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Death of John O'Keefe
2022 death in Canton, Massachusetts, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On January 29, 2022, at 6:03 am,[2] Boston police officer John O'Keefe was found unconscious on the front lawn at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts. The residence belonged to Brian Albert, a fellow Boston police officer (since retired). O'Keefe's body was discovered by his girlfriend, Karen Read, along with Jennifer McCabe and Kerry Roberts. The women were searching for him after he failed to return home that morning. He was declared dead at 7:59 am at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Massachusetts.[3] An autopsy performed two days later found that O'Keefe died of impact injuries to the head. The medical examiner, Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, noted "a laceration to the back of his head, skull fractures, a cut above his right eye, abrasions on his nose and arm, two black eyes, and a scratch on his right knee." The manner of death was undetermined, meaning the medical examiner did not find sufficient evidence to support the conclusion that O'Keefe was killed by a vehicle, despite the police's attempts to influence her report with that theory.[2][4]
Read was arrested on February 1, 2022. She was charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death.[3] However, there was no physical evidence linking Read to O'Keefe's death. Boston criminal defense attorney David Yannetti was hired as her counsel.[5] On June 9 of the same year, with no new records, statements, or evidence, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office announced that a grand jury indicted Read on an additional charge of second-degree murder. The upgraded charges resulted in Read's case being moved from Stoughton District Court to Norfolk County Superior Court, where it was assigned to Judge Beverly Cannone.
Read's first criminal trial began on April 22, 2024.[6] Along with David Yannetti, she was represented by Los Angeles-based attorneys Elizabeth Little and Alan Jackson.[7] It resulted in a mistrial on July 1, 2024, due to a hung jury.[8] Read was tried for a second time beginning on April 1, 2025.[9] Two additional lawyers joined her defense team: Robert Alessi and Victoria George, an alternate juror in Read's first trial. On June 18, 2025, she was found not guilty on all three major charges after 21 hours of jury deliberations. She was found guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence, receiving the standard sentence of one year of probation.[10]
The case has drawn national attention due to allegations of police corruption and misconduct in Norfolk County. The 2021 death of a pregnant woman named Sandra Birchmore in her Canton apartment draws many parallels to the death of John O'Keefe and involves the same law enforcement personnel. A federal investigation led to the 2023 indictment of Stoughton police officer, Matthew Farwell, who is accused of murdering Birchmore and staging it to look like a suicide.[11] It is believed that Farwell killed Birchmore preemptively in anticipation that she would expose the years of grooming and sexual abuse she suffered at his hands. Local journalist Aidan Kearney began investigating and documenting evidence of foul play in the death of O'Keefe beginning in April 2023 in his multi-part series entitled "Canton Coverup," which exposes the close relationships between the investigators of O'Keefe's death and those who were present at 34 Fairview on the night of his death.[12]
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Background
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John J. O'Keefe III, nicknamed "JJ"[13][1] or "Johnny"[14] (born December 8, 1975), was raised in Braintree, Massachusetts. He graduated from Braintree High School and later Northeastern University, going on to earn a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.[15] Following the deaths of his sister and brother-in-law in 2013 and 2014 respectively, O'Keefe took guardianship of his niece and nephew with whom he resided in Canton.[16] He was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department.[17]
Karen A. Read (born February 26, 1980) grew up in Taunton, Massachusetts, and Blacksburg, Virginia.[18] She graduated from Coyle & Cassidy, a private Catholic school in Taunton, and attended Bentley University where she obtained both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in finance.[19][20][21] She had been a financial analyst at Fidelity Investments since 2007 and was an adjunct professor at Bentley University until her arrest in February 2022.[16][22][23] Read was living in Mansfield at the time of O'Keefe's death.[16]
O'Keefe and Read met in 2004 and dated briefly.[24] They rekindled their relationship in 2020 after connecting over Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
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Incident
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On the evening of January 28, 2022, Read met O'Keefe for drinks at a local Canton bar, C.F. McCarthy's, at approximately 9:00 pm. They moved to an establishment across the street, the Waterfall Bar & Grille, shortly before 11:00 pm. There, they met up with a group of acquaintances, including fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert and his wife Nicole Albert. As the bar was closing, the group was invited to the Albert residence, 34 Fairview Road, where their son was celebrating his 23rd birthday with some friends and family. Security footage shows Read and O'Keefe leaving the establishment together at 12:11 am. Other individuals invited to the Albert residence from the Waterfall that night include Nicole Albert's sister, Jennifer McCabe, and her husband, Matthew McCabe, as well as ATF agent Brian Higgins.[25]
