Karen Read acquitted in killing of police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe

Karen Read has been found not guilty of murdering her police officer boyfriend, getting off with a slap on the wrist for drunk driving.

US woman Karen Read has been found not guilty of murdering her Boston cop boyfriend, and got off with a slap on the wrist at her second trial for drunk driving.

The resounding victory concluded a twisting, years long case that captivated New England, and later the country — with hundreds of Read’s supporters flooding the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, to cheer her on.

Read, accused of leaving John O’Keefe to die in a 2022 snowstorm after hitting him with her car outside a suburban Boston house party, was acquitted of both second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident causing death, New York Post reported.

Read weeps as the final verdict of not guilty of second-degree murder is read in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Picture: Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool

The only charge Read was found guilty of is operating under the influence of liquor — landing her with one year of probation. The drunk driving charge was the lesser sub-charge of a manslaughter count, which jurors also acquitted Read of.

Read, 45, addressed reporters and supporters outside of the courthouse Wednesday after her legal triumph.

“No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have — Than I have, and my team,” she said, thanking her loyal advocates.

The legal spectacle caught nationwide attention when Read was initially charged in February 2022 and finally came to a close Wednesday afternoon to throngs of raucous Read supporters.

Read first stood trial last year, but a hung jury led to a bombshell mistrial and a second trial that got underway in April.

Karen Read leaves the courthouse after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Picture: AP Photo/Josh Reynolds

Jury deliberations took about three full days before the conviction for only the minor infraction was reached.

In a fitting finale to the chaos, the jury initially said it had a verdict early Wednesday afternoon, but then quickly told a court officer it changed its mind.

Then shortly after Judge Beverly Cannone’s update, the jury flipped again and announced it reached a final decision.

Read was sentenced shortly after the verdict was read.

“We’re all Karen Read,” one supporter told NBC 10 Boston following the trial.

“God blessed Karen Read,” another supporter exclaimed.

“She didn’t even get to mourn John’s death.

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Karen Read acquitted in killing of police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe