Karen Read claims she is being framed for her Boston cop boyfriend John O'Keefe's murder and he was killed by his friends - as firefighters admit at trial he could have been bashed to death

First responders to a scene where a woman allegedly ran over her policeman boyfriend and left him to die in the snow admit he could have been beaten to death.

Karen Read, 44, is on trial in Norfolk Superior Court, south of Boston, claiming she was framed by police as part of a vast conspiracy to blame her for his death.

The trial started in earnest this week as prosecutors and defense attorneys detailed their views of the case.

John O'Keefe, a 16-year Boston cop, was found dead around 6am on January 29, 2022, outside a house where she dropped him off for an afterparty around 12.45am. 

The financial analyst and former Bentley University professor faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges for allegedly backing over him with her SUV in a snowstorm after an argument.

Her defense instead claims O'Keefe, 46, was beaten up by people at the party and thrown outside where he died on the lawn. 

'Karen Read was framed. Her car never struck John O'Keefe. She did not cause his death and that means somebody else did,' Read's defense attorney David Yannetti said in his opening statement. 

Karen Read, 44, is on trial in Norfolk Superior Court, south of Boston, claiming she was framed by police as part of a vast conspiracy

John O'Keefe, 46, was found dead 6am on January 29, 2022, outside a house where she dropped him off for an afterparty about 12.45am

O'Keefe was found in the snow outside this home in Canton, around 12 miles from Boston, in the early hours of January 29, 2022 

'You will question the Commonwealth's theory of the case. You will question the quality of the Commonwealth's evidence. 

'You will question the veracity of the Commonwealth's witnesses and you will question their shoddy and biased investigation.'

Two cops and two firefighters who were among the first on the scene that fateful morning and they testified on the second day of the trial on Tuesday.

Initially, Timothy Nuttall, a Canton firefighter who treated O'Keefe at the scene, said he couldn't say whether the injuries — including a hematoma or egg over his right eye — came from a fight. 

But when pressed by Read's attorney Alan Jackson, Nuttal acknowledged the injuries were consistent with getting beaten up. 

Read's case, and her claims that she was framed, attracts dozens of protesters to every one of her court appearances

Read supporters gathered around a phone plugged into a speaker to listen to opening arguments in her trial as they stood a short distance down the road from the court

Protesters must stay at least 200ft from the courthouse during the trial

Read's defense says she went home after dropping O'Keefe off and woke up about 4.30am in a panic as he hadn't come home.

She called Jennifer McCabe, a friend of O'Keefe whom they were drinking with at Waterfall Bar the previous night, and they went looking for him.

They returned top the house and found O'Keefe lying on the snow-covered lawn, bleeding from his nose and mouth with swollen eyes, and Read began CPR.

A key part of the prosecution's case is that Read essentially admitted to the crime at the scene by yelling 'I hit him!' over and over, along with 'this is my fault. I did this'.

Prosecutors also alleged Read said 'could I have hit him? Did I hit him?' and 'what if he's dead? What if a plow hit him? I don't remember anything from last night, we drank so much I don't remember anything'.

Read's defense was able to get both cops to acknowledge they never heard Read say she hit O'Keefe.

The defense also used the testimony from the police and firefighters to raise doubts more broadly about the investigation.

They were able to get Canton police officers Steven Saraf Stephen Mullaney to acknowledge they never saw pieces of broken taillight at the scene. 

Read's defense is that O'Keefe was bashed at the party, and possibly attacked by a dog as marks on his arm looked like bites

Video evidence is presented on a display screen in the court

This video shows scene of the alleged crime

Prosecutors allege the fragments were found near O'Keefe's body and are proof that Read backed her SUV into O'Keefe. She says it was broken as she left her home that morning in a panic to look for him.

When police and paramedics arrived, they found Read still trying to revive her boyfriend, her face covered in blood from giving him mouth-to-mouth.

All of the witnesses in their evidence described Read as distraught and screaming and that O'Keefe had no pulse and wasn't breathing.

Officer Saraf and Nuttall were both asked about their claims of Read saying she hit O'Keefe.

