Jury ‘stunned’ by accused cop killer’s text fight just hours before he died

A court has seen texts between a girlfriend accused of murdering her police officer boyfriend and the deceased cop hours before his death.

Explosive texts between the girlfriend accused of murdering her police officer boyfriend and the deceased officer just hours before his death have left a jury “stunned” during the second trial of the high-profile US case.

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

Read denies the charges, claiming she’s the victim of a police cover-up, an accusation that has earned her a “devoted band of supporters who believe she was framed”.

After a highly publicised two-month trial last year, which ended in a hung jury after five days of deliberations, the retrial has just kicked off in Massachusetts – and it’s drawing just as much attention.

Karen Read, who is accused of the second-degree murder of her cop boyfriend John O’Keefe in January 2022 has returned to court for her retrial. Picture: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Following opening statements from the prosecution and defence on April 22, the 18-person jury – made up of nine men and nine women – were presented an extensive text exchange between Mr O’Keefe and Ms Read just hours before he was found dead in the snow on that cold night in January 2022.

State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino read messages between the pair that were displayed on a screen in a PowerPoint presentation, NBC reported.

“Sick of always arguing and fighting,” O’Keefe wrote, according to Police Trooper Guarino’s testimony.

“It’s been weekly for several months now. So yeh I’m not as quick to jump back into being lovie dovie as you apparently.”

“I know your heart isn’t in this anymore,” Read replied. “I’ve felt it for awhile and esp lately. I am willing to try more but not if you approaching the point of Indifference.”

Mr O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow with Ms Read accused of running him over in her SUV. Picture: Supplied

There was a damaged taillight shown as evidence in court. Picture: Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP

Read called O’Keefe more than a dozen times in the hours before they met up at a bar on January 28, 2022. Records show he didn’t answer or rejected a majority of the calls.

Mr O’Keefe’s body was found the next day outside a home in the town of Canton.

The couple argued over a wide range of issues familiar to anyone in a strained relationship, touching on everything from childcare, Facebook statuses, hot water heaters and desperate questions about their future as lovers, the New York Postreported.

“You’ve really hurt me this time,” one of Ms Read’s texts read, to which Mr O’Keefe wrote back: “I’m sorry.”

“This has been an issue w me for 8 years. It physically hurts me to see EVERYONE else in their life do things for them and I’m forced to ALWAYS be the bad guy.”

The jury was reportedly ‘stunned’ as a text fight between Ms Read and Mr O’Keefe just hours before he died was shared in court. Picture: Supplied

Despite the back-and-forth bickering, the pair met up later at a bar. Picture: Supplied

Ms Read at one point accused her partner of being “interested in someone else”, something he denied in the messages.

He responds: “Nope. Things haven’t been great between us for awhile. Ever consider that? Kids are here. Not in the mood to talk.”

The texts, sent between 2:30pm and 8:35pm were introduced in the last trial but this was the first time a jury heard them play out in one continuous exchange, the publication added.

The fight continued back-and-forth, with Ms Read calling the cop, before he texts instructing her to stop.

Despite bickering over the state of their relationship, the pair met up hours later at a bar, with video surveillance showing them embracing, the court was told.

They hit up another bar afterwards before she dropped Mr O’Keefe off at the house of his friend, fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert, for a party just before 12:30am on January 29.

CCTV shows them embracing outside the bar. Picture: Supplied

Ms Read’s case has captured attention worldwide. Picture: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

She’s denied the allegations and has said she is the victim of a cover-up by Mr O’Keefe’s law enforcement colleagues. Picture: Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger

Prosecutors went on to play television interview clips of Ms Read talking about the night of drinking.

“I shouldn’t have been driving, but I know I wasn’t driving recklessly,” she said.

Ms Read is accused of drunkenly backing into Mr O’Keefe with her SUV after she dropped him off at a house party.

Her lawyers have insisted that he was fatally attacked by a cop at that party.

The case has drawn huge attention in America – as well as globally, including here in Australia – largely due to the defence argument, which suggests she is the victim of a cover-up by Mr O’Keefe’s law enforcement colleagues in to protect another potential suspect.

Originally published as Jury ‘stunned’ by accused cop killer’s text fight just hours before he died