DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — The prosecution appears to be entering the home stretch of their case against Karen Read after four weeks of evidence, witnesses and lots of sidebars.
Defendant Karen Read, left, confers with defense lawyer Robert Alessi, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, Pool)
Read is facing several charges, including second-degree murder, in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. Prosecutors say she was driving drunk and hit O’Keefe with her car, then left him to die in the snow outside of a friend’s house. Read’s defense has accused the prosecution and investigators of a massive cover-up aiming to frame their client. Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict.
The fourth week of the trial brought some surprises, including a day off from court and new video that wasn’t seen in Read’s first trial.
Court Canceled
There were more questions than answers on Tuesday when a spokesperson for the Court said that proceedings would not happen due to “unavoidable circumstances.”
Video Shows Brian Higgins at the Canton Police Department
Read’s defense has pointed to Brian Higgins, who exchanged flirtatious texts with the defendant, as a potential third-party suspect in O’Keefe’s death. To that end, the defense introduced videos showing Higgins at the Canton Police Department in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022 — the same day O’Keefe was killed. Those videos were not shown at Read’s first trial.
John O’Keefe’s Niece Describes Karen Read’s “Coldness”
John O’Keefe’s juvenile niece was brought in to testify for the jury, but cameras were ordered off. No electronics were allowed in the courtroom as she took the stand, forcing reporters to take notes with pens and paper. On the stand, she talked about her relationship with Read, to whom she referred only as “the defendant.”
Medical Examiner: John O’Keefe’s Manner Of Death “Undetermined”
Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, the medical examiner who performed O’Keefe’s autopsy, testified to wounds she saw on the victim’s arm and head, as well as bruises and abrasions on his hand and legs. She ruled O’Keefe’s cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and hypothermia, but was unable to conclusively determine his manner of death.
Did John Want to Break Up With Karen?
Prosecutors aimed to classify O’Keefe’s death as a “domestic violence homicide,” saying that Read couldn’t accept that O’Keefe wanted to break up with her. In text messages to Brian Higgins, Read complained about O’Keefe’s adopted children and said that he had hooked up with another woman on vacation in Aruba.
Buffer Zone Reduced
Outside the courtroom, Karen Read’s supporters scored a big win as Judge Beverly Cannone lifted the buffer zone that had been in place outside the Norfolk Superior Courthouse. The decision came after the First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled her buffer zone violated Read supporters’ First Amendment rights.
