The murder trial of Karen Read, a woman from Massachusetts who is accused of deliberately crashing her SUV into her boyfriend, a police officer from Boston, has begun.
John O’Keefe was discovered lifeless outside the residence of a fellow Boston police officer and subsequently declared dead at a hospital. Read is accused of many crimes, one of which is second-degree murder. She posted bail and has entered a not-guilty plea.
A devoted following of Read and widespread media coverage of the case have resulted from the defense’s portrayal of a massive conspiracy, including a police coverup. The defense counsel for Read, David Yannetti, informed the jury that Read’s vehicle did not collide with O’Keefe, suggesting another party was at fault. The pair supposedly went to a party in neighboring Canton after hitting two bars in January 2022. Upon arriving at the residence, O’Keefe reportedly disembarked from Read’s car; she allegedly hit him while doing a three-point turn and, after that, sped away.
Authorities discovered damage on O’Keefe’s SUV and a broken right rear tail light close to where O’Keefe was found. There was also a “20-minute screaming match” that O’Keefe’s two adopted children observed while on holiday in Aruba. Prosecutors say O’Keefe’s injuries are consistent with being struck by her automobile,
For months, the defense has argued in court that the prosecution presented misleading and fraudulent evidence before conflicts of interest tainted the grand jury. Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey vehemently denied in August that state and local authorities were hatching a cover-up plot, stating that there was no evidence to prove that O’Keefe was present at the Canton residence where the celebration was held or involved in any altercation.
Some of Read’s supporters, such as the combative blogger Aidan Timothy Kearney, better known as “Turtleboy,” have faced charges related to intimidating, threatening, and harassing witnesses.
A decent guy was murdered, and O’Keefe’s loved ones are worried that the attention on Read and the conspiracy theories are diluting that truth.
