Karen Read Says She Was Angry With Cop BF But Wouldn't Kill Him

Karen Read 's breaking her silence ... admitting she was angry with Boston cop John O'Keefe the night he died -- but, says that doesn't mean she ran him over with her SUV.

Read -- who is scheduled to be retried for O'Keefe's death in January 2025 -- sat down for an interview with ABC News ... saying John really upset her after a night of drinking in 2022, and she angrily left him at a friend's house.

KAREN READ IN COURT

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Asked if a combination of anger and alcohol could've led her to try to "tap" O'Keefe with her SUV, Read shows her frustration ... denying she did and emphasizing she would never do that.

Karen discusses the fear and dread she felt when John didn't come home -- at first thinking he may have been hit by a snowplow -- and, describes going to search for him.

O'Keefe's body was found in the front yard at the friend's house, covered in snow the next morning. Watch the clip to hear Read's description of the condition of John's body when she found him.

Prosecutors claim Read got into an argument with O'Keefe in 2022 before backing up and running him over with her SUV, killing him and drunkenly fleeing the scene. Read's team says she was framed after a fight between John and his other cop friends broke out.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson declares in the clip someone else in the house is responsible for his death, and claims there's a murder cover-up.

A jury voted to unanimously acquit Karen on charges of second-degree murder and fleeing the scene of an accident ... but were split on vehicular manslaughter charges, deadlocking 9-3 in favor of conviction. She's also being sued by O'Keefe's family.