Karen Read Finally Speaks Out
Karen Read says she's not guilty. Prosecutors say she ran over her cop boyfriend with her SUV and left him to die in the snow. Now, with a mistrial behind her and a second trial looming, the woman at the center of one of Massachusetts' most sensational murder cases is once again grabbing headlines — and telling her side of the story.
The Couple at the Center of the Case
Karen Read, a 45-year-old former professor and financial analyst, had been dating Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe for two years. They reconnected during the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing grief and trauma from past personal losses.
Their relationship wasn't without tension. Read admitted to flirtatious texts with another man, while she claimed she caught O'Keefe kissing someone else during a trip. But on the night of Jan. 28, 2022, they were out drinking with friends in Canton, Massachusetts — and everything changed.
What Happened That Night?
Prosecutors allege Read dropped O'Keefe off at a fellow officer's home after midnight, then hit him while making a three-point turn and left him outside to die in a snowstorm. His body was found the next morning in a snowbank with blunt force injuries and signs of hypothermia.
Read, who helped discover the body around 6 a.m., was described as hysterical, allegedly asking, "Did I hit him? Could I have hit him?" One officer claimed she said, "I hit him. I hit him" — a statement the defense says was misinterpreted in a moment of panic, per NBC News.
Read's Defense: A Cover-Up
From the start, Read has said she's innocent. Her legal team claims O'Keefe was beaten inside the house and dragged into the yard, possibly attacked by a dog. They say she's the target of a law enforcement cover-up designed to protect others at the scene.
Photos presented by the defense show O'Keefe with injuries they argue aren't consistent with being hit by a car — including scratches and puncture wounds they say resemble a dog attack.
One of their main targets is former State Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator. Texts from the evening after O'Keefe was found were revealed in court showing him calling Read a "whack job" and saying there was "zero chance she skates," according to Vanity Fair. He was fired from the Massachusetts State Police in March 2025 after an internal investigation.
A Trial, a Mistrial — and a Do-Over
Read's 2024 trial lasted 10 weeks and ended in a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. But prosecutors didn't drop the case. Her retrial is now set to begin April 1, 2025. In another strange twist, a former alternate juror from Karen Read's first trial has joined her legal team ahead of her retrial.
Read's lawyers tried — and failed — to have two of the three charges dismissed, claiming double jeopardy. Courts ruled against them. Meanwhile, the judge overseeing the retrial has approved a controversial "third-party culprit" defense, allowing Read's team to argue that others were responsible for O'Keefe's death, as reported by WCVB.
What's Next?
In the lead-up to her second trial, Read is once again in the spotlight thanks to "A Body in the Snow," a new true crime docuseries from Investigation Discovery. "Doing this film is my testimony," she said in the series, according to PEOPLE. "I know what happened between John and me."
Since being charged, Read has lost her jobs, her health insurance, her home, and much of her savings. She's currently living with family and facing over $5 million in deferred legal fees.
1 Case, 2 Stories, No Verdict — Yet
Karen Read says she'll never take a plea for something she didn't do. Prosecutors say the evidence points directly at her. As jury selection begins again, one thing is clear: Massachusetts' most polarizing murder case is far from over.
References: Did Karen Read Kill Her Boyfriend? Revisiting Her Trial as She Shares Her Side of the Story in A Body in the Snow | Karen Read Tells Her Story (Part 1): A Murder Trial in Massachusetts | Messages between Karen Read, Turtleboy discussed at hearing days before murder trial begins | A timeline of the Karen Read case and the story behind the high-profile Massachusetts murder trial | Prosecution moves to weaken Karen Read's 'hos long to die in cold' claim | Karen Read Murder Trial: Alleged Confession, Secret Affair and Late-Night Internet Search at Center of Case
