January retrial likely after judge declines to dismiss two charges against Boston woman accused of killing boyfriend

The Massachusetts judge presiding over the high-profile murder trial of Karen Read has rejected a defense motion to dismiss two charges, including murder, setting the stage for the case to be retried in January after jurors deadlocked this summer.

Read, 44, is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, 46, by hitting him with her sport-utility vehicle and leaving him to die in a snowbank. She pleaded not guilty to charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of a deadly crash.

A Boston jury was unable to reach a verdict in the death of police officer John O’Keefe – now the city is readying for another trial

In the days since a jury failed to reach a verdict on charges against Karen Read, a 44-year-old financial analyst, there’s been no shortage of her name in the headlines.

She’s been seen getting cozy with her married defense lawyer. The lead investigator has been fired for sending crude texts about her and searching her phone for nude photos. Police have said they are investigating a dead turtle left outside the family home of a blogger, aptly named Turtleboy.

Karen Read, 44, accused of hitting boyfriend with SUV and leaving him to die in snowbank, claims she was framed

Over the last eight weeks, a jury in Massachusetts has pondered whether 44-year-old Karen Read murdered her boyfriend, a police officer, in an act of domestic violence, or was framed by corrupt authorities trying to cover up the killing.

Read’s trial has captivated Boston residents’ attention and triggered a wave of conspiracy theories far beyond the city. At the center is Read, a suburban woman who worked as an equity analyst, and her boyfriend, 46-year-old John O’Keefe, a veteran Boston officer who was found dead in the snow on 29 January 2022.