Witnesses Speak Out After Karen Read Is Acquitted in John O'Keefe's Death

Following Karen Read’s acquittal in the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, a group of witnesses who were central to the case released a joint statement condemning the verdict. 

The statement, shared with PEOPLE by the communication firm BerlinRosen, was attributed to Jennifer McCabe, Matthew McCabe, Chris Albert, Julie Albert, Colin Albert, Nicole Albert, Brian Albert, Kerry Roberts, and Court Roberts — all of whom were either present at the Canton, Massachusetts house party the night O’Keefe died or testified at trial. 

“Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O’Keefe family. They have suffered so much and deserved better from our justice system,” the statement read. 

“While we may have more to say in the future, 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.”

O’Keefe, 46, was dating Karen Read at the time of his death. According to testimony, the couple had been out drinking before Read allegedly drove him to the house party in Canton, where she stayed behind. 

Read told investigators she awoke the next morning and realized O’Keefe never returned home, PEOPLE previously reported. She and others, including Jennifer McCabe, went looking for him — and Read ultimately found his body in a snowbank outside the home, severely injured and unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. 

An autopsy determined that O’Keefe died from blunt force trauma to the head, with hypothermia listed as a contributing factor. 

Prosecutors argued Read struck him with her SUV in a drunk rage during a fight and left him to die in the cold. 

But the jury found reasonable doubt in that theory, acquitting her on Wednesday of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.

However, she was convicted of operating under the influence and received one year of probation.

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Read’s defense team did not dispute that she was driving the SUV that struck O’Keefe — but claimed he was still alive when she dropped him off outside 34 Fairview Road, the home of fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert, in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022. 

They argued that O’Keefe was later attacked — possibly by a dog or in a physical altercation — inside or near the home, and that his body was staged outside and in the snow. 

They alleged a cover-up ensued, involving several partygoers and law enforcement officers, and suggested evidence was withheld or manipulated to protect others. 

The defense cited discrepancies in phone records, the alleged deletion of texts and what they described as suspicious behavior from some of the witnesses who were inside the home that night.