Gerrard Kaonga
Karen Read has issued a statement after she was found not guilty of murdering her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, by a jury.
Read's trial began on April 16, 2024, after she was accused of hitting O'Keefe, who was a Boston police officer, with her SUV and leaving him to die outside the home of another officer in Canton, Massachusetts, in January 2022.
She was charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision - all of which she pleaded not guilty.
A second-degree murder conviction can result in a life sentence, The Independent says. An autopsy of O'Keefe's body by the medical examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt impact injuries to the head and hypothermia, according to prosecutors.
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Prosecutors claimed that Read and O'Keefe got into an argument, which led her to hit him with her car, while her defence attorneys argued that she was a victim of a cover-up.
On June 13, the jury dismissed the main charges against her.
According to court documents, the couple got into Read's SUV and drove to the home of the colleague for an after-party, with prosecutors claiming she'd had a few drinks.
It was then alleged that the two got into an argument, with text messages and a voicemail supposedly showing a strained relationship between them, according to CBS News.
However, her defence argued that O'Keefe had gotten into a fight with someone else, with court documents showing that a forensic search of the homeowner's sister-in-law's phone had revealed a search for the phrase, 'Ho(w) long to die in cold' just hours before O'Keefe was found - though this was further argued that it had been made after his body was discovered. She wasn't charged with any crime.
They also argued that she was being framed by a group of individuals, which included law enforcement.
Read claimed that she dropped O'Keefe off at the home of his fellow officer and then returned to her own house as she wasn't feeling well. After falling asleep, she woke up and became concerned when she realised he hadn't come home.
She further claimed that she called two friends and attempted to look for O'Keefe during the heavy snowfall before discovering his body in front of the officer's house.
While she was found not guilty of second-degree murder, she was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, for which she will serve one year of probation.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters, Read said: "Number one, I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters.
"They have supported me and my team financially and more importantly emotionally for almost 4 years.
"The second thing I want to say, no one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keeffe than I have, than I have and my team, thank you."
Some of the reporters in the courtroom repeatedly asked whether the investigation into O'Keefe's case should be reopened; however, Read's team did not give a clear answer.
Read's father also spoke at the press conference, thanking the supporters and their families for helping them through this process.