfall Bar to his retired cop buddy's afterparty in Canton, Mass., the suit claimed.
Read inflicted emotional distress on the family members who were forced to endure the investigation into O'Keefe's death, the suit said.
And Read traumatized O'Keefe's then-14-year-old niece — for whom he was the caretaker when he died — when Read woke the teen up at 4:30 a.m., ranting about what might have happened to her boyfriend, the suit claimed.
4 John O'Keefe's family claims Read was drunk when she hit him with her car and left him to die in a snowstorm.
David McGlynn
Then Read left the niece at home alone when she went in search of O'Keefe, the filing said.
The suit is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.
Legal expert Randolph Rice, who has been following the Read case, noted that the burden of proof to find Read liable in O'Keefe's death is much lower than a criminal proceeding.
'In the civil case, there's a preponderance of the evidence which is a much lower standard,' than the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases, the Maryland-based lawyer explained.
Proving claims in a civil case is 'much easier for a plaintiff,' Rice said.
'She's not out of the woods civilly.'
4 The family is suing Read for at least $50,000 in damages for allegedly inflicting emotional distress on them.
AP
Rice said now that the criminal case is behind her, she doesn't have a legal reason to not sit in for a deposition.
'Her lawyers will certainly try to keep things out during a deposition but depositions are wide open,' he said. 'If it's even remotely relevant to the cause of action the plaintiff's attorneys get to ask it and she's got to answer it.'
Read has maintained all along that she was framed in a sweeping law enforcement cover-up and that O'Keefe was actually killed when he got in a fight with his buddies at the afterparty.
Read's defense arguments have won her a cult-like following of supporters of her innocence who have donated over $1 million to her legal defense, and who showed up in droves outside court throughout both trials.
When the verdict was read out in court Wednesday — and broadcast on a livestream — roars from crowds of excited Read fans outside could be heard penetrating the courtroom walls.
Lawyers for C.F. McCarthy's declined to comment. The attorneys for all the other parties didn't immediately return requests for comment Thursday.
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Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
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Many Americans are witnessing immigration arrests for the first time and reacting
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As the raids touch the lives of people who aren't immigrants themselves, many Americans who rarely, if ever, participated in civil disobedience are rushing out to record the actions on their phones and launch impromptu protests. Arrests are being made outside gyms, busy restaurants Greenfield said on the evening of the May 30 raid , the crowd included grandparents, retired military members, hippies, and restaurant patrons arriving for date night. Authorities threw flash bangs to force the crowd back and then drove off with four detained workers, he said. 'To do this, at 5 o'clock, right at the dinner rush, right on a busy intersection with multiple restaurants, they were trying to make a statement,' Greenfield said. 'But I don't know if their intended point is getting across the way they want it to. I think it is sparking more backlash.' Previously many arrests happened late at night or in the pre-dawn hours by agents waiting outside people's homes as they left for work or outside their work sites when they finished their day. When ICE raided another popular restaurant in San Diego in 2008, agents did it in the early morning without incident. White House border czar Tom Homan has said agents are being forced to do more arrests in communities because of sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with ICE in certain cities and states. ICE enforces immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help in alerting federal authorities of immigrants wanted for deportation and holding that person until federal officers take custody. Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Los Angeles on Friday said those policies have given agents 'a bit of a morale problem because they've had the local government in this community tell them that they're not allowed to do their job.' 'When that Border Patrol agent goes out to do their job, they said within 15 minutes they have protesters, sometimes violent protesters who are in their face obstructing them,' he said. 'It was like a scene out of a movie' Melyssa Rivas had just arrived at her office in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California one morning last week when she heard the frightened screams of young women. She went outside to find the women confronting nearly a dozen masked federal agents who had surrounded a man kneeling on the pavement. 'It was like a scene out of a movie,' Rivas said. 