Overview

• In her second trial, a Massachusetts jury acquitted Karen Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a deadly crash in the January 2022 death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.
• The jury convicted Read of operating under the influence of liquor and sentenced her to one year of probation as a first-time offender.
• Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan expressed disappointment in the verdict, asserting that the evidence pointed to a single suspect and condemning a campaign of witness intimidation by Read’s supporters.
• Lead defense attorney Alan Jackson accused Brennan of an egregious breach of prosecutorial ethics for publicly attacking the jury’s unanimous verdict.
• Jurors and defense counsel have cited investigative lapses—such as mislabeled evidence, mishandled blood samples and a fired investigator’s misconduct—and urged a fresh inquiry into unresolved questions about O’Keefe’s death.