Jury finds Karen Read not guilty in the death of her police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe
A jury has found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of her police officer boyfriend, following a closely watched trial that drew international attention.
The Massachusetts jury also acquitted her of manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision.
Read, 45, had been accused of hitting John O'Keefe, 46, with her car and leaving him to die in the snow outside a police colleague's home after a night of drinking with friends.
But she claimed she was the target of a cover-up, arguing that off-duty officers at the home were responsible for Mr O'Keefe's death and conspired to frame her.
The case attracted legions of true crime followers and inspired a Hulu series and an upcoming Netflix documentary.
Her defence said the police investigation was biased after the lead investigator in the case, former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, was fired after sharing offensive and sexist texts about Read with friends, family and co-workers.
They also said Mr O'Keefe was beaten, bitten by a dog and left outside a home in the Boston suburb of Canton, in a conspiracy orchestrated by police that included planting evidence.
Prosecutors described Read as a scorned lover who chose to leave Mr O'Keefe dying in the snow after striking him with her SUV.
Describing Mr O'Keefe as a "good man" who "helped people," prosecutor Hank Brennan told jurors during closing arguments that: "She [Read] was drunk. She hit him and she left him to die."
The defence rejected the idea that there was ever a collision at all and called expert witnesses who agreed.
"There is no evidence that John was hit by a car. None. This case should be over right now, done, because there was no collision," lawyer Alan Jackson said during closing.
No-one else has been charged in Mr O'Keefe's death.
The verdict came nearly a year after a separate jury deadlocked over Read's involvement in the January 2022 death of Mr O'Keefe and resulted in a mistrial.
A second-degree murder conviction would have carried a life sentence.
Read was convicted only of drunk driving and sentenced to one year of probation — a penalty typical for first-time offenders.
Supporters erupted in cheers outside the courthouse as Read exited, tearfully thanking them for standing by her through what she called a four-year fight for justice.
"No-one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have," Read said.
But some witnesses see a miscarriage of justice.
"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. The result is a devastating miscarriage of justice," the statement said.
Several witnesses who signed the statement included Jennifer McCabe, who was with Read and Mr O'Keefe the night of his death, and Brian Albert, who owned the home where the party took place.
Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University Law School, said the verdict "gives us an opportunity to reflect how this case would have been different if Karen Read was not a white woman of privilege and means".
"The criminal legal system is full of inequities, and the fact the defendant in this case was able to post bail and wasn't held in custody while the case was pending made a huge difference," Ms Diner said.
"She was able to work directly with her lawyers in a way that people can't from behind bars. She was able to give interviews and craft a public narrative that a person without means would be unable to do.
"All of that work helped contribute to the verdict, and that is a privilege that most people charged with second-degree murder do not have."
ABC with wires
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