Karen Read has been at the centre of a closely watched murder case since January 2022 and as of June 16, she has been found not guilty of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
What was she accused of?
Read was arrested in 2022 and charged with several crimes, including second-degree murder, for allegedly hitting O’Keefe with her SUV while drunk and leaving him to die in the snow outside a fellow officer’s home in Canton, Massachusetts. Prosecutors said she was angry and intoxicated when she dropped him off at a party at retired officer Brian Albert’s house — and that she hit him on purpose.
O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow early the next morning. He died from blunt force injuries and hypothermia.
What was Read’s defense?
Read denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty. She claimed she was being framed in a cover-up by members of the Boston Police Department and their associates.
According to her, she never hit O’Keefe and had no idea how he ended up in the yard. In fact, she was one of the people who found his body after searching for him in the early morning hours.
She also appeared visibly distraught and reportedly asked aloud at the scene, “Did I hit him?” — which prosecutors used against her, but her defense argued showed concern and confusion, not guilt.
What happened at trial?
Read’s first trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial after the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. Her second trial began in April 2025 and concluded in June with a jury acquitting her of:
- Second-degree murder
- Manslaughter while operating under the influence
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Motor vehicle homicide
- Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death
She was found guilty only of operating under the influence, a far lesser charge.
Who were Karen Read and John O’Keefe?
Karen Read was a former financial analyst and part-time professor. John O’Keefe was a veteran officer with the Boston Police Department.
The two had briefly dated in the early 2000s and reconnected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
They became close, especially after bonding over personal losses and health struggles. O’Keefe had taken in his late sister’s children, and Read spent a lot of time with the family.
But their relationship wasn’t without drama. Read admitted to sending O’Keefe angry texts the night he disappeared, and there were rumors of infidelity on both sides. Still, Read insisted she would never have harmed him.
What now?
Karen Read’s acquittal has sparked strong reactions, both support and outrage, especially in Boston, where the case has become a media lightning rod. She now faces sentencing on the DUI charge, but otherwise, she is legally cleared in O’Keefe’s death.
The case was also the focus of a true-crime docuseries titled A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read, which aired before the second trial began.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
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