Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/ WBZ NewsRadio
DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A jury found Karen Read not guilty in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe Wednesday.
Read was accused of hitting O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton in 2022. She faced three charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The defense has argued she was the victim of a cover-up orchestrated by the police.
Her first trial ended with a hung jury last year. Witness testimony in the second trial started in April, 2025 and jury deliberations started June 13.
In her retrial, Read was found not guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. She was found guilty of operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
Judge Beverly Cannone sentenced Read to one year of probation.
The case drew national attention in part because of swirling theories that Read was framed. Pink-clad crowds gathered outside Norfolk Superior Court in support of Read as the verdict was read Wednesday.