Eerie evidence fueling Karen Read conspiracy theories from broken taillight to witness’ Google search after cop’s murder

AS Karen Read returns to court for her boyfriend’s murder, online sleuths have been captivated by wild evidence, inconsistent details, and alternate theories presented during her first bombshell trial.

Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe , with her car in the middle of the night and leaving him to die in the snow in January 2022.

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Her murder trial began in April, but the judge declared a mistrial on July 1 over a deadlocked jury.

Read’s case sparked an online frenzy as both the prosecution and defense told vastly different tales of what happened the night O’Keefe died.

On January 29, 2022, O’Keefe’s visibly mangled body was found outside a friend’s home in Canton, Massachusetts , a suburb of Boston, after a night of drinking.

His cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma and hypothermia.

O’Keefe had been with his girlfriend, Read, the night before at a bar, where they ran into mutual friends who invited them to a house party.

Read’s attorneys claim she dropped off O’Keefe with his friends and left before a fight broke out among the partygoers.

O’Keefe was then ganged up on and beaten to death, with even a dog joining in on his murder, Read’s defense wildly claimed in court.

The defense further argued that law enforcement agencies worked together to frame Read because other police officers were involved in the fight, which they said happened while she was at home.

However, prosecutors hit back claiming Read struck O’Keefe with her car in the friend’s driveway and left him to freeze to death in a climactic end to their tumultuous relationship.

Detectives found pieces of a shattered tail light at the scene, and prosecutors claimed this was proof she was behind the death.

Jennifer McCabe, a friend of the couple, testified in court that Read screamed, “I hit him,” when O’Keefe’s body was found the morning after, and that Read asked her to search how long it takes for someone to die of hypothermia.

Meanwhile, Read’s defense tried to flip this testimony back on McCabe, alleging she was part of the master plan to kill O’Keefe.

The mystery deepened when a witness’ Google search was presented in court.

The sister-in-law of the owner of the home where O’Keefe was found unresponsive allegedly searched “ho[w] long to die in cold” at around 2:27 am – hours before Read was said to have discovered her boyfriend’s body.

A timeline of Karen Read's case

• January 29, 2022 : O’Keefe’s body is found outside of a friend’s home.
• February 1, 2022 : Read was arrested and charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a vehicle homicide.
• February 2, 2022 : Read pleads not guilty in Stoughton District Court.
• June 9, 2022 : A state grand jury indicts Read on upgraded charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene.
• April 12, 2023 : Read’s attorneys publicly release court documents they say contain “bombshell exculpatory information,” including Jennifer McCabe’s Google search.
• Nov. 20, 2023 : Residents of the divided community vote 903-800 to audit the Canton Police Department over the case.
• May 23, 2023 : During another pre-trial hearing, the defense says that the murder of John O’Keefe is a massive cover-up involving members of law enforcement and their friends and family members.
• Feb. 22, 2024 : Prosecutors unveil long-awaited results of crime scene evidence tests, alleging that O’Keefe’s DNA was recovered from the broken taillight of Read’s vehicle.
• April 12, 2024 : Read’s defense attorneys say in court that Brian Albert, his son Colin Albert and Brian Higgins could have each killed O’Keefe at the party that night.
• April 16, 2024 : Read’s trial began in Massachusetts Superior Court.
• May 17, 2024 : Jennifer McCabe, who was with Read when she discovered O’Keefe’s body, testifies that during their search, Read repeatedly said: “Did I hit him? Could I have hit him?” She also says Read later said when emergency workers were on the scene: “I hit him.”
• June 3, 2024 : The defense accuses police of planting the shattered fragments of taillight from Read’s car at the scene of the crime.
• June 24, 2024 : The defense rests their case.
• July 1, 2024: A judge declared a hung jury after five days of deliberation.

Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam C. Lally argued in court that Read directed the sister-in-law to make the search after finding his body, and that the timestamp was incorrect.

District Attorney Michael Morrissey, meanwhile, argued at trial that the fatal dog attack scenario presented by the defense didn’t line up with O’Keefe’s autopsy.

Coroners concluded a two-inch cut on the back of his head, two black eyes, and several skull fractures were not consistent with a dog attack or a fight.

CASE DERAILED

The prosecutor’s case came crashing to a halt when it was revealed the lead investigator, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, knew Read before taking on the murder case.

Proctor, who was the one presenting the tail light evidence in court, admitted to calling her a “whackjob” in texts sent before O’Keefe’s death.

At one point, Proctor said, “Hopefully she kills herself,” he confessed in court.

As of last month, Proctor was suspended without pay, and there’s an ongoing internal investigation into his “unprofessional” behavior, police said.

THEORIES SPREAD

Proctor’s shocking admission fueled an ongoing “Free Karen Read” movement filled with people who firmly believe she’s innocent.

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Supporters primarily consist of online sleuths who picked apart evidence presented at trial and came to the unproven conclusion that law enforcement closed ranks to stand behind one of their own.

One member of the movement, Rita Lombardi, who attended every day of the trial, called the prosecutor’s case the “worst cover-up in the history of our country.”

“When I heard about this case, I was horrified and it was a call to action for me – I could not sit this one out,” Lombardi, 60, exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

“I knew I had to help her […] she was framed, framed by the very people that are sworn to protect us,” she alleged.

“We have never had a case like this in the history of our country and I hope we never have a case like this again.

“We are cheering for truth and justice. We are cheering for an innocent woman to be exonerated – and from this, we need to fix the system.”

BATTLE OVER SECOND TRIAL

In court on Friday, Read’s defense attorneys argued she shouldn’t face a second trial because her original jury wanted to acquit her on two of the three charges.

Attorney Martin Weinberg said despite the jury being unable to announce their verdict on two of the charges, trying her again would be double jeopardy.

The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits someone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.

“Don’t make Ms. Read be the first person in the history of the commonwealth to face re-prosecution for murder,” Weinberg said in court.

Prosecutors, however, insisted the trial should go forward as the jury never returned a formal verdict.

The judge said at Friday’s hearing that she would announce her ruling at a later date.

If it goes ahead, Read’s second trial is slated to begin on January 27, 2025.

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