Watch Live: Karen Read not guilty of murder, manslaughter, guilty of OUI

CBS News

18-06-2025

A jury acquitted Karen Read of most charges, finding her guilty only of operating under the influence of alcohol during the retrial of her high-profile Massachusetts case.
Judge Beverly Cannone sentenced Read to one year probation after the verdict was announced.
Read's supporters outside the courthouse shouted so loud when the verdict was read, it was difficult to hear the proceedings.
You can watch coverage streaming live on CBS News Boston in the video above.
Read had faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of bodily injury and death in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, in January 2022. She pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The jury began deliberating late Friday afternoon and discussed the case for about 90 minutes before returning for more deliberations Monday. The panel of seven women and five men had the case for about 20 hours total.
During closing arguments Friday, prosecutor Hank Brennan said Read was driving drunk when she dropped O'Keefe off at a home in Canton, backed over him with her SUV in a rage over their failing relationship and drove off, leaving him to die in a snowstorm.
Read's attorney Alan Jackson told the jury in his closing that there was no car crash and that O'Keefe was killed in a fight inside the home and that possibility was never investigated by the lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor. Proctor was fired for his conduct in the case. He was not called to testify in this trial.
Minutes before it was officially announced that there was a verdict, Judge Beverly Cannone said that during the afternoon lunch break, the jury knocked on the court officer's door to say they had reached a verdict but moments later said they had not reached a verdict.
Karen Read possible sentences
If Read had been convicted of second-degree murder, she faced up to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
If the jury convicted her of manslaughter Operating Under the Influence (OUI), she faced five to 20 years in prison and a fine of $25,000. The manslaughter charge included several lesser offenses that Read could also be convicted of, which is why Read was found guilty of OUI.
Read's first trial ended in July 2024 with a mistrial due to a deeply divided jury. They deliberated for five days in that trial.
Karen Read retrial
The second trial began on April 22. The jury heard from 49 witness during 31 days of testimony before getting the case on June 13. They had access to more than 200 pieces of evidence, including the taillight from Read's SUV and John O'Keefe's clothes from the night he died.