'They all had their faces covered and were standing over this man who was clearly traumatized. And there are these young girls screaming at the top of their lungs.' As Rivas began recording the interaction, a growing group of neighbors shouted at the agents to leave the man alone. They eventually drove off in vehicles, without detaining him, video shows. Rivas spoke to the man afterward, who told her the agents had arrived at the car wash where he worked that morning, then pursued him as he fled on his bicycle. It was one of several recent workplace raids in the majority-Latino city. The same day, federal agents were seen at a Home Depot, a construction site and an LA Fitness gym. It wasn't immediately clear how many people had been detained. 'Everyone is just rattled,' said Alex Frayde, an employee at LA Fitness who said he saw the agents outside the gym and stood at the entrance, ready to turn them away as another employee warned customers about the sighting. In the end, the agents never came in. Communities protest around ICE buildings Arrests at immigration courts and other ICE buildings have also prompted emotional scenes as masked agents have turned up to detain people going to routine appointments and hearings. In the city of Spokane in rural eastern Washington state, hundreds of people rushed to protest outside an ICE building June 11 after former city councilor Ben Stuckart posted on Facebook. Stuckart wrote that he was a legal guardian of a Venezuelan asylum seeker who who went to check in at the ICE building only to be detained. His Venezuelan roommate was also detained. Both men had permission to live and work in the U.S. temporarily under humanitarian parole, Stuckart told The Associated Press. 'I am going to sit in front of the bus,' Stuckart wrote, referring to the van that was set to transport the two men to an ICE detention center in Tacoma. 'The Latino community needs the rest of our community now. Not tonight, not Saturday but right now!!!!' The city of roughly 230,000 is the seat of Spokane County, where just over half of voters cast ballots for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Stuckart was touched to see his mother's caregiver among the demonstrators. 'She was just like, 'I'm here because I love your mom, and I love you, and if you or your friends need help, then I want to help,'' he said through tears. By evening, the Spokane Police Department sent over 180 officers, with some using pepper balls, to disperse protesters. Over 30 people were arrested, including Stuckart who blocked the transport van with others. He was later released. Aysha Mercer, a stay-at-home mother of three, said she is 'not political in any way, shape or form.' But many children in her Spokane neighborhood — who play in her yard and jump on her trampoline — come from immigrant families, and the thought of them being affected by deportations was 'unacceptable,' she said. She said she wasn't able to go to Stuckart's protest. But she marched for the first time in her life on June 14, joining millions in 'No Kings' protests across the country . 'I don't think I've ever felt as strongly as I do right this here second,' she said. _____ Offenhartz reported from Los Angeles and Rush from Portland, Oregon. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Many Americans are witnessing immigration arrests for the first time and reacting
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Adam Greenfield was home nursing a cold when his girlfriend raced in to tell him Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles were pulling up in their trendy San Diego neighborhood. The poet and podcast producer grabbed his iPhone and bolted out the door barefoot, joining a handful of neighbors recording masked agents raiding a popular Italian restaurant nearby, as they yelled at the officers to leave. An hour later, the crowd had grown to nearly 75 people, with many in front of the agents' vehicles. 'I couldn't stay silent,' Greenfield said. 'It was literally outside of my front door.' More Americans are witnessing people being hauled off as they shop, exercise at the gym, dine out and otherwise go about their daily lives as President Donald Trump's administration aggressively works to increase immigration arrests. As the raids touch the lives of people who aren't immigrants themselves, many Americans who rarely, if ever, participated in civil disobedience are rushing out to record the actions on their phones and launch impromptu protests. Arrests are being made outside gyms, busy restaurants Greenfield said on the evening of the May 30 raid, the crowd included grandparents, retired military members, hippies, and restaurant patrons arriving for date night. Authorities threw flash bangs to force the crowd back and then drove off with four detained workers, he said. 'To do this, at 5 o'clock, right at the dinner rush, right on a busy intersection with multiple restaurants, they were trying to make a statement,' Greenfield said. "But I don't know if their intended point is getting across the way they want it to. I think it is sparking more backlash.' Previously many arrests happened late at night or in the pre-dawn hours by agents waiting outside people's homes as they left for work or outside their work sites when they finished their day. When ICE raided another popular restaurant in San Diego in 2008, agents did it in the early morning without incident. White House border czar Tom Homan has said agents are being forced to do more arrests in communities because of sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with ICE in certain cities and states. ICE enforces immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help in alerting federal authorities of immigrants wanted for deportation and holding that person until federal officers take custody. Vice President JD Vance during a visit to Los Angeles on Friday said those policies have given agents 'a bit of a morale problem because they've had the local government in this community tell them that they're not allowed to do their job." 