Karen Read Trial: Not Guilty Verdict
- A Massachusetts jury found Karen Read not guilty of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022, nearly a year after her first prosecution ended in a mistrial.
- She was acquitted of the most serious charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene after an accident resulting in death.
- The jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor.
A Massachusetts jury delivered a stunning verdict: Karen Read is found not guilty of murder in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend.This decision, reached after a year of legal battles and a previous mistrial, marks a significant turn in the high-profile Karen Read trial. While acquitted of the primary charge,the jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor. Cheers erupted outside the courthouse as supporters celebrated the verdict. News Directory 3 follows the case closely and offers exclusive insights into every step. The defense successfully argued against the prosecution’s claims.the verdict caps a four-year ordeal for Read and her legal team. Discover what’s next with the upcoming “20/20” special.
Karen Read acquitted of murder in death of Boston police officer boyfriend
Updated June 18, 2025
A Massachusetts jury found Karen Read not guilty of murdering her Boston
police officer boyfriend in 2022, nearly a year after her first
prosecution ended in a mistrial.
She was acquitted of the most serious charges, including second-degree
murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene after an accident resulting in
death.
The jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence of liquor.
The judge immediately sentenced her too one-year probation, the standard
for a first-time offense.
Cheers could be heard from outside the courthouse, where supporters of
read had gathered, while the verdict was being read. Read embraced her
legal team and cried following the verdict.
The jury began deliberating the afternoon of June 13 in Norfolk County
before reaching a verdict Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors alleged Read hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her car
outside the Canton home of fellow police officer Brian Albert after a night
of heavy drinking in January 2022 and then left him to die there during a
major blizzard.
The defense had argued that Read’s vehicle did not hit O’Keefe and instead
said O’Keefe was attacked by a dog and beaten by other people who were in
the house before he was thrown out in the snow to die.
Read pleaded not guilty to the charges and has maintained her innocence.
In brief remarks upon leaving the courthouse, she thanked her “amazing
supporters” for thier financial and emotional support for the past nearly
four years.
“No one has fought harder for justice than John O’Keefe than I have — than
I have and my team,” Read added.
What’s next
A new “20/20” special, “Karen read: The verdict,” airing Wednesday, June
18, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu,
examines the case.