Read drove O'Keefe in her Lexus LX 570 to 34 Fairview, although she was unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Jennifer McCabe called O'Keefe at 12:14 am to give them directions; she and her husband arrived at the house at 12:18 am. Read and O'Keefe pulled up in front of the house at 12:24 am, but remained in the car as Read felt uncomfortable going inside. O'Keefe told her he would quickly check inside to ensure they were welcome.[25]
O'Keefe began walking towards the house at 12:31 am according to his phone's Apple Health data. Read claims she watched him enter the house. Jennifer McCabe sent a text to O'Keefe at 12:31 am saying "Pull behind me", which he read shortly before locking his phone for the last time at 12:32 am. She did not send another text to O'Keefe for 9 minutes. At 12:40 am, she sent O'Keefe a text saying "Hello."[25]
Read grew impatient when O'Keefe did not come back out and started driving off towards his house at 1 Meadows Avenue.[25] Read connected to the Wi-Fi at O'Keefe's house at 12:36 am.[26] After arriving at the home, she left him a succession of voicemails expressing that she felt he was using her as a babysitter while he partied and drank. Read's last call attempt for several hours was at 1:18 am, before falling asleep next to O'Keefe's niece. At 4:38 am, she awoke and resumed trying to call O'Keefe. At 4:53 am, Read called Jennifer McCabe from the niece's phone, asking her to help look for O'Keefe. At 5:00 am, Read called Kerry Roberts, a friend of O'Keefe's, to join them.[25]
At 5:07 am, Read was seen on O'Keefe's home's Ring camera backing out of his garage in her Lexus. She visibly bumped O'Keefe's parked Chevrolet Traverse, causing motion.[25] At precisely the same time, Jennifer McCabe made a call to her sister Nicole Albert – the owner of 34 Fairview, where O'Keefe's body was found – which lasted 38 seconds. However, she denied speaking to her that morning.[27]
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Investigation
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Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael D. Proctor, of the Norfolk State Police Detective Unit, was the lead investigator for the case. A 12-year veteran of the state police, Proctor was fired on March 19, 2025 because of his actions in the investigation of O'Keefe's death, including having "sent derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate text message about a suspect in that investigation to other individuals" and "provided sensitive and/or potential investigative steps in the investigation to non-law enforcement personnel."[28]
Sixteen hours into the investigation and before O'Keefe's autopsy had been performed, Proctor openly discussed the case in a group text with his high school friends. Proctor wrote that they "won't be able to prove" Read hit O'Keefe with her car, and that "All the powers that be want answers ASAP." He also referred to her as a "whack job cunt", saying, "She's fucked" and "Zero chance she skates".[29]
On February 2, 2022, within hours of Read's arraignment, her attorney, David Yannetti, received an anonymous phone call from a man who claimed to have a background in Boston law enforcement. The man alleged that Brian Albert and his nephew, Colin Albert, had beaten O'Keefe to death inside 34 Fairview; afterwards, Brian Albert and an "unnamed 'federal agent'" (now known to be ATF agent Brian Higgins) dragged O'Keefe's body onto the lawn.[30] This anonymous caller was revealed to be Stephen Scanlon, a local private investigator who gave a statement to authorities confirming that he sent the tip to Yannetti.[31]
In April 2023, Read's attorneys presented a theory that implicated Brian Albert, who owned the home outside of which O'Keefe was found dead, and his sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe, who had been drinking with Read and O'Keefe on January 28, and helped Read find O'Keefe's body the morning of January 29.[32][33] Evidence showed that Brian Albert sold his house and got rid of his dog after the incident, and the defense team argued that Jennifer McCabe made a Google search for "ho[w] long to die in cold" at 2:27 a.m., though prosecutors argued that was the time the tab used in the search was opened in the browser and not the time the search was actually made.[34]
In January 2024, letters between the General Counsel for the Department of Justice and Norfolk District Attorney, Michael W. Morrissey, were released, confirming a federal investigation was mounted into the Norfolk District Attorney's office.[35][36][37]
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Legal proceedings
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On February 2, 2022, Read was arraigned in Stoughton District Court on charges of manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, and motor vehicle homicide. She pleaded not guilty and was released on $80,000 bail.[38] In June 2022, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Read for second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision.[39]
First trial
On March 12, 2024, Read's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case due to alleged conflicts of interest and federal crash reconstruction experts determining that O'Keefe's injuries were "inconsistent" with the damage to Read's car.[40][41] The judge denied the motion on March 26 due to "extensive evidence supporting the indictments".[42][43]
Read's first trial started on April 16, 2024.[44][45] Prosecutors previously asked the judge to block Read's lawyers from arguing that others are to blame for O'Keefe's death, also known as third-party culprit defense. The judge instead offered the defense a chance to develop their argument through "relevant, competent, admissible evidence", but still barred them from using the third-party culprit defense during opening statements.[46] On April 28, the prosecutors and the defense presented opening statements.