'When that Border Patrol agent goes out to do their job, they said within 15 minutes they have protesters, sometimes violent protesters who are in their face obstructing them,' he said. 'It was like a scene out of a movie' Melyssa Rivas had just arrived at her office in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California one morning last week when she heard the frightened screams of young women. She went outside to find the women confronting nearly a dozen masked federal agents who had surrounded a man kneeling on the pavement. 'It was like a scene out of a movie,' Rivas said. 'They all had their faces covered and were standing over this man who was clearly traumatized. And there are these young girls screaming at the top of their lungs.' As Rivas began recording the interaction, a growing group of neighbors shouted at the agents to leave the man alone. They eventually drove off in vehicles, without detaining him, video shows. Rivas spoke to the man afterward, who told her the agents had arrived at the car wash where he worked that morning, then pursued him as he fled on his bicycle. It was one of several recent workplace raids in the majority-Latino city. The same day, federal agents were seen at a Home Depot, a construction site and an LA Fitness gym. It wasn't immediately clear how many people had been detained. 'Everyone is just rattled,' said Alex Frayde, an employee at LA Fitness who said he saw the agents outside the gym and stood at the entrance, ready to turn them away as another employee warned customers about the sighting. In the end, the agents never came in. Communities protest around ICE buildings Arrests at immigration courts and other ICE buildings have also prompted emotional scenes as masked agents have turned up to detain people going to routine appointments and hearings. In the city of Spokane in rural eastern Washington state, hundreds of people rushed to protest outside an ICE building June 11 after former city councilor Ben Stuckart posted on Facebook. Stuckart wrote that he was a legal guardian of a Venezuelan asylum seeker who who went to check in at the ICE building only to be detained. His Venezuelan roommate was also detained. Both men had permission to live and work in the U.S. temporarily under humanitarian parole, Stuckart told The Associated Press. 'I am going to sit in front of the bus,' Stuckart wrote, referring to the van that was set to transport the two men to an ICE detention center in Tacoma. 'The Latino community needs the rest of our community now. Not tonight, not Saturday but right now!!!!' The city of roughly 230,000 is the seat of Spokane County, where just over half of voters cast ballots for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Stuckart was touched to see his mother's caregiver among the demonstrators. 'She was just like, 'I'm here because I love your mom, and I love you, and if you or your friends need help, then I want to help,'' he said through tears. By evening, the Spokane Police Department sent over 180 officers, with some using pepper balls, to disperse protesters. Over 30 people were arrested, including Stuckart who blocked the transport van with others. He was later released. Aysha Mercer, a stay-at-home mother of three, said she is 'not political in any way, shape or form." But many children in her Spokane neighborhood -- who play in her yard and jump on her trampoline -- come from immigrant families, and the thought of them being affected by deportations was 'unacceptable," she said. She said she wasn't able to go to Stuckart's protest. But she marched for the first time in her life on June 14, joining millions in 'No Kings' protests across the country. 'I don't think I've ever felt as strongly as I do right this here second,' she said.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Community demands answers after West Baltimore arabber shot, killed by Baltimore City police
