A judge announced a mistrial for Karen Read, who stood accused of fatally shooting her police officer boyfriend. In response, the deceased officer's family has decided to initiate a lawsuit against her.
The lawsuit alleges that Read was negligent to an extreme degree, resulting in O’Keefe suffering both physical and mental harm, including anguish, fear of imminent demise, lost wages, medical expenses, funeral costs, and ultimately, death.
This legal action was initiated in Plymouth County Superior Court following the inconclusive conclusion of Read's murder trial in July, during which a jury was unable to unanimously agree on the charges. As a consequence, a Norfolk County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial, and a retrial has been scheduled for January.
The wrongful death lawsuit also names two Canton, Massachusetts, establishments – CF McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar and Grille – as defendants, accusing them of negligently serving alcohol to Read in the hours prior to the events leading to O’Keefe’s demise.
Read has been implicated in driving under the influence and colliding with O’Keefe, leaving him to perish in the freezing cold on a January 2022 night outside a Canton residence, where an off-duty police party was being held. She entered pleas of not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident.
CNN is actively seeking out the attorneys handling Read’s civil case and contacts them for comment. The network has also requested comment from both bars.
The criminal proceedings against Read sparked divisions within the Massachusetts community due to allegations of a widespread cover-up by police and investigative misconduct. Read's counsel has alleged that she was framed, and O’Keefe was assaulted within the house and subsequently moved outside to perish.
The family claims that Read instigated disputes and harbored feelings of jealousy
O’Keefe’s family claims in the lawsuit that the relationship between him and Read was in a state of decline in the weeks and days leading up to his demise on January 29, 2022.
“Read stirred up arguments, grappled with jealousy, and nurtured fantasies of infidelity,” the lawsuit states. “On or about January 28, 2022, defendant Read was aware that her relationship with (O’Keefe) had reached its end.”
Read and O’Keefe were at CF McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar and Grille in Canton on the night of January 28, 2022, according to the lawsuit. The complaint alleges that McCarthy’s served Read seven alcoholic beverages between 8:58 p.m. and 10:29 p.m., and that Read demonstrated signs of intoxication. Read departed the establishment with an alcoholic drink in hand, according to the court document.
The lawsuit claims that when Read entered the second bar, she carried the drink from McCarthy’s along with her and continued to exhibit signs of intoxication. Read consumed one alcoholic shot and one mixed drink at Waterfall, according to the complaint.
Read and O’Keefe left Waterfall just minutes after midnight on January 29, 2022, and Read drove O’Keefe to the Canton home hosting the party, the lawsuit alleges. “Defendant Read was under the influence of alcohol and was unable to safely operate a motor vehicle,” the document claims.
It also alleges that Read and O’Keefe argued that evening, and that after they arrived at the party’s residence and O’Keefe stepped out of Read’s vehicle, Read drove her SUV and struck her boyfriend, knocking him to the ground in front of the house – and then left the scene.
She did so, knowing that it was snowing and a blizzard was on the horizon, and realizing that leaving O’Keefe outside in the snow would likely result in severe injury or death, the lawsuit asserts.
Around 4:30 a.m., Read became aware that she had struck her boyfriend with her SUV and informed O’Keefe’s 14-year-old niece about his demise, the lawsuit states.
Following that, Read returned to the party’s residence, already knowing that O’Keefe was seriously injured, buried beneath the snow, and had been left to die for hours.
The estate and O’Keefe’s family are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The complaint also alleges negligent infliction of emotional distress.
John O’Keefe’s brother, Paul O’Keefe, is pursuing this lawsuit on behalf of the estate and in an individual capacity, with support from John’s parents.
The lawsuit accuses the bars of being negligent in their service of alcohol to Read because they “knew or should have known that … Read was intoxicated” when she was served.
"It's plain to see from the constellation of facts and proof that the accused was driving their vehicle in reverse at a speed of 24.2 miles per hour over a distance of 62.5 feet, which resulted in the severe head injuries of Mr. O’Keefe, rendering him unconscious and ultimately leading to his hypothermia-induced demise," asserted Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally in his closing remarks during the trial in late June.
On the other hand, during the trial, Read's defense team implicated off-duty law enforcement officers inside the residence for the fatal beating of O’Keefe, allegedly followed by disposing of his body on the front lawn and then orchestrating a scheme involving fabricated evidence and deceitful testimony to falsely incriminate Read.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this case has been shrouded in a cover-up. It's as clear as day," declared Alan Jackson, defense attorney for Read during the trial. "You might find it hard to believe, you might not want to acknowledge it, but this tragic event has taken place right under our community's nose, and over the past eight weeks, you've witnessed it unfold before your very eyes."
CNN’s Dakin Andone and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
In light of the lawsuit's claims, it is alleged that the family believes that the relationship between John O'Keefe and Read was deteriorating in the days leading up to his demise. Furthermore, the lawsuit states that within the family's claim, they accuse Read of instigating disputes and harboring feelings of jealousy towards O'Keefe.