The prosecution was led by Adam Lally and Laura McLaughlin. Read was represented by criminal defense attorneys David R. Yannetti, Alan Jackson, and Elizabeth Little. Jackson and Little are partners at Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, a Los Angeles firm.[47]
The prosecution argued that Read intentionally ran O'Keefe over with her SUV after a night of heavy drinking on January 29, 2022. They represented that pieces of Read's broken taillight were found at the scene,[48] suggesting her vehicle was involved in the incident. A hair consistent with O'Keefe's[nb 1] was found on Read's car,[51] which the prosecution maintained indicated contact from an impact by her car on O'Keefe. Accounts of arguments and tension between the couple were heard from several witnesses, including testimony of an argument during the couple's trip to Aruba in December 2021, which the prosecution put forward as evidence of an allegedly troubled relationship.[52] Read's angry texts and voicemails on the night of January 29 were introduced into evidence as support for this.[53][48][54] The prosecution argued Read's behavior on the morning O'Keefe's body was found did not match that of someone unaware of the incident.[55]
The defense argued that Read was being framed as part of a law enforcement coverup to protect the real perpetrators, suggesting that O'Keefe was beaten inside the house of another Boston police officer, Brian Albert, and then left outside to die in the snow, and that the close relationships between Trooper Michael Proctor and the Albert family created a conflict of interest and compromised the investigation. Proctor admitted to not initially disclosing his personal relationship with certain witnesses in the case.[56] The defense also showed to the jury the lack of integrity in the investigation, such as the use of Solo cups and Stop & Shop grocery bags during evidence collection[57][58][59] and the inappropriate text messages about Read between Proctor and his coworkers, friends, and family, including Proctor's assessment of Read's attractiveness and his hope that she would "kill herself".[60][48][54] The defense showed Read's taillight intact after midnight on January 29,[61] in contrast to the evidence of a shattered taillight, accusing the investigators of planting evidence,[62] and also pointed to the mirrored sallyport video of Read's SUV at the Canton Police Department. The defense argued that the injuries on O'Keefe's body were not consistent with a car collision, which was confirmed by a number of experts, including two accident reconstruction experts obtained by the FBI and the medical examiner employed by the Commonwealth.[63][nb 2]
The Commonwealth rested their case on June 21, 2024, after eight weeks of testimony from 68 witnesses. The defense completed its list of witnesses and rested their case on June 24.[65] Closing arguments were delivered on June 25 and jury deliberation started the same day.[66] On July 1, after 25 hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to come to a unanimous decision, citing "fundamental differences" in their beliefs;[67] Cannone declared a mistrial.[68]
Read's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss two of the charges, second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident, saying that several jurors reached out after the mistrial and indicated that the jury found Read not guilty on both of these charges.[69][70] Martin G. Weinberg, a new attorney for the defense, argued for dismissal of the charges.[71] On August 23, Cannone denied the motion to dismiss the charges.[72] Read's attorneys filed an appeal to Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and also requested that the federal court drop two of the charges.[73] Both requests were denied.[74][75]
Second trial
Read's second trial began on April 1, 2025, with special deputy district attorney Hank Brennan, recognized for defending Whitey Bulger, leading the prosecution.[76] New York-based attorney Robert Alessi and Victoria Brophey George were added to Read's defense team.[77]
On the first day of trial, Read filed an emergency request to the U.S. Supreme Court to delay proceedings and dismiss two charges on double jeopardy grounds; both requests were denied.[78] She faced three major charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.[79] The prosecution presented evidence related to Read's blood alcohol level, digital activity timelines, and forensic analysis of damage to her vehicle. Testimony included expert opinions on the alignment of injuries to O'Keefe with the alleged reverse impact from Read's SUV. The prosecution rested its case on May 29, 2025.[80][81]
The defense opened with testimony challenging the cause of O'Keefe's injuries, suggesting alternative explanations including a potential dog bite. Disputes arose over late-stage questioning about DNA evidence, prompting a mistrial motion from the defense, which was denied. Additional defense testimony addressed the condition of Read's taillight and whether it had been altered after the incident.[82] On June 11, 2025, the defense rested its case.[83] Jury deliberations began two days later.[84][85] On June 18, Read was found not guilty on the three major charges; the jury did find her guilty of the lesser charge of operating under the influence (OUI).[86][87][88][89] For this, she received a year's probation, which would require Read's participation on the Commonwealth's 24(d) program; in addition to probation, she will receive outpatient treatment and loss of license, as standard for a first-time offense.[90]
