Karen Read, who was found not guilty of charges in the death of her boyfriend, has filed a lawsuit accusin
g members of the Massachusetts State Police and several others of targeting her and shielding the real killers.
Read walked out of court earlier this year after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boy
friend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was found on the lawn of a fellow officer’s home after a night of heavy drinking.
“For three and a half years, plaintiff Karen Read was wrongly a
ccused of homicide and subjected to suspicion, arrest, two prosecutions and public condemnation all resulting from the gross misconduct of the Ma
ssachusetts State Police — and those working in tandem with the MSP — to shield from liability the party or parties res
ponsible for the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe III,” the lawsuit says
Read was accused of striking O’Keefe, with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a
house party in Canton, a suburb about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Boston. She was been charged with second-de
gree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene.
A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile. I
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n the second trial, a jury found her not guilty of second degree murder a
nd manslaughter charges but did find her guilty of a lesser charge of drunken driving.
Tuesday’s lawsuit was filed against several members of the state police and most of the people at the ho
use party including federal agent Brian Higgins, Nicole and Brian Alber
t, whose owned the house, and Jennifer and Matthew McCabe. It rais
es many of the allegations Read’s defense team made during her two trials.
The lawsuit alleges O’Keefe was killed at the house party during an “altercation during a late night hous
e party with other defendants after a night of heavy drinking.” It s
ays there was a vast conspiracy by members of a well-connected and close social group in the house to cover up the
crime. It also accused investigators of shoddy police work, manufacturing evidence and failing to investigate the hou
se for blood, DNA or other evidence or interview anyone at the house.
“The House Defendants responsible for Mr. O’Keefe’s death — some of whom had professional
experience with police investigations — concocted a plan
immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and frame Ms. Read,” the lawsuit
alleges, adding that state police investigators allowed those defendants to redirect the investigation away fro
m themselves and toward Read.
In statement from their attorneys, Higgins, the McCabes and the Alberts denied the allegations.