DEDHAM, Mass. (BN24) — Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022, was found not guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder, capping a high-profile case that drew national attention and intense public debate.
The Norfolk County jury acquitted Read of all major charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, nearly a year after her first trial ended in a mistrial.
She was found guilty only of operating under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor for which she received a sentence of one year probation—the standard punishment for a first-time offense.
Supporters erupted in cheers outside the courthouse as the verdict was read. Inside, Read wept and embraced her legal team, visibly emotional after nearly four years under public scrutiny and legal pressure.
Prosecutors alleged that Read struck and killed John O’Keefe, her boyfriend and a Boston police officer, with her SUV in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022. They claimed she hit him while dropping him off outside a Canton home during a snowstorm, after a night of drinking, then left him in the snow to die.
The state’s theory centered on forensic damage to her vehicle and phone data showing her movement that night.
Read’s legal team, however, argued she was framed to protect others. They presented an alternative theory that O’Keefe was assaulted by people inside the house, potentially mauled by a dog, and then left outside after succumbing to his injuries. The defense accused investigators of suppressing evidence and targeting Read to shield powerful figures.
Karen Read, 44, did not testify in either trial but told reporters during the retrial that the jury had already heard her voice in numerous interview clips. “I am not testifying,” she said June 10. “They’ve heard my voice. They’ve heard a lot of me.”
The jury began deliberating on June 13 and returned a verdict five days later, on June 19. During deliberations, jurors submitted multiple questions, including whether a hung jury on one charge meant a hung jury on all, and whether video clips of Read’s interviews could be considered as evidence. Judge Beverly Cannone declined to directly answer hypothetical queries but reminded the jury that no verdict was official until it was recorded in open court.
Earlier Wednesday, confusion briefly surrounded the outcome when the court revealed the jury had initially indicated a verdict had been reached—then reversed course. The verdict slip was sealed until their final decision was confirmed in court.
Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial in July 2024, when the jury could not reach a consensus. Her attorneys said four jurors had already voted to acquit her of both murder and leaving the scene of an accident, but could not agree on the manslaughter charge involving a vehicle.
They later challenged her retrial on those same counts, claiming double jeopardy, but appeals—including one to the U.S. Supreme Court—were rejected.
Following the verdict, members of the Albert and McCabe families, key witnesses in the case, issued a joint statement condemning the result as a “devastating miscarriage of justice.” They accused Read, her legal team, and segments of the media of spreading conspiracy theories to deflect blame.
“Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O’Keefe family,” the statement read. “They deserved better from our justice system.”
Outside the courthouse, Read expressed gratitude to her supporters, many of whom rallied behind her for years, raising funds and pushing for her acquittal. “No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have—and my team,” she said.
She also added civil attorney Victoria George, a former alternate juror from her first trial, to her legal team for the retrial—a highly unusual move that underscored the unique public nature of the case.
The verdict ends one of Massachusetts’ most controversial recent trials, though questions may still linger—and further legal action is possible in the civil or federal arena.
For now, Read walks free, cleared of the charges that could have sent her to prison for life.
