Karen Read’s murder trial: A full timeline of events
Karen Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV. O'Keefe was found dead outside a colleague's lawn on January 29, 2022.
Investigators claimed that the couple's strained relationship led to the murder. Karen was eventually arrested on charges of second-degree murder. However, during the trial, the defense found many crucial details that could prove she was not guilty.
A new docuseries titled A Body in The Snow: The Trial of Karen Read explores the events revolving around Read's court trials. The docuseries is set to make its release on March 17, 2025, on Investigation Discovery. The official synopsis of the documentary reads,
"This exclusive behind-the-scenes docuseries tells the story of Karen Read, who is on trial for the murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. Read maintains her innocence and argues she's the victim of a police cover-up."
The story behind Karen Read's murder trial
What is the incident behind John O'Keefe's death?
As reported by CBC News, on the night of January 28, 2022, Karen and John, along with some of their friends, went to a club named Waterfall Bar and Grill located in Canton. As per the court records, Karen Read drank heavily and drove O'Keefe to his colleague, Brian Albert's house.
As per CBS, Karen and John shared a strained relationship and were having heated arguments in messages by the time she left him. It was past 4:00 am on January 29 when John's niece called Jennifer McCabe, Albert's sister-in-law.
This was because Karen Read was acting hysterical, since John had failed to return home by then. Soon, Read herself started to call John's friends and colleagues, asking for him. As per the court documents, Read asked one of her friends if she could've hit John with her SUV since she had a crack in her tail light.
On January 29, at around 6:00 am, John's body was found by Karen, lying covered in snow outside Brian's residence. As per authorities from the Canton police, when first responders found Read at the crime scene, she was continuously repeating that she had hit John with her SUV.
According to the investigators, they retrieved some pieces of the taillight and a broken cocktail glass on the scene. Upon testing, the alcohol content found in Karen Read's blood was above the legal limit.
As per CBS, it was on January 31, 2022, when John O'Keefe's autopsy reports arrived. It revealed that he was killed due to blunt force trauma and hypothermia from being exposed to extremely cold weather for a long time.
The trial of Karen Read
As per CBS, on February 2, 2022, Karen Read was arrested and brought to Stoughton District Court in Massachusetts. She was charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death.
On June 10, a Norfolk County grand jury formally charged Read with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. She pleaded not guilty at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, but her bail was set at $100,000. She made bail and was eventually released.
However, on May 3, 2023, defense attorneys David Yannetti and Alan Jackson claimed that John O'Keefe was beaten up and then later left outside to die. They presented wounds on the victim's body as evidence.
However, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally dismissed the claim, stating,
"There is no evidence that Mr. O'Keefe was beaten and left for dead."
During a pretrial hearing on May 24, 2023, Read's defense alleged that the Massachusetts State Police, Brian Albert, Jennifer McCabe, and others present at the Albert residence were involved in O'Keefe's death and its coverup.
On August 1, 2023, Yannetti stated that the prosecutors were controlling the narrative when Judge Beverly Connone denied the Norfolk District Attorney's office's request for a gag order.
As per CBS, on October 11, 2023, Aidan Kearney, who was popular for his blog "Turtle News," was arrested on charges of witness intimidation in connection to Read's case. He was additionally charged with his ex-girlfriend's assault and spent two months in jail before being released.
Crucial evidence was found from the broken tail light
As per CBS, in documents filed on February 22, 2024, prosecutors claimed that the DNA found in the broken SUV taillight pieces matched with John O'Keefe. Additionally, the material of the taillight belonged to Karen Read's SUV.
On April 16, 2024, the second-degree murder trial of Karen Read began with jury selection. The jury selection went on for 5 days, till April 24. The trial resumed on April 29 with opening statements and witness testimonies. O'Keefe's brother Paul and his wife Erin were the first two witnesses, followed by Canton police officer Steve Saraf.
On April 30, 2024, a paramedic from Canton, who treated John O'Keefe, testified listening to Karen Read saying,
"I hit him, I hit him."
On May 2, 2024, four paramedics and firefighters, who were present at the crime scene, backed up the statement. On May 10, 2024, John O'Keefe's colleague and Boston police official Brian Albert testified that Karen and John didn't enter his residence on the night of the murder.
On May 17, 2024, Jennifer McCabe was called on as a key witness. McCabe claimed that it was Read who had asked her to look up how long it would take someone to die from hypothermia. However, Read's lawyers argued that the search was done before O'Keefe's body was found.
As per CBS News, on July 1, 2024, after 24 hours of deliberation, the jury of six women and six men declared that the case was deadlocked. As per a GBH article published on July 2, 2024, Michael Proctor, the state trooper who was the lead investigator in Read's case, was transferred to another unit. Reportedly, Proctor accepted before the jury that he sent vulgar texts about Karen during the investigation.
On November 4, 2024, a motion was filed by the prosecution and defense team to delay the second criminal trial. This was supposed to begin on January 25, 2025, but was later postponed until April 1, 2025.
After its release, A Body in The Snow: The Trial of Karen Read will be available for streaming on Hulu and Max. Check our other articles to know more details about John O'Keefe's murder case.
