Verdict revealed in Karen Read trial
Karen Read is found not guilty of the murder of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital; Pool)
Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted earlier this year of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, has filed a lawsuit alleging that a group of current and former law enforcement officials and their relatives conspired to frame her and protect "the party or parties responsible" for the crime.
It could mean she finally testifies under oath, and sworn depositions are expected from everyone involved.
"If it goes to trial, absolutely," said Joshua Ritter, a Los Angeles-based defense attorney and Fox News contributor. "And even before then, she will be deposed."
The complaint, filed Monday, accuses several members of the Massachusetts State Police, the Boston Police Department and private citizens of orchestrating a cover-up following the death of Officer John O’Keefe, who was found dead outside a Canton home in January 2022. Read claims the defendants used their law enforcement connections to manipulate evidence, mislead investigators and falsely implicate her in O’Keefe’s death.
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Karen Read exits Norfolk County Superior Court June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Richard Beetham for Fox New Digital)
O’Keefe’s body was discovered around 6 a.m. Jan. 29, 2022, on the lawn of Brian and Nicole Albert’s home after a night of drinking during a blizzard. Read and two other women, including Jennifer McCabe, a suburban soccer mom accused of masterminding the cover-up, found him.
Neither McCabe nor any of the other defendants named in the suit have been named a suspect in O'Keefe's death by law enforcement.
Jim Tuxbury is an attorney representing five of the defendants.
"The allegations made by Karen Read are entirely false, defamatory and without merit," he told Fox News Digital. "Our clients categorically deny each and every claim. This lawsuit is nothing more than a continuation of a baseless conspiracy narrative that has caused significant harm to the reputations and lives of innocent people."
Read was charged with second-degree murder and related offenses, but, in June 2024, a jury acquitted her of all homicide charges, convicting her only of drunken driving. She has consistently maintained her innocence, alleging that investigators ignored or concealed evidence pointing elsewhere.
According to the lawsuit, O’Keefe was killed inside the Alberts’ home during a late-night altercation after heavy drinking. The complaint refers to several defendants as the "House Defendants," accusing them of using their law enforcement experience to "concoct a plan immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and to frame Karen Read."
"Karen Read did not kill her then-boyfriend, Mr. O'Keefe," the lawsuit reads. "Rather, in the early morning hours of January 29th, Mr. O'Keefe was killed in Defendants Brian and Nicole Albert's home ... in an altercation during a late-night house party with other Defendants (collectively, the "House Defendants") after a night of heavy drinking."
Retired Boston Detective Brian Albert in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, June 27, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Other defendants named in the lawsuit are Michael Proctor, a former Massachusetts State Police detective who was fired after discussing confidential aspects of the case with his friends in a lewd text chain; MSP Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, another investigator on the case; Lt. Brian Tully, another MSP homicide investigator who faced disciplinary repercussions over the Read case; Brian Albert, a former Boston police officer who had a party at the address where O'Keefe was found dead; his wife Nicole; his sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe; her husband Matthew; and ATF Agent Brian Higgins, who was at the party.
Tuxbury represents the Alberts, the McCabes and Higgins, a group Read's supporters have often referred to as the "McAlberts."
"Our clients acted responsibly, fulfilling their civic duty as witnesses, and have participated appropriately in the legal process from the outset," he told Fox News Digital. "Ms. Read’s claims distort the facts, misrepresent the evidence, and target private citizens in an attempt to deflect blame."
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Jennifer McCabe in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, June 28, 2025. McCabe attends retired detective Brian Albert’s daughter’s wedding after Karen Read’s acquittal in the trial for Officer John O’Keefe’s death. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
He vowed to hold Read and an outspoken supporter and local blogger, Aidan Kearney, responsible.
Kearney's attorney, Mark Bederow, said his client would be ready for a fight that could see a number of players in the years-long legal saga testifying under oath.
"Mr. Kearney has made it clear that he welcomes the opportunity to examine these individuals under oath at a deposition and that he would welcome the opportunity to air this out in a public courtroom, with the understanding that truth is a defense to a defamation suit, if one is actually forthcoming," Bederow told Fox News Digital.
Over the course of Read's two criminal trials, many of the defendants in the lawsuit have already taken the witness stand. She has yet to do so.
Read's lawsuit alleges that the "House Defendants" used their law enforcement expertise and "concocted a plan immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and to frame Karen Read."
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor takes the stand during Karen Read's first murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. on June 10, 2024. That case ended in a mistrial. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Citing expert testimony from her criminal trial, which prosecutors sought to discredit, the complaint claims that the "House Defendants" searched Google for the phrase "hos long to die in the cold" rather than call 911, conspiring to make it look as though O’Keefe had been killed by Read’s SUV, then dragged his body out of the home and left him in the snow overnight.
The lawsuit also highlights investigative errors, including the use of red Solo cups to store evidence, mislabeled evidence bags and a failure to check nearby security cameras, missteps that the complaint argues undermined the case against Read.
It further accuses investigators of planting evidence, manipulating surveillance video and destroying cellphones to bolster the false narrative.
According to the complaint, Proctor, Bukhenik and Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz had access to Read’s vehicle after it was seized.
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Massachusetts State Trooper Connor Keefe presents taillight fragments into evidence during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., May 7, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
"One or more of them destroyed the taillight, secretly took pieces of it into their possession, and then planted some of them in various places at 34 Fairview and on Mr. O'Keefe's clothes," the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit goes on to claim that Proctor and other members of the state police "intentionally disregarded the obvious and compelling evidence" that O’Keefe had been killed inside the home.
Read’s legal team says investigators failed to search the interior for blood, ignored signs of injury consistent with an assault and neglected to send a crime scene photographer or criminalist to examine the property.
Karen Read talks with attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during her trial in Norfolk Superior Court May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
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No one other than Read has ever been charged in O’Keefe’s death. The FBI has interviewed several individuals linked to the case, but no new suspects have been named by law enforcement.
Attorneys representing the defendants have not yet filed responses to the lawsuit.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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