DEDHAM, Mass. (NewsNation) — Closing arguments are set to begin Tuesday in the murder trial of a woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV.
It’s been almost two months since Karen Read’s high-profile trial first started. Each side will have one hour for closing arguments Tuesday before jurors begin their deliberations, the judge said.
Closing arguments will begin at 9 a.m. ET.
Karen Read charged with murder
Read, 43, of Mansfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
O’Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, was found unresponsive in a snowbank outside of a Canton, Massachusetts, home in January 2022. He was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
What happened to John O’Keefe?
Prosecutors claim Read hit him with her SUV outside of the home during a snowstorm after a night of drinking. The couple was going to the house to hang out with friends, but witnesses testified that neither made it into the home.
The defense says Read is the innocent victim of a police cover-up, claiming O’Keefe was killed during a fight inside the home and his body was dumped on the front lawn.
Read did not take the stand Monday after three final witnesses testified in the high-profile case that’s created a media storm in part by accusations of police misconduct that have been fueled by true-crime bloggers.
Casting doubt in Read trial
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Dedham, MA – April 29: Karen Read supporters held signs as they stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court where her trial was taking place. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) -
Dedham, MA – April 29: Karen Read supporters reacted to an attorney’s statement as they gathered around a phone plugged into a speaker and listened to opening arguments in her trial as they stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) -
Dedham, MA – April 29: A Karen Read supporter who did not wish to give her name held a sign as she and other supporters stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The three defense witnesses Monday cast doubt on prosecutors’ version of events. They shared opinions and evidence that they say prove O’Keefe’s injuries were not consistent with him being struck by a car.
The defense leaned into the theory that O’Keefe was beaten to death inside a fellow officer’s home and left to die outside. It’s a theory that more than 200 Read supporters outside the courthouse believe.
“Police take an oath and are held to a higher standard than the average citizen. They should follow what their oaths are. You don’t pin a murder on someone that is innocent. And there could be many people that this is happening to now. Everything’s getting exposed at this point,” said Dina Warchal, a Read supporter.
NewsNation affiliate WPRI and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
