Boston, April 2024
More than two years after prosecutors first accused Karen Read of backing her SUV into her boyfriend and leaving him to die on a snowy lawn in Canton, they face the ultimate task of proving their murder case before a jury in Norfolk Superior Court. And in a case rife with contentious evidence and conflicting theories, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office carries a heavy burden of proof as it chases a second-degree murder conviction.
Prosecutors allege that after a night out with friends, Read killed Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe while dropping him off at the home of a fellow officer on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s lawyers, meanwhile, say she’s been framed in a cover-up and have suggested that other afterparty guests are to blame.
The Mansfield woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury and death. The Norfolk County grand jury that indicted Read found probable cause that the 44-year-old “did assault and beat John O’Keefe, with intent to murder such person,” according to a copy of the indictment.
However, while they were able to secure indictments during the grand jury proceedings, prosecutors face a higher burden of proof when Read’s trial begins Tuesday.
