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‘His killer, or killers, still walk free’: Karen Read files lawsuit alleging coverup in death of John O’Keefe
Read claims witnesses from her criminal case “concocted a plan” to frame her for killing her former boyfriend.
In a blistering lawsuit filed this week, Karen Read sued several witnesses and investigators she alleges “concocted a plan” to frame her for killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.
Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in O’Keefe’s death following her second high-profile murder trial this spring. While prosecutors alleged Read drunkenly backed her SUV into O’Keefe while dropping him off at a house party in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022, jurors ultimately convicted her only of a drunk driving misdemeanor.
“Now, after being acquitted of all charges relating to Mr. O’Keefe’s death, Ms. Read brings this action to recover for and address the actions of those actually involved in Mr. O’Keefe’s death and the law enforcement officers who abjectly failed to ensure that justice was sought and served,” her lawsuit states.
More on Karen Read:
Filed in Bristol County, where Read now lives, the complaint could be consolidated with a separate wrongful death suit O’Keefe’s family filed against Read in Plymouth County. A footnote in the new lawsuit states Read will seek to combine the two cases “for discovery and trial efficiencies.”
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The complaint names several witnesses and investigators from her criminal case, including Brian and Nicole Albert, Jennifer and Matthew McCabe, Brian Higgins, and three Massachusetts State Police officials: Detective Lt. Brian Tully, Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, and former Trooper Michael Proctor.
Adding another layer of complexity to the legal saga, the Alberts, McCabes, and Higgins said Monday they plan to sue Read and Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney for defamation over claims they were involved in O’Keefe’s death. All five witnesses attended the house party at the Alberts’ home in Canton, where O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow hours later.
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Responding to Read’s lawsuit in a statement Tuesday, a lawyer for the Alberts, McCabes, and Higgins disputed her allegations as “entirely false, defamatory, and without merit.”
“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,” attorney Jim Tuxbury said. “Our clients acted responsibly, fulfilling their civic duty as witnesses, and have participated appropriately in the legal process from the outset. Ms. Read’s claims distort the facts, misrepresent the evidence, and target private citizens in an attempt to deflect blame.”
Read has long maintained she was framed in a coverup orchestrated by witnesses and law enforcement officials, a claim she repeated in Monday’s filing.
The complaint alleges O’Keefe was killed “in an altercation during a late-night house party … after a night of heavy drinking.” Rather than help O’Keefe by calling 911, Read claims the house party guests made a now-infamous Google search for “hos long to die in cold” and moved O’Keefe’s body outside to make it appear as though he were struck by a car.
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The complaint further alleges Jennifer McCabe became the “point person” for the house party guests, communicating details about the investigation, mapping out timelines, participating in group chats, and planning private meetings.
“Indeed, these were never the acts of innocent witnesses seeking to help an investigation concerning the death of an alleged friend,” the lawsuit states. “Rather, they were predicate acts of a conspiracy among a group of people with a shared goal of deflecting their criminal exposure onto someone else.”
Read also accused Proctor and his State Police colleagues of disregarding “obvious and compelling” evidence that others were to blame for killing O’Keefe. The complaint cites Proctor’s vulgar texts about Read, which served as a catalyst for State Police firing him earlier this year.
In messages to family, friends, and coworkers, Proctor called Read a “wack job c**t” and “retarded,” commented on her health and appearance, joked about looking for nude photos on her phone, and said he hoped she would kill herself. The ex-trooper also came under fire for his previously undisclosed ties to the Alberts.
Proctor “went so far as to manufacture evidence to ensure that Ms. Read, not his friends and fellow law enforcement officers, was blamed for Mr. O’Keefe’s death,” Read’s lawsuit alleges. The complaint further accuses State Police investigators of planting evidence and breaching standard protocol when interviewing witnesses.
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Read, who suffers from both Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis, said she has suffered physically, emotionally, and financially as a result of her prolonged legal saga. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, as well as attorneys’ fees.
“For more than three years, Karen Read was dragged through a baseless criminal prosecution engineered by individuals who abused their authority, manipulated the investigative process, and trampled her rights,” her civil team said in a statement. “Our complaint lays out, in stark detail, the malicious prosecution, the conspiracy, the civil-rights violations, and the intentional misconduct that these defendants visited upon an innocent woman.”
Her lawyers also took aim at the Alberts, McCabes, and Higgins, adding: “What we will not do is legitimize a threat to file some imaginary ‘defamation’ case. That threat is nothing more than a desperate attempt by these defendants to distract the public from the very real legal jeopardy they now face.”
Read’s claims include civil conspiracy, malicious prosecution, supervisor liability, state civil rights violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy to deprive her of her Fourth Amendment rights.
“The years of uncertainty and unimaginable emotional distress have left lasting scars that will never heal,” the lawsuit states. “At the same time, neither Mr. O’Keefe nor his family has received justice. His killer, or killers, still walk free.”
Read the full statement from Karen Read’s civil team:
Today’s filing speaks for itself. It is a meticulously documented civil action grounded in evidence, law, and the Constitution. For more than three years, Karen Read was dragged through a baseless criminal prosecution engineered by individuals who abused their authority, manipulated the investigative process, and trampled her rights. Our complaint lays out, in stark detail, the malicious prosecution, the conspiracy, the civil-rights violations, and the intentional misconduct that these defendants visited upon an innocent woman.
If these defendants want to answer for that under oath, we welcome it.
What we will not do is legitimize a threat to file some imaginary “defamation” case. That threat is nothing more than a desperate attempt by these defendants to distract the public from the very real legal jeopardy they now face. When people start waving around defamation claims to mask their own legal troubles, it tells you everything you need to know—they don’t want sunlight, they want silence.
Karen Read spent years fighting for her freedom against a corrupted investigation. Now she is fighting for accountability. And unlike the criminal case, this time the defendants don’t get to hide behind badges, back-channel favors, or manufactured narratives. They will have to answer in a court of law for every lie, every omission, every manipulated report, and every constitutional violation they committed.
Karen Read is not backing down. Our team is not backing down.
Accountability is coming—and these defendants can threaten all the phantom lawsuits they want, but the truth doesn’t flinch.
Read Karen Read’s full lawsuit:
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