Karen Read of Massachusetts may still be held legally responsible for her boyfriend John O. Keefe’s death even though a jury last month cleared her of murder and manslaughter charges in connection with O Keefe’s death.
This is due to a wrongful death lawsuit that the family of the deceased Boston police officer is currently pursuing against Read and the two Canton bars where she and O Keefe were drinking on the night of his death.
The Plymouth Superior Court case, which was filed soon after Read’s 2024 mistrial, claims that Read drove O Keefe to an afterparty early on January 29, 2022, while intoxicated and incapable of operating a motor vehicle properly. Notably, Read was recently found guilty of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by jurors in her second criminal trial.
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O Keefe’s brother Paul, his parents, and his teenage niece, who moved in with O Keefe after she and her younger brother lost their parents only a few months apart, are also plaintiffs in the wrongful death lawsuit. Requests for comment from the family’s attorney were not answered.
Here are some facts on the ongoing lawsuit.
What are the allegations against Read?
The claims made by the prosecution during Read’s trial for second-degree murder and other crimes are essentially reflected in the O Keefe family’s complaint. They claim that Read, now 45, left her two-year lover to perish in a blizzard after arguing with O Keefe prior to his death and hitting him outside 34 Fairview Road with her SUV while intoxicated.
According to the family, Read had nine drinks in all as she and O Keefe talked to friends and acquaintances at the Waterfall Bar & Grille and C.F. McCarthy’s. According to a retrograde study, Read’s blood alcohol level at 12:45 a.m. on January 29 was between 0.14% and 0.28%, according to testimony given in May by a forensic scientist from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab. Based on Read’s blood test results from Good Samaritan Medical Center, which were purportedly taken shortly after 9 a.m. on the 29th, the study found that her blood alcohol level ranged from 0.078% to 0.092%.
0.08% is the legal driving limit.
The lawsuit also claims that defendant Read, who was drunk, was carelessly provided beer by C.F. McCarthy and the Waterfall.
In addition to claiming mental suffering, the O Keefes also claim that Read created a conspiracy and purposefully altered her statement, knowing it to be untrue. In order to shield the friends and family of the guy who owned 34 Fairview Road at the time—a fellow Boston police officer—Read and her attorneys have long maintained that she was set up in a massive law enforcement conspiracy.
The O Keefe family has also accused Read of willfully and/or carelessly causing his niece great mental distress on January 29 by violently waking her awake and informing her that O Keefe had not returned home.
When her uncle JJ passed away, the 14-year-old reportedly overheard Read remark, “Perhaps I did something.” Perhaps he was struck by a snowplow. I might have struck him. Perhaps I struck him during our dispute. According to the lawsuit, it’s possible that he was struck by a snowplow.
According to the lawsuit, Read was aware that [the teen] was a fragile minor who had previously suffered the devastating loss of her parents and was dependent on her custodial uncle, JJ, who took on the role of surrogate father.
How can Read face another trial if she s already been acquitted?
Read’s criminal case was concluded by her conviction on the drunk driving charge and her acquittal on the more serious counts; however, this decision does not absolve her of any civil obligation. O.J. Simpson, the legendary football player and actor who was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, but was later held accountable for their deaths in a civil lawsuit, is one of the more well-known examples of defendants who confronted this legal dilemma.
Could Read face jail time?
However, Read is not facing a potential jail sentence as a result of the wrongful death claim, unlike in her criminal prosecution. She might be held accountable for O Keefe’s death and face financial penalties; her family is requesting at least $50,000.
What s the burden of proof?
The burden of proof for a civil action is the far lower preponderance of evidence standard, whereas prosecutors in Read’s two criminal trials were required to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. In a wrongful death case, plaintiffs have essentially fulfilled their burden when they can demonstrate that, even by a slim margin, it is more likely than not that a defendant is to blame for the death.
In other words, Massachusetts model jury instructions specify that the plaintiff must provide sufficient evidence to tip the scales in [their] favor if all the reliable evidence were placed on opposite sides of a pair of scales.
In certain situations, such as when a defendant’s carelessness or willful, wanton, or reckless behavior results in the death of another person, a wrongful death claim may be made under state law, and the defendant may be held accountable for damages.
O Keefe’s family claims that defendant Read’s carelessness, intentional, wanton, and reckless disregard for safety caused his injuries and death, either directly or indirectly.
Is Read s star defense team back for another round?
Heavy-hitting lawyers Alan Jackson, David Yannetti, Robert Alessi, and Elizabeth Little were on Read’s successful criminal defense team. However, Read has enlisted three additional civil case attorneys—Marissa Palladini, Christopher George, and William Keville—to handle the wrongful death lawsuit.
Jackson, Yannetti, and Alessi have been celebrating in interviews with the media in the interim. Additionally, Read and Jackson are working together on a scripted version of the well-known case.
What s the timeline for the wrongful death suit?
Since there is no indication of a possible settlement or forthcoming hearing or trial dates in the docket, it is still unknown when the O Keefe family’s wrongful death lawsuit might be settled.
Citing her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, a judge in Plymouth Superior Court last October decided that Read would not be required to provide an out-of-court adeposition in the civil complaint until after her criminal trial. Additionally, a subsequent decision in April delayed Read’s parents’ and sister-in-law’s depositions for ninety days or until the criminal retrial was over, whichever happened first.
Abby Patkin covers a wide range of topics as a general assignment news reporter, including crime, public transportation, health, and everything in between. She has been reporting on the murder case of Karen Read.
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