During the Massachusetts trial on Tuesday, jurors were presented with a series of intense voicemails from Karen Read, directed at her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. These messages were left in the early hours of January 29, 2022, which is the same day prosecutors allege she fatally struck him with her SUV.
As covered by CBS News, these recordings were part of the evidence presented on the tenth day of Read’s murder retrial at the Norfolk Superior Court. She is accused of intentionally reversing her vehicle into O’Keefe in front of a residence in Canton and subsequently leaving him to succumb to the cold.
“You are f***ng using me right now,” Read said in one message. “You’re f—ing another girl!”
In one of the voicemails, Read exclaimed, “John, I’m here with your f***ing kids, nobody knows where the f— you are, you f—ing pervert.” There were multiple other messages she left, including one expressing, “I f***ing hate you.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Read allegedly dropped O’Keefe off at the home of retired Boston police officer Brian Albert after a night of drinking, then struck him with her Lexus SUV before she drove away. His body was later found in a snow bank with head injuries and signs of hypothermia.
Read told police she dropped O’Keefe off around midnight and later grew concerned when he stopped responding to her texts and calls. By morning, she and two others returned to the home and found his body in the snow, bloodied and partially buried near the front lawn.
Read allegedly told first responders, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him,” but later claimed she was repeating what others suggested. Prosecutors argued her statements, along with damage to her vehicle and O’Keefe’s injuries, support the theory that she struck him during a failed three-point turn.
The defense argued that a cover-up began shortly after O’Keefe’s death. Read’s attorneys claimed someone inside the Albert home may have assaulted O’Keefe and left him outside, and that evidence was either mishandled or suppressed to protect people with ties to law enforcement.
Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Testimony is expected to continue later this week with more witnesses from the Canton neighborhood and additional forensic analysis.
Check back for updates.
