Karen Read found not guilty of murder in retrial on police officer boyfriend's death
BOSTON -- A Massachusetts jury found Karen Read not guilty of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022, nearly a year after her first prosecution ended in a mistrial.
The jury began deliberating the afternoon of June 13 in Norfolk County before reaching a verdict Wednesday afternoon.
She was acquitted of the most serious charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene after an accident resulting in death.
The jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor. The judge immediately sentenced her to one-year probation, the standard for a first-time offense.
The girlfriend of a beloved Boston police officer learned her fate in the murder case that captivated the country across two high-profile trials. "Karen Read: The Verdict," a breaking, special edition of "20/20" airs tonight (June 18) at 8/7c on ABC.
Cheers could be heard from outside the courthouse, where supporters of Read have gathered, while the verdict was being read. Read embraced her legal team and cried following the verdict.
Prosecutors alleged Read hit her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, with her car outside the Canton home of fellow police officer Brian Albert after a night of heavy drinking in January 2022 and then left him to die there during a major blizzard.
The defense had argued that Read's vehicle did not hit O'Keefe and instead said O'Keefe was attacked by a dog and beaten by other people who were in the house before he was thrown out in the snow to die.
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Read pleaded not guilty to the charges and has maintained her innocence.
In brief remarks upon leaving the courthouse, she thanked her "amazing supporters" for their financial and emotional support for the past nearly four years.
"No one has fought harder for justice than John O'Keefe than I have -- than I have and my team," Read added.
Following the verdict, several of the witnesses who testified against Read called the result of the retrial "a devastating miscarriage of justice."
"Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O'Keefe family. They have suffered through so much and deserved better from our justice system," members of the Albert and McCabe families said in a statement. "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."
During deliberations, the jury asked four questions, including, "If we find not guilty on two charges but can't agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?" the judge told attorneys in court.
The judge told the jury she is not able to respond to their question, telling attorneys it was a "theoretical question."
The jury also asked about the time frame for when Read is accused of driving under the influence, whether video clips from Read's interviews about the case are to be considered as evidence and if she is convicted on a sub-charge, if that would mean she is guilty on the overall charge.
In an unusual moment, Judge Beverly Cannone told the courtroom earlier Wednesday that the jury had indicated during the lunch break that they had reached a verdict, then updated that they did not have a verdict. Cannone sealed that verdict slip and informed the court that there was not yet a verdict "because, as we all know, there is no verdict until it is announced and recorded in open court."
Read's first trial ended in a mistrial in July 2024 after the jury could not reach a verdict.
At least four jurors who served on her first trial last year have confirmed that she was found not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, according to Read's attorneys. However, the jury could not agree on the third charge of manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence, the attorneys said.
Her lawyers filed multiple appeals, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming Read should not be retried on the counts the jury apparently agreed on, saying it would amount to double jeopardy. Each appeal was denied.
Read's attorneys made motions for a mistrial twice during her second criminal trial, both of which were denied by the judge.
Like her first trial, Read did not take the stand in her own defense.
"I am not testifying," Read said to reporters outside the courthouse on June 10. "[The jury has] heard my interview clips. They've heard my voice. They've heard a lot of me."
Read had added one of the alternate jurors from her first trial to her legal team for the retrial. Victoria George, the alternate juror, is a licensed civil attorney in Massachusetts.
