Karen Read makes bold claim about her Boston cop boyfriend in her first words after she was acquitted of killing him

A jubilant Karen Read said “no one has fought harder” to find the truth behind the death of her Boston cop boyfriend in her first words after she was found not guilty Wednesday of killing him more than three years ago.

“No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have. Than I have and my team,” she said outside court as she thanked her supporters.

Karen Read gestures to supporters after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. AP

The financial analyst was only convicted of a drunk driving charge, while avoiding the more serious charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident causing death at her second trial in the case.

Scene outside court as Karen Read was found not guilty of the top charges. David McGlynn

“I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who supported me and my team financially and more importantly emotionally for almost four years,” she also said to adoring fans.

As she left the Norfolk County courthouse in Dedham for the last time in connection to the criminal case, she had her right hand on her heart as supporters erupted into cheers.

The legal drama began in 2022 when O’Keefe was left for dead in a snowbank. Prosecutors accused Read of hitting him with her car and driving off following a drunken night of partying. Her defense team argued O’Keefe’s death had nothing to do with Read and she was a scapegoat for cops who conspired against her.