Key dates in Karen Read's story. What to know about the true story

The Patriot Ledger

Sat, January 10, 2026 at 11:05 PM UTC

4 min read

Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, after his body was found in a snowbank the driveway outside the Canton home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan 29, 2022.

His girlfriend, Karen Read, was charged with second degree murder in the death of the 46-year-old Braintree native. She was found not guilty in June 2025 after her case made national headlines, the first trial ended in a hung jury, and multiple State Police and local investigators lost their jobs.

While the criminal case is over, many aspects of the case are still being tried in the civil courts including a suit by O'Keefe's family. The case has attracted widespread attention with allegations of a coverup.

Who is Karen Read

Read is from Mansfield, Massachusetts, and grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and in Taunton. She attended Coyle & Cassidy, a now-closed private school, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance at Bentley University in Waltham.

She worked in financial services and as an adjunct professor at Bentley University, teaching finance, until she was arrested.

Who was John O'Keefe?

O'Keefe was raised in Braintree and lived in Canton. He was a Boston police officer for 16 years after getting a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts. He was a Braintree High School graduate and a former intern at the Braintree Police Department.

"Moving forward, I will do my best to continue his legacy of caring and supporting others ... even though I know I will never come close to the way he did," Paul O'Keefe said in his eulogy of his older brother at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree.

O'Keefe's obituary calls him "A devoted son, brother, uncle, godfather, cousin and friend."

When O'Keefe's sister and brother-in-law died, he became the guardian of his niece and nephew.

"John was a kind person dedicated to his family and will be greatly missed by his coworkers and anyone who had the privilege of meeting him," Boston Police Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long said in a statement.

What happened to John O'Keefe and Karen Read on Jan. 29, 2022

Prosecutor Hank Brennan argued in the opening statements of the second trial that Read purposely backed into O'Keefe after their relationship started to unravel, leaving him to die in the cold and snow on the front lawn of 34 Fairview Road. Brennan said DNA evidence, cell phone data and Read's own statements prove she's responsible for O'Keefe's death.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson said the case and investigation is corrupted by "bias," "incompetence" and "deceit," and Read was framed, focusing attention on Boston police officer Brian Albert and ATF agent Brian Higgins. O'Keefe's body was found on the lawn of Albert's Canton home. Jackson said the cover up stems from lead investigator Michael Proctor, a now-fired state trooper.

What were the key Karen Read trial dates

Jan. 28, 2022: Read and O'Keefe were out with friends and drinking at a Canton bar

Jan 29, 2022: O'Keefe's body is found and police begin the investigation

Feb. 1, 2022: Read arrested; she was freed on bail the next day

June 2022: Read is indicted by a Grand Jury for Norfolk County Superior Court

April 29, 2024: Opening statements in the first trial. Prosecutors proceeded to call more than 65 witnesses in testimony The defense's list of witnesses was much shorter. Read did not testify in her own defense

June 25, 2024: Closing statements and jury begins deliberation

June 28, 2024: Jurors tell Judge Beverly Cannone they are stuck and cannot agree in a note from the jury foreperson on Friday afternoon. She told them to keep deliberating

July 1, 2024: First trial ends in a mistrial after two more hours of deliberations

April 22, 2025: Opening statements of second trial

June 18, 2025: The jury finds Read not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. She was found guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence. As a first-time offender, Read was sentenced to a year of probation and classes.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: What is the true story about Karen Read and John O'Keefe

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