Attorneys delivered closing arguments Friday in the retrial of Massachusetts woman Karen Read, accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Read, a 45-year-old former adjunct professor, has pleaded not guilty in connection with O’Keefe’s death. Prosecutors accused Read of hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a snowstorm on January 29, 2022, at a house party in Canton.
Her first trial ended in a hung jury last year.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson began his closing arguments Friday by asserting that “there was no collision.” He focused on reasonable doubt while accusing investigators of bias and corruption, AP News reports.
He also criticized the evidence handling by lead investigator Michael Proctor, who was dismissed for misconduct, and highlighted inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case, such as the absence of medical evidence proving O’Keefe had been hit by a vehicle.
“This case was corrupted from the start. It was corrupted by biases and conflicts and personal loyalties that you heard about. And most fatally, it was corrupted by a lead investigator whose misconduct infected every single part of this case, from the top to the bottom,” Jackson said.
He also focused on O’Keefe’s injuries, maintaining that they were consistent with a dog bite or a physical fight.
The defense previously argued that O’Keefe was beaten up at fellow police officer Brian Albert’s residence, attacked by a German Shepherd named Chloe, and left outside the home during a blizzard.
“We know that a person struck by a vehicle suffers massive trauma broken bones, fractures, soft tissue damage, torn ligaments, contusions, soft tissue injuries, severe tissue injury, crushing blows. None of that was present with John. None of it. Not anywhere on his body, including his right arm. Not one bruise. Nothing. The fact is, the injuries are not from a vehicle impact,” Jackson said Friday.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan, however, focused on Read’s actions on the morning in question and the physical evidence in the case. He pointed out that Read, intoxicated and angry that the relationship was ending, struck O’Keefe with her vehicle and left him to die.
Calling O’Keefe a “decent man” who “looked out for others,” Brennan said Friday that O’Keefe was in need that night, and the only person in a position to assist him, by dialing 911 or seeking help from a nearby home, was Read. Instead, she fled the scene.
“She made a decision in her Lexus with the shattered taillight debris field all over the front yard, and John O’Keefe lying helpless like a child on that front yard. She made a choice. She didn’t call 911. She didn’t run to his aid. She didn’t knock on a door. She made a decision about herself in her Lexus. She drove away,” Brennan said.
“She was drunk. She hit him and she left him to die.”
Brennan argued that data from Read’s SUV and O’Keefe’s phone supported the prosecution’s timeline. He then highlighted testimony from first responders who said Read admitted, “I hit him.”
Brennan also challenged the defense’s expert witnesses, questioning their methods and motives.
He concluded by urging the jury to focus on the facts and hold Read accountable for her actions.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges that include second-degree murder, vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
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[Feature Photo: Karen Read reacts to her attorney Alan Jackson as he cross-examines state trooper Michael Proctor during her trial, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court in Dedham, Mass. Read is facing charges, including second degree murder, in the 2022 death of her boyfriend Boston Officer John O’Keefe. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)]