Defense attorneys on Tuesday attempted to discredit Saraf and raise doubts about the integrity of the investigation by pointing out mistakes made in the police dispatch log, including the wrong address where O'Keefe's body was found. 

They also pointed out that Saraf never wrote in his police report that Read said, 'This is my fault,' only that she screamed, 'Is he dead?'

In response, Saraf said yes, but when Jackson tried to suggest Saraf's memory of that morning was evolving, Saraf said that the discrepancy between what he initially wrote and what he later testified at the trial was 'an oversight 

The defense team also tried to raise doubts about what Nuttal heard, suggesting he was too focused on saving O'Keefe's life to hear conversations around him. 

Investigators alleged they found a cracked right rear tail light near where O'Keefe was found and scratches on her SUV. 

Protesters stand outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Monday for the first day of the Karen Read murder trial in the death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe.

Protesters gather on High Street, 200 feet away from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Monday

The protests attracted counter-protests of those who think Read is guilty

Prosecutors are also expected to present evidence of injuries suffered by O'Keefe consistent with him being hit by the car and strains in the couple's relationship including a '20 minute screaming match' witnessed by O'Keefe's two adopted children they had while on vacation in Aruba.

The defense has spent months arguing in court that the case was marred by conflicts of interest and accused prosecutors of presenting false and deceptive evidence to the grand jury.

The house at 34 Fairview Road in Canton that O'Keefe's body was found outside was owned by McCabe's brother-in-law Brian Albert, 60, a Gulf War veteran who was on the Boston Police Fugitive Unit until his retirement. 

On Monday, Yannetti argued that close relationships between investigators and those in the house resulted in authorities focusing solely on Reid, whom the defense described as a 'convenient outsider'.

Yannetti also claimed investigators failed to consider the possibility that O’Keefe got into a fight at the party and was left for dead outside. 

While not offering evidence of who was responsible, they laid out of a series of missteps in the investigation — failing to investigate a history of animosity between O’Keefe and the family who owned the home nor searching the home for evidence of a struggle.

They also are expected to provide evidence that Read’s taillight was damaged when she hit O’Keefe’s car hours later at their home — not at the party — and dispute that the couple had a strained relationship. 

They got along well that night and had made plans for several trips in the months ahead.

Karen Read's defense attorney Alan Jackson questions a witness during Read's murder trial

Read sits with her defense team during her murder trial on Tuesday

Defense attorney David Yannetti, representing defendant Karen Read, questions a witness during Read's murder trial Tuesday

The trial began after two years of intrigue, conspiracies, social media circus, and a secretive parallel FBI investigation.

The prosecution has 87 witnesses and the defense has 77. The commonwealth's case is expected to last three to four weeks and the defense's two weeks.

Prosecutors will allege the couple's two-year relationship was breaking down and she rammed her car into O'Keefe after he repeatedly tried to dump her.

Read's black Lexus SUV had a broken taillight when it was seized by Massachusetts State Police investigators, pieces of which allegedly had O'Keefe's DNA on them.

The case, and Read's claims of a wide-ranging conspiracy against her, whipped up intense speculation online that spilled over into the real world.

The court was picketed every day of the trial so far by Read's supporters, including a local true crime blogger who was jailed for allegedly harassing witnesses.

Such is their ferocity that Judge Cannone banned protesters from coming within 200ft of the courthouse or its car park during the trial.

No one can enter the courtroom wearing buttons, photographs, clothing, or insignia relating to the case, or anyone involved.

'Law enforcement officers who are testifying or are members of the audience are also prohibited from wearing their department issued uniforms or any police emblems in the courthouse,' the order read.

Prosecutor Adam Lally questions a witness during Karen Read's murder trial on Tuesday

Timothy Nuttall, from the Canton Fire Department, testifies during Read's murder trial

Anthony Flematti, acting lieutenant in the Canton Fire Dept., testifies during Read's murder trial

O'Keefe was pronounced dead and his autopsy ruled he died of head trauma and hypothermia, with no obvious signs of a fight.

Read was charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death on February 2, 2022.

She pleaded not guilty, and stuck to that when the charge was upgraded to murder on July 10 that year after a grand jury indictment.