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Civil lawsuit
On August 23, 2024, the O'Keefe family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Read and two bars in Canton, accusing Read of hitting and killing O'Keefe and the bars of overserving her.[91] The judge in the civil case, William White ordered a stay of proceedings until the criminal case was resolved to protect Read's Fifth Amendment rights.[92] Read is represented by three lawyers from the Boston law firm Melick & Porter, LLP for the civil case.[93]
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Impact
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Impact on the community
Local journalist Aidan Kearney, nicknamed Turtleboy, has covered the case extensively on his website under the headline "Canton Coverup" since the defense released their affidavit in April 2023. The case had received little media attention until Kearney began covering the case; he went to Canton, filmed himself confronting witnesses, and posted the videos on YouTube.[16][33] Kearney was indicted on eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, and five counts of picketing a witness in December 2023. In February 2024, he was also indicted on two new charges of harassing a witness and intercepting wire or oral communication. He pleaded not guilty.[94]
The case has caused divisions in Canton, as town residents have debated whether O'Keefe was killed by Read, or whether Read was framed by the police. Social tensions and old family feuds have reportedly been inflamed by the case. Following Kearney's coverage, a "rolling rally" of around 50 cars in support of the coverup theory drove through Canton in July 2023, stopping at the homes of key figures relating to the case and protesting with a bullhorn.[16] During the first trial, several Canton residents who are Read supporters also spoke at Canton select board meetings, confronting Chris Albert, and calling for accountability; three of them said their lawns were later vandalized with bleach balloons.[95]
Near the end of the first trial, Kearney was dining with his girlfriend at C.F. McCarthy's, one of the bars O'Keefe and Read went to, and got into a confrontation outside with a few people, one of whom was close to the Alberts and the Proctors. Two people were later charged with assault and battery of Kearney.[96] Shortly after the first trial, Kearney also found a dead turtle hanging outside his parents' home in Worcester, and the local police investigated the incident as harassment and animal cruelty.[97]
Recall election and independent audit
In August 2023, a Massachusetts citizen ballot initiative was proposed to add recall elections to the Massachusetts Constitution in response to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey's perceived corruption in the case.[98]
In November 2023, Canton held a special town meeting where residents voted in favor (903–800) of an independent audit of the Canton Police Department due to the ongoing investigation of this case.[32][99] The audit concluded in 2025 ahead of the second trial, and found that first responding officers did not photograph O'Keefe at the location where he was found before he was moved to the ambulance, interviews of critical witnesses were not conducted at the Canton Police Department on the day after O'Keefe was transported to the hospital, and witness interviews were not recorded; Massachusetts State Police and Canton police also did not maintain a police presence at 34 Fairview Road pending the secondary search conducted by state police crime scene units, and Canton police did not turn over video footage maintained on their computer systems of Read's SUV while it was housed at the Canton Police Department from January 29 through February 2, 2022, to lead investigators.[100]
Protests outside courthouse
In early April 2024, ahead of the first trial, the prosecutors filed a motion requesting a buffer zone to keep protesters back at least 500 feet (150 m) from the courthouse; Cannone later ordered a 200-foot (61 m) buffer zone, after the ACLU filed a memorandum opposing the prosecution's request, citing freedom of speech, and urged the court to consider more narrowly tailored restrictions.[101][102] Ahead of the second trial, Read's supporters filed a federal lawsuit against Cannone on the grounds of free speech; a federal judge ruled the buffer zone does not violate protesters' First Amendment free speech rights.[103][104]
During the first trial, the judge approved the prosecution's request to prohibit anyone inside the courtroom from wearing any attire related to the case, and also prohibit law enforcement officers, whether they be testifying or attending the trial, from wearing their uniforms.[105] Protesters gathered outside the courthouse wearing pink on every court day, cheering for Read, and taking photos with her and her lawyers.
