Killing of John O'Keefe

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Killing of John O'Keefe
LocationCanton, Massachusetts, US
DateJanuary 29, 2022 (2022-01-29)
Deaths1
VictimJohn O'Keefe
AccusedKaren A. Read

On January 29, 2022, Boston police officer John O'Keefe (born 1975) was found dead outside a home in Canton, Massachusetts. He had been dropped off at the home by his girlfriend, Karen A. Read (born 1979), in the early hours of the morning, to join a gathering hosted by fellow police officer Brian Albert. He was discovered hours later and transported to a local hospital where cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma and hypothermia.[1]

Police arrested Read on February 1, alleging that Read hit her boyfriend with her SUV and left him to die in the snow. She was later indicted with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision.

Read has alleged that she did not hit O'Keefe, and that she was framed by police.[2]

Read's trial was first scheduled to begin in March 2024,[3] but was rescheduled to April. On April 16, 2024, the jury selection began; the trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks. [4][5][6]

Background

John J. O'Keefe (born December 8, 1975) grew up in

UMass Lowell[7] and had lived in Canton since 2014, where he was raising his niece and nephew following his sister and brother-in-law's deaths.[2] O'Keefe was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department.[8]

Karen A. Read (born 1979) is from Taunton and graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science in Global Financial Analysis degree.[9][10] She had been a financial analyst at Fidelity Investments since 2007, and was an adjunct professor at Bentley University.[2][11] Read lived in Mansfield at the time of O'Keefe's death.[2] O'Keefe and Read began dating in 2019.[2]

Event

On the night of January 28, 2022, O'Keefe and Read visited two bars in Canton: C.F. McCarthy's and Waterfall Bar & Grille.[11] At the second bar, they met up with several acquaintances including fellow police officer Brian Albert. Shortly after midnight Albert invited a group of people, including the couple, back to his home on Fairview Road in Canton.[2][1]

The two drove to the home in Read's SUV.[1] Read claims to have dropped O'Keefe off in front of the home and left because she wasn't feeling well.[12]

A snow storm hit Canton in the early morning of January 29. Read reported that when she woke up the next day, O'Keefe had not returned home. After he did not respond to calls or texts, she contacted an acquaintance from that night, Jennifer McCabe, who agreed to join her and another woman, Kerry Roberts, in looking for him.[11] The three women returned to Fairview Road in Robert's vehicle, where they saw O'Keefe lying unresponsive in the snow.[2] Read exited the car and began CPR. McCabe called 911 at approximately 6:04 am and Canton Police, Fire, and EMS responded to the scene.[13]

O'Keefe was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead.[11] A medical examiner later reported that O'Keefe had abrasions to his right arm, several lacerations to the face, two black eyes, and skull fractures which would have contributed to brain bleeding. They determined that hypothermia was a contributing factor to O'Keefe's death.[2][1]

Read theorizes that O'Keefe was beaten inside the home, and his body was then left outside; however, there are 11 witness statements that say O'Keefe never entered the home.[1][14]

Investigation

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael D. Proctor, of the Norfolk State Police Detective Unit, was the lead investigator for this case. He produced a series of written reports (Case # 2022-112-0033) to Detective Lieutenant Brian P. Tully of the Massachusetts State Police.

According to police, pieces of a cocktail glass and patches of blood were found alongside O'Keefe's body. They also found pieces of a broken taillight, said to match a broken light on Read's car.[1]

Read was arrested on February 1, 2022.[11] Her phone was taken into custody.[2] She was charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a collision in the lower Stoughton District Court on February 2, 2022.[11]

In April 2023, Read's attorneys presented a theory that implicated Brian Albert, who owned the home outside of which where O'Keefe was found dead, and his sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe, who had been drinking with Read and O'Keefe on January 28, and helped Read find O'Keefe's body the morning of January 29.[1][15]

In November 2023, residents of Canton voted to mount an independent investigation into the town's police department.[1]

In January 2024, letters between the General Counsel for the Department of Justice and Norfolk District Attorney, Michael W. Morrissey, were released, confirming a federal investigation was mounted into the Norfolk District Attorney's office.[3][16][17]

In March 2024, the Massachusetts State Police launched an internal investigation into the lead investigator in the case, Trooper Michael Proctor, due to potential violation of department policy, but have not said whether that investigation relates to a specific case.[18]

Court proceedings

On February 2, 2022, Read was arraigned in Stoughton District Court on the charges of manslaughter, leaving the scene of a serious accident, and motor vehicle homicide. She pleaded not guilty and was released on $80,000 bail.[19]

In June 2022, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Read for second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision.[20]

The case is being heard in Norfolk County Superior Court, with Judge Beverly J. Cannone presiding. The prosecution is led by Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey and Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally.

