A verdict has been reached in the second high-profile trial of Karen Read.

On Wednesday, June 18, 2025, a Norfolk Superior Court jury acquitted the 45-year-old financial analyst of second-degree murder in the hit-and-run death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. She was also found not guilty of motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. However, the jury did convict her of operating a vehicle under the influence, as reported by live updates from NBC Boston affiliate WBTS-CD. The verdicts were delivered on the fourth day of deliberations, nearly a year after another jury was “starkly divided” on Read’s case.

Differing opinions on Read’s responsibility for the January 29, 2022 incident, which resulted in the death of O’Keefe, a 46-year-old Boston police officer, have brought considerable media coverage in the intervening years.

On Wednesday, Read was immediately sentenced to one year of probation for the lesser charge, according to the NBC outlet.

Crowds continue to gather outside the courthouse in hopes of seeing Read leaving a free woman.

The court’s arguments

Prosecutors alleged Read nailed the gas pedal and fatally struck O’Keefe with the vehicle following a heated argument, possibly over “romantic texts” Read shared with ATF Agent and party guest Brian Higgins.

At about 1:00 a.m., sometime after the collision, Read left messages on O’Keefe’s phone, stating, “You are a f–king loser, f–k yourself” and “John, I f–king hate you.”

Prosecutor Hank Brennan told the court Read placed 53 calls that night, but none to 911, according to ABC’s Boston affiliate, WCVB-TV.

On the other hand, Read’s defense team, including David Yannetti and Alan Jackson, cried coverup, claiming that any of the party guests could have been the culprit. They theorized Albert or Higgins possibly beat O’Keefe within an inch of his life and left him in the below-freezing temperatures to die.

Defense attorneys relied heavily on damning texts made by lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, during the initial investigation. At that time, he called Read a “c-nt” to his childhood friends, adding, “Hopefully, she kills herself.”

Proctor was suspended for the remarks, although some believed he had intentionally mishandled the investigation to protect his law enforcement friends. Although the fired Proctor testified in the first trial, he did not take the stand during the retrial.

“The case was corrupted from the start,” defense attorney Jackson said in his closing arguments, according to CBS News. “It was corrupted by a legal investigator whose misconduct infected every single part of this case from the top to the bottom.”

Jury deliberations began Friday, June 13, 2025, 11 weeks after jury selection for the retrial began.

Read and others respond to the verdict

Read addressed her many supporters outside the courthouse, speaking in brief, as reported by CNN.

“I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team financially and, more importantly, emotionally for almost four years,” she said. “No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have.”

As gatherers — some dressed in pink in a show of support — celebrated Read’s acquittal, others were dismayed.

Witnesses from the party on the night of O’Keefe’s death, including the Alberts and the McCabe family, issued a joint statement obtained by WBTS-CD.

“Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O’Keefe family,” it stated. “They have suffered through so much and deserved better from our justice system. 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.”

This story continues to unfold …