Repercussions for witnesses
After the first trial, Proctor was relieved of duty and formally transferred out of the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office State Police Detective's Unit, and he was suspended without pay on July 8.[106][107] In March 2025, he was fired by Massachusetts State Police,[108][109] after a state police trial board determined that he sent inappropriate text messages about a suspect and provided "sensitive and/or potential investigative steps in the investigation to non-law enforcement personnel." He was also found guilty of unsatisfactory performance and violating policy on alcoholic beverages.[28]
On July 10, 2024, Canton Police placed Det. Kevin Albert on leave based on testimony from the trial.[110] That September, Canton Police announced he would face a three-day suspension without pay.[111]
Grand juror criminal contempt charge
On July 11, 2025 a Dracut, Massachusetts woman was charged with one count of criminal contempt by the U.S. District Attorney's Office. The defendent is alleged to have "disclosed sealed information to unauthorized individuals, including the names of various witnesses appearing before a federal grand jury, the substance of witness testimony and other evidence presented to the grand jury."[112] On July 15, the defendant signed a plea agreement which recommends that she be sentenced to “one day, deemed served” at the discretion of a judge. On the same day, The Boston Globe published an article claiming that the defendant was a grand juror in the Karen Read case.[113]
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In popular media
In July 2024, Netflix announced a three-part documentary on the case.[114] 20/20 released an episode about the case in September 2024.[115] Dateline NBC aired an episode on the case on October 18, 2024.[116] A ten-part narrative podcast series, 34 Fairview Road, was released October 17, 2024.[117] A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read, a five-part docuseries by Investigation Discovery, aired over three nights, beginning March 17, 2025.[118][119]
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Connection to other cases
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The lawyer for Brian Walshe, the Cohasset man accused of murdering his wife Ana, said he would file a motion suggesting Proctor's bias played a role in his client's case.[120][121]
In February 2021, Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old woman from Stoughton, was found dead in her Canton apartment. In both the Birchmore and O'Keefe investigations, federal intervention led to different conclusions than the initial investigations by local police. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but initial findings by local authorities were contradicted by federal investigators who alleged that foul play was involved. Detective Matthew Farwell of the Stoughton Police Department allegedly groomed Birchmore, initiating a sexual relationship with her when she was 15 years old. She became pregnant in 2020. Farwell was unhappy, and accused Birchmore of entrapping him by intentionally getting pregnant. Birchmore insisted upon naming the married Farwell as the father. Both Birchmore and Farwell believed the latter to be the father of the unborn child, although in 2025 it was revealed that he was in fact not the father.[122][123][124] Farwell is accused of strangling Birchmore and staging her death as a suicide. Read's attorneys have sought police documents related to the Birchmore case and officers involved in both cases, including Norfolk Attorney Michael Morrissey, Canton Police Sgt. Michael Lank, Canton Police Det. Kevin Albert, Massachusetts State Police Det. Lt Brian Tully, and Lt. John Fanning.[125][126]
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Notes
- Only mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the hair could be obtained for analysis. This matched O'Keefe's, but mtDNA is not specific to one individual: It is shared by all those from the same matriline – that is, any relatives who share maternal-line ancestors.[49][50]
References
External links
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