Glamorous Karen Read, on trial for murdering Boston cop, winks at cameras as ... trends now
Accused murderer Karen Read sparked backlash after winking at cameras outside court where she is standing trial for allegedly running over her Boston cop boyfriend in a drunken fit of rage.
Read, 44, has come under scrutiny for a perceived flippant attitude during the ongoing trial, including snacking in court and flashing smiles at her supporters.
She is accused of killing her cop boyfriend John O'Keefe in January 2022, who was found dead outside a police officer friend's home hours after Read dropped him off for an afterparty in January 2022.
Prosecutors contend that Read struck O'Keefe with her car, while her attorneys argue that she was framed by party attendees and members of the Boston Police Department after he was killed inside the home.
As her trial began this week, Read received a slew of support from true crime fans who have been camped outside the courthouse with signs reading 'Free Karen Read.'
Many have taken to wearing pink as a show of support for Read, leading a judge to issue an order barring any clothing or accessories that could be perceived as encouraging, and banning them from coming within 200 feet of the courthouse.
Karen Read, 44, is standing trial accused of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her car in January 2022
Read and O'Keefe had been out drinking on the night of his death, before she drove him to an afterparty while she went home to sleep. He was found dead on the lawn of the afterparty's home hours later
Read has come under scrutiny for a perceived flippant attitude in court, including winking at cameras and snacking during proceedings
On the second day of Read's trial on Wednesday, she was seen being flanked by a number of lawyers, cameras and supporters, who cheered her name as she smiled and waved.
At one stage, Read smiled at a camera as she flashed a large wink, sparking backlash online among some of her detractors.
'Happiest murder defendant in history!' said one on Twitter. 'The Chick thinks she is Miss America.'
Another commented: 'It’s a murder trial not a traffic ticket she’s fighting. Bad look for the jury.'
As of Wednesday, the second day of the trial, the court has continued jury selection, with around 80 percent of potential jurors dismissed amid fervent online attention around the case.
Read, a financial analyst and college professor, is facing charges of second-degree murder, as prosecutors say she drunkenly drove over O'Keefe on January 29, 2022.
She had spent the evening 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.
Read sparked backlash on Tuesday after being filmed winking at a camera, with one critic slamming her for 'thinking she is Miss America'
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
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
