Accused killer reveals theory on what happened to her cop boyfriend

Karen Read is accused of killing her cop boyfriend. But while she awaits a new trial, her bombshell theory has captured global attention.

The girlfriend accused of murdering her police officer boyfriend in the US has shared her “theory” on his death ahead of her second trial.

Karen Read, 44, is facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly reversing her car into her boyfriend, Boston police official John O’Keefe, and leaving him for dead in the snow during a blizzard following a night of drinking.

The case has drawn huge attention due to her lawyers’ accusations of a police cover-up, with Ms Read earning a “devoted band of supporters who believe she was framed”.

But after a highly publicised two-month trial which ended in a hung jury after five days of deliberations, she’s now facing a second lengthy court battle.

Now, just months out from the second trial which has been scheduled for January next year, Ms Read has given an interview in which she offers up a “theory” on what she believes caused Mr O’Keefe’s death on that cold night in January 2022.

Karen Read is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, during a blizzard in 2022 and leaving him for dead. Picture: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

“I believe whatever happened to John was a setup to teach him a lesson or tune him up, and it got out of control,” she claimed in the bombshell two-part interview with Vanity Fair.

“No one would choose to kill someone in their own home and then set it up so sloppily.”

Ms Read, a former college professor, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, along with manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving a scene of personal injury and death.

Her laywers have long-claimed she is the victim of a cover-up by Mr O’Keefe’s law enforcement colleagues in to protect another potential suspect.

But prosecutors painted a very different story during the first trial, alleging Ms Read and Mr O’Keefe had a “rocky romance” and had been drinking heavily and bar hopping with friends on the night he died.

At some point in the evening, Ms Read is said to have dropped Mr O’Keefe off at the house of his friend, fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert, for a party in the town of Canton just before 12.30am on January 29.

The defence argued John O'Keefe’s murder was a police cover-up during the weeks-long trial which ended in a hung jury. Picture: Dateline

The prosecution contended that the pair were allegedly arguing when Ms Read hit Mr O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV while making a three-point turn and then drove away, claiming that vehicle data from the car, along with a broken tail-light and hair on the vehicle’s bumper, support this.

His autopsy determined he died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

The defence argued that Mr O’Keefe was beaten up at the house party and wounded before being thrown outside onto the lawn in a snowstorm and framed to appear as if struck by his girlfriend.

They contend that Mr Albert’s house was never searched for signs of a fight involving Mr O’Keefe, and pointed to conflicts of interest among investigators in the case and those at the party.

The prosecution denied any police cover-up or conspiracy.

“I told my parents, if I did anything in any way, I’ll pay my dues … that’s how this should work,” she claimed to Vanity Fair.

“I want to know the truth — good, bad, ugly.”

‘I want to know the truth — good, bad, ugly.’ Picture: Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The retrial is scheduled for January 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

As she continues to protest her innocence, Ms Read said she has “hired a private investigator and even sought out materials that could prove she was guilty, like security footage”.

During her first trial, Ms Read was caught seemingly making a face during a discussion over key documents, causing the judge to explode.

After the mistrial, Ms Read’s lawyers presented evidence that four jurors had said they were actually deadlocked only on a third count of manslaughter, and that inside the jury room, they had unanimously agreed that she was innocent of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly accident, AP reports.

One juror told them that “no one thought she hit him on purpose or even thought she hit him on purpose,” her lawyers argued.

The retrial is set to kick off on January 27, 2025.