Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Karen Read’s SUV is going up for auction this month
The 2021 Lexus LX 570 will be auctioned off just over four years after John O’Keefe was found unresponsive on a snowy lawn in Canton.
The SUV Karen Read drove the night her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, died will officially go up for auction later this month, offering bidders the chance to own a piece of the sensational murder case.
The 2021 Lexus LX 570 will be auctioned off at 11 a.m. Jan. 30, just over four years after O’Keefe was found unresponsive on a snowy lawn in Canton. According to JJManning Auctioneers, bidding will be held live — in other words, no online or remote bids — and bidders must show valid ID and proof of $20,000 in bank funds to register and take part.
Advertisement:
The SUV only has about 12,000 miles on it, having sat for years in police custody while Read’s case wound its way through the courts.
More on Karen Read:
Prosecutors alleged Read, 45, was drunk behind the wheel of her Lexus after a night of bar-hopping and backed into O’Keefe while dropping him off at an afterparty in Canton early on Jan. 29, 2022. A jury ultimately acquitted Read of murder and manslaughter charges, convicting her only of a drunk driving misdemeanor.
After sitting stagnant for so long, however, the SUV was reportedly in need of extensive repairs. JB Auto Care mechanic Bill Brusard told the Boston Herald the car’s battery was dead, the dashboard was in pieces, and the vehicle had a rodent infestation.
Advertisement:
The SUV was also missing its damaged right taillight, which became a key piece of evidence in Read’s case as prosecutors argued that she shattered the light backing into O’Keefe.
“So we got it detailed, cleaned, removed the rat’s nest out of there — a mouse nest, whatever it was — put a new battery in it, changed the oil, put the taillight in it, and everything came out great,” Brusard told the Herald.
WCVB reported that Brusard purchased the SUV and plans to donate auction proceeds to Read, who still faces a wrongful death lawsuit from O’Keefe’s family and a federal case of her own against investigators and witnesses she claims conspired to frame her.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Lexus LX SUV in similar condition could fetch around $73,000. However, JJManning President Justin Manning told WCVB the SUV’s history could double or even triple its face value.
“I think that the interest level is going to be absolutely through the roof,” Manning told the news outlet. “Add the intrinsic value … I mean, the sky’s the limit beyond that.”
How much do you think Karen Read's SUV will go for?
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com