Newly acquitted Karen Read was seen outside her Boston hotel just after a jury declared her not guilty of both murder and manslaughter in the case concerning her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
Cheers from her supporters, who had been waiting for an update across the street from the courthouse, could be heard inside the courtroom.
During Read’s second trial, the state appointed a special prosecutor, while her defense team was bolstered by high-profile defense attorney Hank Brennan. Additionally, New York defense lawyer Robert Alessi joined forces with Los Angeles’ Alan Jackson and Boston’s David Yannetti to form a formidable legal team.
O’Keefe’s body was discovered face-up in the snow outside the Canton, Massachusetts, home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer, on Jan. 29, 2022.
His body was bruised and unresponsive with head trauma and signs of hypothermia.
The defense argued O’Keefe was attacked inside the house, and his death was potentially covered up by law enforcement people inside the party.
The prosecution maintained that Read had deliberately or carelessly hit O’Keefe with her SUV, abandoned him to suffer in a blizzard, and then attempted to hide evidence of the incident.
Karen Read and her lawyer, Alan Jackson, exit Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Read was found to be not guilty of the murder of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and Boston College law professor, called the outcome “a stunning victory for the defense” that he said would also help Read in a civil lawsuit against her from O’Keefe’s family.
The investigation of Read’s case led to investigations into the investigators, an audit of the Canton Police Department and the firing of a state police homicide detective.
