An attorney representing Karen Read has made a request to the highest court in Massachusetts to dismiss two charges, including murder, that she is facing in connection with the death of her boyfriend, a Boston police officer. The incident in question involves Read allegedly hitting the officer, John O’Keefe, with her SUV during a snowstorm in January 2022. Read’s defense team argues that she is being falsely accused and that someone else is responsible for O’Keefe’s death.
In a brief filed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Read’s lawyers claim that retrying her on charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene would violate the principle of double jeopardy. A mistrial was declared last summer when jurors could not come to a unanimous decision in her case.
According to the defense attorneys, after the mistrial, five jurors revealed that they were deadlocked only on a manslaughter charge and believed Read was not guilty on the other counts, although they did not communicate this to the judge. A judge later ruled that Read can be retried on the charges, with a new trial scheduled for January.
Read’s attorney, Martin Weinberg, contested the ruling, arguing that even if all 12 jurors agreed to acquit Read on the two charges, a double jeopardy challenge should still be feasible. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office has until Oct. 16 to respond to these claims.
Prosecutors allege that Read and O’Keefe had been drinking heavily before she dropped him off at a party at the house of another police officer. They contend that she struck him with her vehicle before driving away, leading to his death from hypothermia and blunt force trauma. Conversely, the defense asserts that O’Keefe was actually killed indoors and then moved outside, with Read being unfairly targeted due to being an “outsider.”
Further complicating the case, the lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, faced repercussions after it was revealed that he had sent inappropriate texts about Read. Another state witness, Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, also faced consequences for not addressing Proctor’s behavior. Moreover, Canton Police Det. Kevin Albert, who is related to one of the officers involved, was reprimanded for drinking with Proctor while on duty.
The defense also argued that the mistrial declaration was made abruptly without confirming the jurors’ individual conclusions. In response, prosecutors dismissed the defense’s claims as unfounded, stating they were based on speculation and not the actual deliberations of the jury. Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally emphasized that the jury had not reached a verdict on any charge and that the defense had opportunities to object to the mistrial declaration during the trial.
