Prosecutor in Karen Read case says evidence led to ‘one person, and only one person'
Brennan said Morrissey gave him 'full discretion' to independently assess the case and to follow 'the evidence no matter where it led.'
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'After an independent and thorough review of all the evidence, I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person,' Brennan said. 'Neither the closed federal investigation nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O'Keefe.'
Last week, a Norfolk County jury found Read, 45, not guilty on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. She was convicted of a lesser charge of driving under the influence and was sentenced to a year of probation.
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Prosecutors alleged Read hit O'Keefe with her SUV after dropping him off outside the Canton home of a now-retired Boston police officer, who was hosting an afterparty following a night of drinking with friends in January 2022.
Prosecutors alleged Read backed her car into O'Keefe in a drunken rage and left him to die in the snow.
Read's lawyers contended that O'Keefe went inside the house, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by the family's German Shepherd before his body was placed on the front lawn.
Numerous people who were at the home that night have faced accusations that they were involved in O'Keefe's death or took part in a cover-up, allegations that were spurred by the defense, online discussions, and a large movement of Karen Read supporters who championed her innocence.
None of the witnesses have been charged in connection to the case, which triggered a separate grand jury investigation
'The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice,' Brennan said.
'If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system affecting both victims and criminally accused. We cannot condone witness abuse causing participants to worry for their own safety or that of their families.'
Brennan said he hopes that with the verdict, the witnesses and families tied to the case will be left alone. He also extended condolences to the O'Keefe family and 'faith that over the coming years they will find peace and closure.'
'The harassment of these innocent victims and family members is deplorable and should never happen again in a case in this Commonwealth,' he said.
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Nick Stoico can be reached at
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Karen Read case special prosecutor takes swipe at her, slams ‘campaign of intimidation and abuse' from her fans
The special prosecutor in Karen Read's retrial slammed her rabid fanbase's 'campaign of intimidation and abuse' in a scathing statement on Monday — less than a week after she was found not guilty of murdering her Boston cop boyfriend. Hank Brennan, who was assigned after Read's first case ended in a mistrial, also took a swipe at the financial analyst, declaring his investigation yielded no other suspects in the death of 46-year-old John O'Keefe. Brennan said he was 'disappointed' that his team 'could not achieve justice' for the O'Keefe family. Advertisement 5 Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan condemned the scare tactics used by Karen Read's fans throughout the trial. David McGlynn 'District Attorney Michael Morrissey appointed me, giving me full discretion to independently assess the case and follow the evidence no matter where it led. After an independent and thorough review of all the evidence, I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person,' Brennan said in the statement. 'Neither the closed federal investigation nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O'Keefe,' Brennan wrote in a statement. Advertisement Read was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the drawn-out trial — but she was still found guilty of a lesser drunken driving charge. 5 Read was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter last Wednesday. David McGlynn 'The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice,' Brennan's statement continued. 'If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system, affecting both victims and the criminally accused.' Advertisement 5 Brennan said that he was 'disappointed' they weren't able to 'achieve justice' for O'Keefe and his family. David McGlynn In the days following the verdict, many members of the jury admitted they struggled to determine whether or not Read was guilty of murder in part because of the 'poor investigation.' The case captured the country's attention and Read's supporters quickly grew to worship the financial analyst, even adopting sign language to communicate with her. Many waited outside the Needham, Mass. courthouse daily throughout the trial just so they could catch a glimpse of Read. Advertisement After the not guilty verdict was delivered, a sea of Read loyalists were there to greet her — and the heartbroken O'Keefe family soon after. Unperturbed, Read made a jarring statement, asserting that she was the one trying to do right by O'Keefe the entire trial, not the prosecution. 5 Read's fans were waiting outside last Wednesday dressed in pink and holding up the American sign language symbol for 'I love you'. David McGlynn 'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have. Than I have and my team,' she said outside the court. The prosecution argued that Read slammed O'Keefe with her SUV during a blizzard and left him to die in a snowbank while she was drunk after a night of partying. 5 Read was still found guilty of a lesser charge for drunken driving. David McGlynn The defense, meanwhile, argued that Read was nothing but a scapegoat for the police who were purposefully conspiring against her. Advertisement O'Keefe's friends, the McCabe and Albert families, who served as key witnesses during the case, believed that the verdict was a 'miscarriage of justice.' 'Today we mourn with John's family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team, and some in the media. The result is a devastating miscarriage of justice,' they wrote last week.
