The jury in Karen Read's retrial reached a verdict on Wednesday, finding her guilty on a charge of operating under the influence but not guilty on the murder and leaving the scene charges over the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.
Read was sentenced moments after the verdict was read — she received a one-year probation.
Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HEREThe verdict was greeted with raucous cheers outside court, where a large crowd of Read's many supporters had gathered. She greeted them about half an hour later, thanking them in brief remarks for their financial and emotional support over the years.
Get top local Connecticut stories delivered to you every morning with the News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP "No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have, than me and my team," Read said.
A close friend of O'Keefe, John Jackson, said he, other friends and family took issue with Read's statement.
Local
"We watched her interview on the courthouse steps afterwards," he said. "If she decided to make better decisions between 12:30 and 6 a.m., he'd still be here."
The jury, which was seated April 15, began deliberating Friday after hearing closing arguments. They had several questions for the judge on Tuesday, including, "If we find not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?"
There was a bizarre twist shortly before the verdict came in Wednesday, when Judge Beverly Cannone called the parties back to court to say that jurors reported reaching a verdict, only to quickly take it back.
After it was reached, the verdict was read in court about 3 p.m. When the not guilty verdict on the third charge came in, Read hugged her lead attorney, Alan Jackson. She was in tears, along with others on her team.
Get more analysis on what happened on a special edition of "Canton Confidential":
Prosecutors had alleged that Read killed O'Keefe, who was a Boston police officer, with her SUV while dropping him off at a home on Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts, early on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022. O'Keefe was found in the snow about 6 a.m., and he was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.
Read's attorneys argued that she was framed, and their claims in support of that theory, including the disputed Google search "hos long to die in cold," have attracted both supporters and detractors nationwide.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey has yet to comment on the verdict.
"Everything the jury needed to convict was in front of that jury," John Jackson said. "They just didn't see it that way."
This was Read's second murder trial. The first, in 2024, ended in a mistrial over a hung jury.
But the defense said that, after that mistrial, they were contacted by some jurors who reported that the panel unanimously agreed Read was not guilty on two of the three charges and only split on manslaughter charge. On that basis, they sought to have those charges dropped, and when Cannone denied that motion, they appealed — all the way to the Supreme Court.
Get analysis of every day in court, and more, from our team of experts on "Canton Confidential" — including tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBC10 Boston and streaming on our YouTube.
What are the charges Karen Read faced?
Prosecutors brought three separate charges against Read:
- Second-degree murder is the most serious charge, and if convicted, Read could face life in prison.
- Manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor alleges that Read was driving drunk when she hit and killed John O'Keefe with her SUV.
- Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death alleges that Read left the scene after hitting O'Keefe without providing any assistance or reporting the incident.
The second charge, manslaughter, had several options of lesser charges that the jury could choose to find her guilty of instead:
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Motor vehicle homicide, with one or both of the following:
- by operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor
- by operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .08% or greater
- Operating under the influence of liquor, with one or both of the following:
- by operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor
- by operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .08% or greater
See the verdict slips, which the defense unsuccessfully tried to have amended, here:
What happened during Karen Read's murder trial? What happens next?
Use this YouTube playlist to watch the full day in court from every day of the trial — toggle between videos by clicking the button on the top right.
Catch up on everything that happened in the trial, with analysis on what's coming next as well, on our daily podcast, "Canton Confidential: The Karen Read Murder Trial." There will be a new episode tonight.
You can download episodes wherever you get podcasts, or listen below:
