MA v. Karen Read: Killer or Cover-Up Murder Trial

DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — The high-profile trial of a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend is underway.

(L) Karen Read appears in court Jan. 5, 2024. (Court TV), (R) Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe (Boston Police Department)

Karen Read is charged in the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was found dead in the snow outside the home of a fellow officer in Jan. 2022. Prosecutors accuse Read of hitting O’Keefe with her car while dropping him off at a party at the residence and leaving him to die. Her attorneys allege a sloppy investigation and a cover-up.

RELATED | Karen Read murder case: A timeline of events

Read is charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death. She is facing life in prison if convicted at trial.

RELATED | Key players in the Karen Read murder case

Read’s case has captured attention across the globe with allegations of a police cover-up orchestrated by parties with “significant relationships,” alleged “romantic entanglements” involving Read and O’Keefe, and even a blogger vocal in their defense for Read facing charges. Protesters have also taken center stage in their fight against a “buffer zone,” accusing the prosecution of going on an “unchecked bender.”

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 3 – 5/2/24

• Proceedings resume Thursday, May 2.

DAY 2 – 4/30/24

• Firefighter /EMT Timothy Nuttall, who responded to the Fairview Road residence, testifies about John O’Keefe’s condition and how it ‘was a scene of heightened emotions.’
  • WATCH: Firefighter in Karen Read Trial: It Was A Scene of Heightened Emotions
  • WATCH: How The O’Keefe And Read Families Are Handling This Trial
  • WATCH: Killer Or Cover-Up Murder Trial: Day 2 Recap

DAY 1 – 4/29/24

• In a dispassionate opening statement, prosecutor Adam Lally said forensic evidence from Karen Read’s Lexus SUV coupled with O’Keefe’s injuries proves that Read struck him with her car, hit him again when he was down, and left him to freeze to death. Lally said crime scene reconstruction data indicates Read’s car reversed 60 ft. at a speed of 22 mph around the time she’s believed to have struck O’Keefe with her car.
  • Lally pointed to Read’s “repeated phraseology” of blaming herself with statements such as “I hit him” as admissions of guilt.
    • WATCH: Karen Read Murder Trial: Prosecution Opening Statement
• Defense attorney, David Yannetti, said Read was framed and did not kill O’Keefe. Yannetti promised the jury it wouldn’t take long for them to question the reliability of evidence or witnesses in the “shoddy” and “biased” investigation led by Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who Yannetti said trained his sights on Read because of his personal ties to the Albert family.
  • Yannetti shared disturbing details about texts Proctor allegedly sent to friends as the investigation began. Proctor allegedly said he hoped Read would “kill herself” and that he tried to find nude photos of her on her phone. Proctor also allegedly said the owner of the home where O’Keefe’s body was found would not catch grief because he too was a Boston Police officer.
  • Yannetti said Proctor never searched inside the Albert home for signs of a struggle. The lawyer accused Proctor of falsifying a report to give the wrong time for when he impounded Read’s car. It was only after Proctor seized Read’s car that investigators started finding tail light pieces at the scene, Yannetti said, noting that Proctor’s prints were found on the evidence, too.
    • WATCH: Karen Read Murder Trial: Defense Opening Statement
• Paul O’Keefe, the victim’s brother, was the first witness for the prosecution.
  • John O’Keefe’s brother grew emotional on the witness stand describing his last texts with his brother “Johnny” and the condition of his body in the hospital. Paul O’Keefe also narrated video from JOK’s security cameras showing Read arriving, checking out her vehicle, and leaving. In between, Read collected her belongings from the house and left without saying anything to O’Keefe’s family, testified the witness, who said he once held Read “in high regard” for how she helped his brother with his niece and nephew.
• Erin O’Keefe, Paul’s wife and the victim’s sister-in-law, testified to her friendship with Karen Read.
  • John O’Keefe’s sister-in-law testified to potential signs of discord between Read and O’Keefe. Erin O’Keefe said Read told her about a fights she had with O’Keefe in Aruba and the morning before O’Keefe died. After his body was found, Read allegedly told said “I don’t think I’m ever gonna see you guys again,” to which Erin said she responded “of course we [will]. We’re friends.”
  • Erin said that during a trip over New Year’s Eve to Aruba, Read texted her to say that she fought with O’Keefe after allegedly seeing him kissing the sister of a friend with whom they were on vacation.
  • Erin said that when describing what happened, Read “said she had to remember the bad times” which struck her as an odd comment, but said that Read had been medicated at the time.
• Canton Police Officer Steven Saraf, the first officer who arrived on the scene that night, testified that Karen Read was visibly upset and kept saying, “This is my fault, I did this.”
  • The first responding officer described weather conditions the morning he responded to the scene. Officer Steve Saraf said he saw footprints around O’Keefe’s body but none from the direction of the house.
  • Seraf observed footprints and track marks around O’Keefe’s body, but none coming from the house.
  • The jury saw police dashcam footage of Read pacing back and forth and screaming.
• WATCH: Killer or Cover-Up Murder Trial: Day 1 Recap
• WATCH: Prosecution v. Defense: Who Had a Better Day In the Karen Read Trial?