Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman at the center of a highly publicized criminal trial, has been found not guilty of second-degree murder and other serious charges in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. A Norfolk County jury delivered the verdict on Wednesday, concluding a trial that captured national attention.
Read, 45, was accused of striking O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow during a blizzard. However, after nearly two months of testimony and four days of intense deliberation, the jury sided with the defense’s argument that she was not responsible for his death.
The Verdict Breakdown
The jury acquitted Read of the most severe charges: second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death.
However, the jury did find Read guilty of a single, lesser offense: operating a vehicle under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .08% or greater. For this first-time OUI conviction, Judge Beverly Cannone immediately sentenced Read to one year of probation.
Trial Context and Deliberations
This trial was a retrial for Read, her first having ended in a hung jury last year. The proceedings featured weeks of witness testimony, expert analysis, and competing theories about O’Keefe’s death. Jurors deliberated for approximately 22 hours over four days, including a brief mix-up where they initially indicated a verdict before continuing discussions.
During deliberations, the jury submitted multiple questions to the judge, seeking clarity on technical points of the law regarding charges, the timeframe for the operating under the influence accusation, and how to weigh video evidence presented during the trial. They also asked a hypothetical question about the outcome if they were unable to agree on all counts, which the judge declined to answer, instructing them instead to focus solely on the evidence and reach a unanimous decision on each charge.
Prosecution vs. Defense: Two Competing Narratives
The trial hinged on two drastically different accounts of the events surrounding O’Keefe’s death.
The Prosecution’s Case: Led by special prosecutor Hank Brennan, the state alleged that Read, intoxicated after a night of heavy drinking, intentionally reversed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe outside the Canton home of fellow officer Brian Albert on January 29, 2022. The prosecution presented evidence such as data from Read’s vehicle allegedly showing a rapid backward acceleration, a biomechanical engineer’s testimony linking O’Keefe’s arm injuries to Read’s broken taillight, a debris field found at the scene, and witness testimony claiming Read repeatedly said “I hit him” after O’Keefe’s body was discovered.
The Defense’s Argument: Read’s legal team, asserting her complete innocence, argued she was the victim of a cover-up orchestrated by powerful individuals and a biased, “tunnel-vision” investigation by law enforcement. They contended that O’Keefe was severely beaten and possibly attacked by a dog inside the Albert home and his body was later moved outside. The defense called expert witnesses who testified that the damage to Read’s SUV and O’Keefe’s injuries were inconsistent with a vehicle collision, and a snowplow driver who claimed he did not see a body in the yard despite passing by multiple times that night. Defense attorneys also highlighted the conduct of former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator who was fired after revelations of his actions in the case emerged, portraying the initial probe as “corrupt.” While restricted from explicitly naming specific alternative suspects in closing arguments, the defense maintained that “There was no collision” involving Read’s vehicle.
O’Keefe’s death was ultimately attributed to blunt force trauma to the head with hypothermia as a contributing factor, according to the medical examiner.
Reactions and What Comes Next
Upon hearing the verdict, Read became emotional in the courtroom, hugging her defense attorneys and family members. Outside, a large contingent of her vocal supporters erupted in cheers and celebrations, which included crying and confetti. Read briefly addressed her supporters, thanking them for their years of dedication and stating that she and her team had fought hard for justice for John O’Keefe.
The verdict was met with disappointment from witnesses who testified for the prosecution and members of the Albert and McCabe families, who issued a statement calling the outcome a “devastating miscarriage of justice” and alleging that the prosecution’s case was “infected by lies” spread by Read and her supporters.
The intense scrutiny on the case has also prompted investigations into the conduct of those involved in the initial probe, including an audit of the Canton Police Department and the firing of Trooper Proctor. Despite the criminal acquittal on the most serious charges, Read still faces a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by John O’Keefe’s family. Read was photographed exiting the courthouse as a free woman following the verdict and sentencing on the OUI charge.