The defense is led by criminal defense attorneys David R. Yannetti, Alan Jackson, and Elizabeth Little. Jackson and Little are partners at a Los Angeles firm and have represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.[21]

On March 12, 2024, Read's attorneys filed for a motion to dismiss the case due to alleged conflicts of interest and federal crash reconstruction experts determining that O’Keefe’s injuries were “inconsistent” with the damage to Read’s car. [22][23] The judge denied the motion on March 26 due to "extensive evidence supporting the indictments," such as O'Keefe's DNA being found on the broken taillight of Read's car.[24][25]

In early April 2024, ahead of the trial date, the prosecutors filed a motion requesting special restrictions during the trial to keep demonstrations back at least 500 feet from the courthouse to maintain an unbiased jury pool; Judge Cannone argued that 500 feet was too excessive, but has ordered a 200 feet buffer zone where no protesters are allowed. This ruling came after

ACLU filed a memorandum opposing the prosecution's request, citing freedom of speech, and urged the court to consider more narrowly tailored restrictions. Read's attorney said the defense takes no position on the motion. [26][27]The judge also approved the prosecution's request to prohibit anyone inside the courtroom from wearing any attire that says “Free Karen Read” and also prohibit law enforcement officers, whether they be testifying or attending the trial, from wearing their uniforms. [28]

Impact

In August 2023, a Massachusetts citizen ballot initiative was proposed to add recall elections to the Massachusetts Constitution in response to the Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey's perceived corruption in the case.[29]

The case has caused divisions in Canton, as town residents have debated whether O'Keefe was killed by Read, or whether Read was framed by the police. Social tensions and old family feuds have reportedly been inflamed by the case. Blogger and self-described independent journalist, Aidan Kearney, nicknamed Turtleboy, was indicted on "eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, and five counts of picketing a witness" in December 2023.[15]

In July 2023, a "rolling rally" of around 50 cars in support of the coverup theory drove through Canton, stopping at the homes of key figures relating to the case and verbally harassing them with a bullhorn.[2]

In November 2023, Canton held a Special Town Meeting where residents voted in favor (903-800) of an independent audit of the Canton Police Department due to the ongoing investigation of this case.[1][30]

In popular media

American TV series Dateline plans to release an episode on the case.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Karimi, Faith (December 10, 2023). "A snowy night, a cracked taillight and a mystery: How a police officer's death divided a Boston suburb". CNN. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Voss, Gretchen (September 27, 2023). "The Karen Read Canton Case: The Killing That Tore a Town Apart". Boston Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Klein, Asher; Fortier, Marc (January 18, 2024). "Private communications at heart of latest Karen Read case debates". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  4. ^ "Judge delays start of Karen Read murder trial. What happened in court Monday". The Patriot Ledger.
  5. ^ Patkin, Abby. "Unpacking prosecutors' murder case against Karen Read". www.boston.com.
  6. ^ Schooley, Matt (April 16, 2024). "Karen Read's high-profile Massachusetts murder trial underway with jury selection - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com.
  7. ^ "Funeral Planned For Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, Found Dead Outside Canton Home". February 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Reports • •, Staff (February 7, 2022). "Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe Laid to Rest Monday". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mansfield woman freed on $50,000 cash bail in death of police officer boyfriend". February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "Karen Read, Lecturer, Finance". Bentley University. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "New Details, Timeline Revealed in Boston Police Officer's Death". NBC Boston. February 2, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Girlfriend indicted for murder in death of off-duty police officer". WCVB. June 10, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "Prosecution reveals alleged timeline in death of police officer". WCVB. May 3, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Whipp, Emily; Kim, Deborah; Bischoff, Tien; Mariani, Meghan (August 22, 2023). "Karen Read denies killing Boston police officer as prosecution refutes cover-up allegations". ABC News. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  15. ^ a b McColgan, Flint (December 21, 2023). "Karen Read case-focused blogger Turtleboy indicted on 16 counts". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Fieldman, Luis (January 18, 2024). "Norfolk DA denies being told he is target of federal investigation". masslive. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "25 Investigates: Letters between feds, Norfolk DA released in Karen Read case". Boston 25 News. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  18. ^ Reports • •, Staff (March 13, 2024). "Mass. State Police probe investigator known for Karen Read case". NBC Boston.
  19. ^ Sesselman, Jamy Pombo (September 15, 2023). "Murder trial date set for Karen Read in death of Officer John O'Keefe". WCVB. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  20. ^ DiGiammerino, Thea; Reports • •, Staff (June 9, 2022). "Woman Indicted on Murder Charge in Death of Boston Police Officer Boyfriend". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Patkin, Abby. "Who is on Karen Read's defense team?". www.boston.com. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  22. ^ Patkin, Abby. "Karen Read's lawyers tease evidence from federal probe in motions for dismissal, sanctions. What we learned". www.boston.com.
  23. ^ Schooley, Matt (March 13, 2024). "Karen Read defense team says federal expert found John O'Keefe was not hit by SUV - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com.
  24. ^ Schooley, Matt (March 26, 2024). "Judge in Karen Read murder trial denies motion to dismiss, trial set to start April 16". CBS Boston.
  25. ^ Murphy, Shelley (April 9, 2024). "Federal Probe of Karen Read Murder Case Highly Unusual, Legal Experts Say". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Schooley, Matt (April 4, 2024). "Karen Read trial protesters will have "buffer zone" outside courthouse - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com.
  27. ^ Linton, David (April 3, 2024). "ACLU wants a say on proposed demonstration buffer zone for murder trial of Mansfield's Karen Read". The Sun Chronicle.
  28. ^ "Karen Read supporters accuse prosecution of going on 'unchecked bender'". Court TV.
  29. ^ Reporter, Christian M. Wade | Statehouse (August 28, 2023). "Proposal would allow recall of governor, other elected officials". Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  30. ^ "Canton votes to audit police department amid Karen Read investigation". CBS Boston. November 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  31. ^ Fortier, Marc (July 24, 2023). "Karen Read case to be highlighted on upcoming 'Dateline' episode". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
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