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Karen Read’s retrial in the death of Boston cop John O’Keefe is near an end after more than a month’s worth of pivotal testimony.
Experts say key moments decided the case in their minds. Now her fate is in the hands of jurors.
For David Gelman, a defense attorney from the Philadelphia area and a former prosecutor, the pivotal moment occurred when special prosecutor Hank Brennan presented police dashcam footage from the crime scene. The video captured Read’s panicked reaction upon discovering her boyfriend unresponsive in the snow.
The defense asserted that a sloppy investigation and a disgraced lead detective left too many questions unanswered and prematurely accused Read of a crash that never happened.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan, left, points to defendant Karen Read during closing arguments in Read’s murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
“There was no collision,” Jackson told jurors three times to kick off his final argument. Furthermore, police didn’t investigate other potential sources of O’Keefe’s injuries, interview key witnesses or even follow protocols at the crime scene.
But Brennan countered that the defense theories are far-fetched and contradicted by clear evidence – the data from O’Keefe’s phone and Read’s car, as well as the taillight fragments embedded in his clothes.
“She was drunk. She hit him. And she left him to die,” Brennan said. “It’s that simple.”
O’Keefe, described by friends as a selfless 46-year-old who took in his orphaned niece and nephew, may even have survived if someone had called for help after he fell, Brennan suggested.
Gelman, who has won and lost in trials as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney, said both sides put on powerful cases from start to finish.
“Both closed strong,” he said. “But if it’s even, that’s reasonable doubt.”
