(Rightallegiance.com) – Karen Read, a Massachusetts woman accused of running over and killing her police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, in January 2022, claims she is being framed as part of a police conspiracy. In her first media interview with ABC’s “20/20,” Read, 44, said she believes that a group of police officers has colluded to blame her for O’Keefe’s mysterious death, which occurred after a night of drinking.
The incident took place when O’Keefe, 46, was dropped off at a friend’s house for a party hosted by retired officer Brian Albert. According to Read, she and two friends went back to Albert’s house the next morning to search for O’Keefe and found his body outside.
Recalling the tragic moment she found O’Keefe’s body, Read said, “His eyes were shut, and he had spots of blood in different areas on his face… It was cold, but I didn’t feel dangerously cold… he’s here with me, and he’s dying, and I can’t warm him up.”
Read’s defense team argues that O’Keefe died in an altercation at the house party and was intentionally left outside to frame her. They claim O’Keefe’s injuries—head and hand trauma—are inconsistent with being hit by a vehicle. However, prosecutors have pointed to a broken taillight on Read’s Lexus SUV, with shards of plastic from the light found near O’Keefe’s body, as key evidence that she ran him over.
The case has raised other red flags for the prosecution, including Read’s blood alcohol level, which was far above the legal limit, and furious voicemails she had left O’Keefe accusing him of infidelity.
In the “20/20” interview, Read reflected on her meeting with O’Keefe’s parents after the incident. She recalled their suspicion when they saw the cracked taillight on her vehicle. Read told the interviewer that she immediately knew she needed legal counsel and emphatically denied hitting O’Keefe: “No, not possible.”
Currently charged with second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter, Read faced her first trial in July, which resulted in a mistrial. She is set to be retried in January. Public interest in the case has grown, with large crowds gathering to protest, some believing in her innocence and others convinced of her guilt. After the mistrial, Read expressed her gratitude to supporters, likening their dedication to the anti-war protests of the Vietnam era.