DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — Hours after acquitting Karen Read on charges she killed her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, jurors began to come forward to share their experience as a part of the high-profile trial.
Karen Read gestures to supporters after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Read’s 8-week retrial brought worldwide attention to the Dedham courthouse as her team claimed she was the victim of a wide-ranging cover-up at the hands of police and prosecutors, who accused her of hitting O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow.
“I think that she was innocent,” Juror #4, identified only as Jason, told TMZ Live. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what happened to John. I was only presented a limited scope of what happened that night,” Jason said. “I don’t really know if there was a cover-up or not.”
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Paula Prado, a lawyer from Brazil who served as Juror #11, joined Court TV’s Closing Arguments and told Vinnie Politan that she believes John O’Keefe went inside the Alberts’ home the night he died. “I don’t think he died outside,” Prado said. “I think something happened inside the house, and he was placed outside.”
Karen Read suppporters react after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Prado said she was left with lingering questions from the case, especially surrounding the garage door at 34 Fairview. Prado said the jury was never allowed to see the garage door, which was blurred in photos, and wanted to know why the panel wasn’t able to look inside.
Prado also noted witnesses mentioned, but never called to testify in the retrial. “I think it was weird not to hear from them,” Prado said, referring to Brian Higgins and Brian Albert, who both testified at Read’s first murder trial. Among the witnesses who testified, Prado identified Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik and Jennifer McCabe as two she found unreliable.
While Judge Beverly Cannone tried to insulate the panel from the crowds outside the courthouse, the jurors said they still knew all eyes were on them. “It made it a lot harder to block out everything and come to a decision,” Jason said.
But Prado said she felt no influence from outside the courthouse. “We couldn’t hear anything,” she said.
Prado said she felt for O’Keefe’s family, but urged them to understand that the jury was not given any evidence to prove that he was killed by Read. “I truly believe John was a great man. He was a great uncle, son, brother and his death was absolutely unnecessary.” Prado added, “I really hope you can reopen the case … and they can find really what happened to John O’Keefe that night.”
Hank Brennan, who prosecuted the retrial for the Commonwealth, said in an exclusive statement to Court TV,
“I am disappointed in the verdict and the fact that we could not achieve justice for John O’Keefe and his family.
District Attorney Michael Morrissey appointed me giving me full discretion to independently assess the case and follow the evidence no matter where it led. After an independent and thorough review of all the evidence I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person. Neither the closed federal investigation nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O’Keefe.
The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice. If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system affecting both victims and criminally accused.
We cannot condone witness abuse causing participants to worry for their own safety or that of their families. It is my hope that with the verdict, the witnesses and their families will be left alone. The harassment of these innocent victims and family members is deplorable and should never happen again in a case in this Commonwealth.
My heartfelt condolences to the O’Keefe family and faith that over the coming years they will find peace and closure.”
A statement following the trial from the Massachusetts State Police did not indicate the investigation was ongoing, but rather focused on steps the department has taken to improve its investigative training and accountability.
