Karen Read was tried and acquitted of the murder of her boyfriend. She was accused of hitting her boyfriend with her car outside the home of one of their friends, where a party was in progress.
She then left him to die in the snow. The trial was broadcast live on Court TV, with many people following the proceedings. Here are quick facts about the Karen Read murder trial.
What really happened that night?
The night began with Karen Read, John O’Keefe, and friends drinking at a bar. Afterwards, they agreed to meet at Brian Albert’s house for a party.
Around midnight, Read drove O’Keefe to Albert’s house and then left to go home. At approximately 4 a.m., Read noticed John was not answering her calls.
Concerned, she and her friends began searching for him.
O’Keefe was found unresponsive outside his friend’s house
They found him unresponsive in the snow outside Albert’s house. Read, who had been very drunk when she dropped him off, screamed that she had knocked him down and killed him.
John O’Keefe was found unresponsive: Instagram/@crimejunkiepodcast
The investigating officer interpreted this as a confession.
Lead Investigator gets suspended
The lead investigator, Michael Proctor, in the case was suspended due to violations of departmental policy. It was revealed that he had not disclosed his personal relationship with the people he was investigating.
The evidence provided in the case claimed that O’Keefe’s DNA was found on Read’s car’s taillight, but investigations showed that the damage on her car could not have resulted from hitting Mr. O’Keefe.
During the second trial, Michael Proctor remained under suspension and investigation, supporting the defense’s argument that Read was framed.
The case against Read was based on her statements and the presence of evidence in places that did not match the events as described, such as her inability to hit O’Keefe despite his DNA being found on her car.
This raised the possibility that some evidence was manipulated to fit a specific narrative.
John O’Keefe died from head injuries and hypothermia
The autopsy found that John O’Keefe died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia.
The defense claimed that police used Karen Read as a scapegoat, suggesting that another party may have been responsible for O’Keefe’s death.