Read's defense is that O'Keefe was bashed at the party, and possibly attacked by a dog as marks on his arm looked like bites.

Albert's family has lived in the area for generations and has deep connections to law enforcement both in Canton and Boston, while Read is more of an outsider.

Read's defense is led by Alan Jackson, the high-powered lawyer who secured disgraced actor Kevin Spacey's acquittal of sexual assault charges.

'Certainly the Massachusetts State Police is involved. There are people that were in that house that are involved,' her said during a pretrial hearing. 

'Brian Albert is involved. Jennifer McCabe is involved. The rest of the folks that were in that house, there's some level of involvement by every one of them. Every single one of them. 

'We're not going to rest until we get to the bottom of exactly who's behind this coverup. 

'Not only Karen Read deserves this. John O'Keefe deserves this, and has deserved this from moment one. And that's why they're not going to rest.' 

Read said the same thing on the courthouse steps after a hearing last year, saying 'you all know' who did it and who was covering it up. 

'I tried to save his life. I tried to save his life at six in the morning, I was covered in his blood. I was the only one trying to save his life,' she said.

A key component of the defense is that O'Keefe's injuries, in the view of some experts, are not consistent with being hit by a car.

'The damage on the car was inconsistent with having made contact with John O'Keefe's body. In other words, the car didn't hit him, and he wasn't hit by the car,' Jackson said at a hearing.

Prosecutors alleged the couple's two-year relationship was breaking down and she rammed her car into O'Keefe after he repeatedly tried to dump her

Prosecutors painted Read as a jealous girlfriend who believed O'Keefe was cheating on her - despite her own 'romantic entanglements'

The defense, and Read's army of supporters, argue his injuries were only above the neck and his right arm - which the SUV wouldn't have hit.

He also has injuries to his hands that looked like boxer's fractures, and a two-inch gash at the back of his head despite there being little blood at the scene.

Within months of O'Keefe's death, Albert and his wife ripped up the basement floor of their home and sold it, after living there for many years.

He and others at the party told police O'Keefe never arrived at the party.

The couple also rehomed their German shepherd named Chloe, which the defense said had a history of biting people, not long after that.

McCabe ran a Google search for 'ho(w) long to die in the cold', which the defense claimed was sent at 2.27am but prosecutors insisted was at 6.23am - after the body was found.

The is also considerable disagreement about the broken taillight prosecutors claim is a key indicator of her guilt.

Footage showed Read come very close to O'Keefe's car in their driveway as she raced off to look for him at 5.07am, which the defense was when the taillight was broken - not from her backing into O'Keefe.

The defense also claims other video of the house showed the taillight intact before Read left the driveway.

Prosecutors countered that no taillight fragments were found at the house, but they were at the crime scene - including on O'Keefe's body.

Read's supporters, including retired law enforcement and crime scene investigators, claimed police must have planted the evidence.

Matthew Pervier of Worcester with a sign he made to support Read

Prosecutors painted Read as a jealous girlfriend who believed O'Keefe was cheating on her - despite her own 'romantic entanglements'.

They will introduce angry voicemails and text messages, both from the night he died and earlier, to support the claim.

She allegedly said 'you are a f**king loser, f**k yourself' and 'John, I f**king hate you' about 1am on January 29, 2022.

Prosecutors alleged there was a 'continuing animosity' between the couple after Read accused O'Keefe of cheating on her with a friend's sister during a holiday to Aruba four weeks before his death.

They cited voicemails and texts around the time of his death where Read was still angry and accusing him of cheating.

Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Read had her own 'romantic entanglement'.

'The defendant complains that the Commonwealth attempted to besmirch the defendant in some manner and fabricate problems within her relationship with the victim as a motive for murder by introducing testimony about an incident four weeks prior in Aruba,' they wrote.

'Yet the defendant avoids mention or challenge to the venomous voicemails she left on the victim's cellphone as well as evidence of other issues in their relationship, including the defendant's recent romantic entanglement.'