There are renewed calls for answers and for police to release body camera footage after a well-known West Baltimore arabber was shot and killed by police earlier this week. Bilal "BJ" Abdullah Jr., who was shot and killed by Baltimore police on Tuesday, June 17, was a popular arabber, who sold produce on a horse-drawn cart in the city, according to community members. Abdullah allegedly shot a veteran police officer in the foot as three officers opened fire on him, according to a preliminary report from the Maryland Attorney General's Office. Abdullah, who was shot in the exchange of gunfire, was pronounced dead at the hospital. "Justice for BJ" rally in Upton Many neighbors who rallied in Upton are demanding more from the city's police department. Protestors rally for local arabber Bilal "BJ" Yusuf-Muhammad Abdullah Jr. who was shot and killed by Baltimore City police on Tuesday, June 17. Matthew Callahan "Baltimore City police, we look to them to support and protect us, and they took my brother away," Abdullah's sister said at the rally. "We want justice. Those officers knew what they wanted to do. They knew, and we just want justice." Meanwhile, the community is still shocked and remains concerned. "Are we free? Or is it a mirage or a dream still? This represents our freedom is in jeopardy every day, and it's not about one community, or one race of people, it's about all people," Tenecia Brown, ambassador of the Baltimore Peace Movement, said. "The truth reveals justice, and once the truth is revealed, justice will be served." "We must stand together, and we have to show solidarity, and we have to begin this long path of learning to work together. So, we can meaningfully resolve these kinds of problems in our society," Rachel Viqueira said at the rally. Police Accountability Board holds "emergency meeting" The Baltimore City Police Accountability Board held an emergency meeting Friday night, which one board member called rare. They said the meeting was in response to the outrage expressed by neighbors in Upton. The board says it investigated 17 complaints in the Upton neighborhood last year and is expecting another complaint to be filed in this case. It is calling for more independent investigative power. "We would like the ability to question more folks, to be able to subpoena folks, to be able to gather more information," Jamal Turner, president of the Police Accountability Board, said. Attorney General identifies involved officers The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland State Attorney General's Office (AG) has released the names of the officers and the man involved in Tuesday night's fatal shooting in Baltimore City's Upton neighborhood. Officials confirmed that Bilal "BJ" Yusuf-Muhammad Abdullah Jr., 36, was the man shot and killed by Baltimore City police on Tuesday, June 17, just before 7:30 pm. The State Attorney General's Office said the Baltimore City Department (BPD) officers involved in the shooting have been identified as: Detective Devin Yancy, an 8-year veteran of the department; Detective Omar Rodriguez, a 6-year veteran of the department, both assigned to the Group Violence Unit; and Officer Ashely Negron, a 7-year veteran of the department. According to The Baltimore Banner, charges were not brought against Det. Yancy in a 2023 vehicle pursuit. The Banner says Yancy was pursuing a stolen car when the driver later blew through a red light, hit another vehicle, struck a man, and crashed into a vacant building, which partially collapsed. Yancy was one of four officers following the stolen car. A lieutenant called off the chase, and Yancy began to decelerate and followed one block behind the car. That's when the vehicle ran the red light and crashed. Fraternal Order of Police says suspect "escalated" While the community is calling for the officers to be held accountable, the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that Abdullah chose to escalate the situation by pulling out a gun and firing at police. "The citizens of Baltimore need to decide whether they want law and order or chaos," the statement read. The police accountability board says it hopes body camera video is released next week, but that remains up to BPD and the Attorney General's office. Attorney General's preliminary report A preliminary investigation report from the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (AG) revealed that Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) officers in an unmarked cruiser were in the area when they encountered an adult man standing at the corner, carrying a crossbody bag on his back. The man began walking away and the officer followed, according to the AG's report. The man was wearing a crossbow bag on his back when police attempted to stop him near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Laurens Street. He reportedly led officers on a chase, and during a struggle, shot an officer in the foot, according to police. Police said that as an officer grabbed the man, a gunshot was fired, which prompted the officers to take cover. That's when the man allegedly pointed a gun at the three officers, who shot the man. The officer is recovering after he was released from the hospital following surgery, police said. "A man ran from officers, and a brief truffle ensued," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. "At some point, the male broke away, multiple officers returned fire, striking the man." What is an arabber? An arabber is a street vendor who sells fruits and vegetables from a horse-drawn cart. It used to be more common in cities along the U.S. East Coast and has a long history in Baltimore as a source of fresh produce in food deserts across the city. However, arabbers are working to stay active on the streets of Baltimore. Holden Warren, the former president of Baltimore's Arabber Preservation Society and co-founder of Stable Baltimore, a nonprofit dedicated to healing and horse culture, said he was working with Bilal "BJ" Abdullah Jr. to revive arabbing.
