Karen Read, the woman at the center of one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched murder trials, was found not guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
The jury, made up of seven women and five men, returned a verdict after approximately 20 hours of deliberation across several days. The only charge Read was convicted of was operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI). Following the verdict, Judge Beverly Cannone sentenced her to one year of probation.
As the decision was read inside the Dedham courthouse, a thunderous celebration erupted outside. More than 1,000 supporters gathered, many cheering, clapping, and tossing confetti on the courthouse steps in support of Read.
Read had been accused of drunkenly striking O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die during a snowstorm in Canton, MA, amid an alleged argument over their relationship. Prosecutors claimed she backed over him in a rage. Her defense, however, argued that O’Keefe was assaulted inside the home and that the lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, ignored crucial evidence. Proctor was later fired for misconduct and never testified.
The trial was tense from start to finish. On Wednesday afternoon, the jury first claimed they had reached a decision… only to retract it minutes later. Shortly after resuming deliberations, they returned with their final verdict. If Read had been convicted of murder, she could have faced life in prison.
This was Read’s second trial. The first ended in a mistrial in July 2024, after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision. One juror from that trial, speaking anonymously, praised the outcome of the second trial, saying: “They got it right and completed what we couldn’t. Justice was served.”