Judge Beverly Cannone ordered that no one can enter the courtroom wearing buttons, photographs, clothing, or insignia relating to the case, or anyone involved

Prosecutors alleged there was a 'continuing animosity' between the couple after Read accused O'Keefe of cheating on her with a friend's sister

True crime bloggers, podcasters, and TikTok videographers, along with professional and amateur sleuths, are obsessed with the case and largely believe Read.

'That poor son of a b***h was beaten to a pulp, he wasn't hit by a car. This is a bad, bad crime scene and the people trying to pin it on Karen are evil,' one local told the New York Post. 

Melanie Little, a lawyer with 30 years of car accident litigation experience, analyzed the case in more than 50 hours of video on her YouTube channel.

'There is so much reasonable doubt in this case that you could drive a truck through it,' she claimed.

'It was totally mishandled. There's no way Karen hit him with her car. But the crux of it is that [the Albert] family has been in Canton for generations. 

'Most of the witnesses in the case are not only related but are longtime locals. Karen is not.'

The most prominent of them all is Aidan 'Turtleboy' Kearney, who produced more than 300 blog posts and videos about the case.

There would be more, except he was arrested on 16 felony charges of witness intimidation and conspiracy, and was thrown in jail for two months when his bail was revoked over unrelated charges of assault and battery on his girlfriend.

Many of his videos show him harassing witnesses in the case, which he defended to a judge as being protected by his First Amendment rights.

His charges include eight counts of intimidation of a witness, five counts of picketing a witness and three counts of conspiracy to intimidate a witness.

'It's clear that Mr Kearney is encouraging his minions, his followers in the context of his blogs, YouTubes, etc,' prosecutors said at a hearing on his case.

Kearney's 'minions' make up most of the crowds at frequent demonstrations at Read's court appearances and at other times.

The most prominent of Read's online defenders is Aidan 'Turtleboy' Kearney (pictured outside court on Tuesday), who produced more than 300 blog posts and videos about the case

Kearney was arrested on 16 felony charges of witness intimidation and conspiracy, and was thrown in jail for two months when his bail was revoked over unrelated charges of assault and battery on his girlfriend

Kearney walks out of Stoughton District Court after his arraignment on October 11

Some rallies even went paraded through the streets visiting the houses of witnesses, which was allegedly aided by a police dispatcher also facing charges.

So many people are posting about the case that Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey made a five-minute video slamming 'conspiracies'.

'Conspiracy theories are not evidence,' he said. 

'The idea that multiple police departments, EMTs, fire personnel, the medical examiner, and the prosecuting agency are joined in, or taken in by, a vast conspiracy should be seen for what it is - completely contrary to the evidence and a desperate attempt to re-assign guilt.'

Added into the mix is an extraordinary FBI probe into allegations of a police coverup that has morphed into a parallel investigation of O'Keefe's death.

Federal agents released almost no information about the investigation, but are said to have interviewed every witness police spoke with.

One source told the NYP that one of the people at the party admitted to agents that O'Keefe was there - directly contradicting what prosecutors alleged.

This claim remains unverified, but if true would be a catastrophic blow to the case against Read as she couldn't have rammed him with her car.

According to the defense, Massachusetts acting US attorney Josh Levy told all parties he 'could not in good conscience allow this trial to go forward'.

Levy then released 3,000 pages of federal investigation reports to both prosecution and defense, little of which is public.

Kearney is surrounded by supporters outside Norfolk Country Superior Court as he walked out

Kearney sits in court during a Read hearing on February 26

Yet the prosecution continued, despite sources close to the case being unnerved by the FBI probe - something that very rarely happens.

'It's pretty crazy and yet the Norfolk DA is going ahead with the trial and no one's stopping it. To me the [prosecutors] are on a suicide mission,' one told the Post.

The lead state police investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, is since March 13 also under internal investigation for 'a potential violation of department policy'.

Proctor was not stood down and is working as usual, and it is unclear what the potential violation is and whether it relates to the Read case.

'Trooper Proctor remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr John O'Keefe,' his lawyer Michael DiStefano said.

'To the extent that Trooper Proctor's personal text messages are alluded to in court proceedings regarding Ms Read, he respectfully submits that the objective investigative steps he and members of his unit took are in no way undermined by the content of the personal messages.'