On the night of January 29, 2022, in the midst of a blizzard, a Boston police officer lays limp on the side of a snowbank outside a house in Canton, MA. Inside, a party is taking place with all of the attendees seemingly unaware of the body on their side walk.

John O’Keefe was 46 years old at the time of his death. The medical examiner on the case, Dr. Inni Scordi-Bellow performed an autopsy shortly after his death. 

Her findings included: 

• A body temperature in the 80s at the time of arrival at the hospital
• Several abrasions on the victim’s right forearm
• Two swollen black eyes
• A small cut above the right eye
• A cut on the left side of the nose
• An approximately two inch laceration to the back right of the head
• Multiple skull fractures, resulting in bleeding in the brain
• A dark red pancreas which indicates hypothermia was a factor
• Hemorrhaging in the pancreas and stomach
  

The medical examiner also noted that the blunt force trauma occurred before hypothermia set in.

The Night of the Death

After a long shift working for the Boston Police Department, John O’Keefe and his girlfriend go to the bar and have a few drinks. After this, a couple of O’Keefe’s buddies are going to the house of fellow cop, Brian albert. 

Around 1 a.m. as the party is starting to wind down, Karen Read leaves the party. It was revealed in court documents that O’Keefe and Read had a strained relationship as evidenced by a voicemail that Read sent to O’Keefe that stated: “you are a f—— loser, f— yourself” and “John, I f—— hate you.” 

Later that night at around 4-5 a.m., Jennifer McCabe was called by the niece of John O’Keefe, she was worried because he was not answering any texts or phone calls and had not arrived home yet.

When Karen Read was contacted about this incident, she noted that she had so much to drink that she couldn’t remember exactly what transpired the night before.

Around 6 a.m. after McCabe and Read go looking for O’Keefe, they are surprised and shocked to find out that he is dead.

What about the Evidence?

Here is a list of the notable pieces of evidence that were provided to the court:

• A Google search at 6:23 a.m. that shows that someone searched “hos long to die in cold”
• A broken cocktail glass (found at scene)
• Pieces of broken taillight (found at scene)
• Read’s BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) would be anywhere from .13-.29 (way above the legal limit of .08)

How did She Plead?

Karen Read was indicted on June 10, 2022 where she pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. 

The Trial

During the trial Read’s lawyers, David Yannetti and Alan Jackson argued that she had been framed as evidenced by the abrasions on the arm. The defense stated that the wounds were caused by Brian Albert’s dog.

After multiple days of trial, the judge declared a mistrial, as the jury could not reach a verdict.

Conclusion

Although this is still an ongoing court case, all the evidence has been laid out and paints a very clear picture as to what happened that fateful night. So now it is up to you, the reader, to come up with your verdict. Feel free to check out more about the story by searching up “Karen Read Trial” online.