Boston Globe
6 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Prosecutor in Karen Read case says evidence led to ‘one person, and only one person'
Brennan said Morrissey gave him 'full discretion' to independently assess the case and to follow 'the evidence no matter where it led.' Advertisement 'After an independent and thorough review of all the evidence, I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person,' Brennan said. 'Neither the closed federal investigation nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O'Keefe.' Last week, a Norfolk County jury found Read, 45, not guilty on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. She was convicted of a lesser charge of driving under the influence and was sentenced to a year of probation. Advertisement Prosecutors alleged Read hit O'Keefe with her SUV after dropping him off outside the Canton home of a now-retired Boston police officer, who was hosting an afterparty following a night of drinking with friends in January 2022. Prosecutors alleged Read backed her car into O'Keefe in a drunken rage and left him to die in the snow. Read's lawyers contended that O'Keefe went inside the house, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by the family's German Shepherd before his body was placed on the front lawn. Numerous people who were at the home that night have faced accusations that they were involved in O'Keefe's death or took part in a cover-up, allegations that were spurred by the defense, online discussions, and a large movement of Karen Read supporters who championed her innocence. None of the witnesses have been charged in connection to the case, which triggered a separate grand jury investigation 'The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice,' Brennan said. 'If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system affecting both victims and criminally accused. We cannot condone witness abuse causing participants to worry for their own safety or that of their families.' Brennan said he hopes that with the verdict, the witnesses and families tied to the case will be left alone. He also extended condolences to the O'Keefe family and 'faith that over the coming years they will find peace and closure.' 'The harassment of these innocent victims and family members is deplorable and should never happen again in a case in this Commonwealth,' he said. Advertisement Nick Stoico can be reached at
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Juror in Karen Read trial changed her mind during deliberations to vote not guilty, report says
'It was one big part that led me closer to, 'there is a lot of doubt here.'' Jimenez said. She did not specify what aspect of the case. Advertisement On Wednesday, The decision marked the end of a her boyfriend and a Boston police officer, and left him to die in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022. Read's lawyers said police framed her. The judge in the case, Beverly J. Cannone, Advertisement Read's first criminal trial ended last year with a hung jury. In the retrial, a jury of seven women and five men delivered their verdict after about three days of deliberations. Jimenez, who was juror number 12, sat in the front row during the trial, to the right of Read and her defense team. 'I couldn't help but see her,' Jimenez said of Read. 'I think I had the best view in the house. She was right there. The defense was right there.' Before the trial, Jimenez said she only heard her clients mention the Read case. 'I felt like if they didn't pick me, they'd be fools because I didn't know anything about this case,' Jimenez said about jury selection, according to the news outlet. When asked if she 'formed any impressions' of Read, Jimenez said 'no.' 'Like I said, I knew nothing about her,' she said. Jimenez took notes and filled one and a half notebooks during the trial, she said. She did not say whether she believed the defense's story of a cover-up. During the trial, Read's lawyers alleged that after a night of drinking at two Canton bars, O'Keefe went into a home on Fairview Road, then owned by a fellow Boston police officer, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by the family's German shepherd before his body was placed on the front lawn. Advertisement Jimenez said that there was evidence that 'could have fit that scenario,' leading back to the 'doubt' around the allegations. Still, she said, 'I'm not there to say whether the defense's story was right or wrong ... There could have been other circumstances that happened.' Jimenez said she did not believe that Jennifer McCabe, who was at the afterparty and later joined Read in her search for O'Keefe, searched 'hos [sic] to die in the cold' on as Read's lawyers maintained. Data on McCabe's phone showed the search with a timestamp of 2:27 a.m. She testified that she searched on an old tab at 6:20 a.m. at Read's request, and expert witnesses for the prosecution corroborated that account. Jimenez said she 'can't determine' whether lead investigator Michael Proctor planted or tampered with evidence. While she found Proctor's text messages that he sent coworkers about Read crude, they do not point to a cover-up, she said. On Monday, Jimenez declined to comment further about the trial. 'I have said what I wanted to say,' Jimenez said by text message. To the family of O'Keefe, Jimenez said she is 'very sorry for their loss.' She told the news station that she has learned more about the trial since leaving the courtroom but does not regret the verdict. Advertisement 'I'm very comfortable with how I came to the decision,' Jimenez said. Ava Berger can be reached at
