The mystery piece of evidence in Karen Read's homicide case: How Massachusetts ... trends now
The key piece of evidence in the trial of the Massachusetts professor accused of murdering her cop boyfriend is being kept hidden because of the state’s arcane state secrecy laws, experts have warned.
Karen Read, 44, is charged with running over John O’Keefe and leaving him to die in the snow after dropping him off at a friend’s house party on a bitterly cold night in January 2022.
His death certificate gave the cause of death as ‘blunt impact injuries of head and hypothermia,’ but Read claims she has been framed by his police colleagues inside the house who beat him to death.
Supporters have pointed to wounds on his arms which they claim were caused by the house owner’s dog and signs of beating around the eyes, but Massachusetts refuses to release the autopsy report.
‘Massachusetts has a reputation for being one of the most secretive states in the country for open records law,’ local attorney Jeffrey Pyle told the Boston Globe. ‘Courts are making decisions based on documents that the public can’t see.’
Prosecutors allege that Read hit O'Keefe with her car after an argument, while she contends that she was framed by party attendees and members of the Boston Police Department
Read (seen in court) claims she has been framed by his police colleagues inside the house who beat him to death
O'Keefe was found in the snow outside this home in Canton, around 12 miles from Boston, in the early hours of January 29, 2022
The case has sparked a media storm with Read attracting crowds of supporters to the courthouse in Norfolk County and the reputation of the Massachusetts State Police on the line.
Read, meanwhile, has sparked a backlash after winking at cameras outside court and come under scrutiny for a perceived flippant attitude during the ongoing trial, including snacking in court and flashing smiles at her supporters.
'Happiest murder defendant in history!' said one critic on X. 'The Chick thinks she is Miss America.' 'It’s a murder trial not a traffic ticket she’s fighting. Bad look for the jury,' another tweeted.
The financial analyst and college professor had spent the evening of January 29, 2022, drinking with O'Keefe and a group of friends at the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton, around 14 miles south of Boston, and were invited to his friend Brian Albert's home for an afterparty.
Read, who prosecutors say drank several alcoholic drinks beforehand, decided to drop O'Keefe at the afterparty before she went to O'Keefe's home - that he shared with his orphaned niece and nephew - to sleep at around 1am.
Court documents revealed that the couple had been bitterly arguing for weeks beforehand, and on the night O'Keefe died, Read left him a voicemail calling him a 'f****** loser', and 'John, I f****** hate you.'
The couple had been dating for two years at the time of O'Keefe's death. He had been serving on the Boston Police Department for 16 years.
As the party went on inside Albert's home, who was a retired Boston police officer, Read said she woke up around 4am to find that he was not at home, and told O'Keefe's niece that she was 'distraught.'
Read looked on at a preliminary hearing as her defense team showed pictures of wounds to O'Keefe's arms that they claim were caused by a dog in the house as he was beaten to death by his Massachusetts police colleagues at a house party
John O'Keefe had been serving with the Boston Police Department for 16 years at the time of his death, which was ruled to have been caused by blunt impact injuries and hypothermia
Read has come under scrutiny for a perceived flippant attitude in court, including winking at cameras and snacking during proceedings
As her trial began last week, Read received a slew of support from true crime fans and locals who have been camped outside the
