As the murder trial against Karen Read began, ahead of jury selection, Judge Beverly Cannone read a summary of the case for potential jurors — and addressed the massive public interest in the case that’s prompted protests outside.
On Monday, the murder trial over the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe in Canton, Massachusetts, opens.
A lot has happened in the more than two years since O'Keefe's body was found in the snow. His girlfriend, Karen Read, was arrested, charged first with manslaughter and later second-degree murder. She has claimed she is the victim of a massive cover-up, with her lawyers raising questions about the actions of witnesses and investigators. The controversial case became national news and has divided the town of Canton.
Here's a look at what happened immediately before and after O'Keefe's death, as well as how the investigation into Read unfolded, pulled from court filings and NBC10 Boston's reporting.
Jan. 28, 2022: A gathering in Canton precedes John O'Keefe's death
Evening: A group of people including Read; O'Keefe; fellow Boston Police Officer Brian Albert; his sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe; and others is out drinking at C.F. McCarthy's bar in Canton on a Friday night. New England is experiencing a major winter storm with heavy snowfall and blizzard-like conditions.
11 p.m.: Around this time, the group heads across the street to Waterfall Bar & Grille, staying for about an hour, according to prosecutors.
Jan. 29, 2022: John O'Keefe dies
12 a.m.: Members of the group leave the bar and go to Albert's home on Fairview Road. Read and O'Keefe leave in Read's black Lexus SUV.
12:15-12:45 a.m.: Multiple witnesses recall a dark SUV pulling up to the home around 12:15. McCabe says she sees the vehicle pull up around 12:30 a.m. and sit there for about 15 minutes, but that no one comes inside and the vehicle leaves around 12:45. According to the defense, she has been texting with O'Keefe, and the last four texts, sent between 12:31 and 12:45 a.m., go unanswered.
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1.30 a.m.: When McCabe and other witnesses leave the Albert home, they say the SUV is gone, and none report seeing O'Keefe.
2:27 a.m.: The defense alleges that records show McCabe's phone searched "Hos long to die in cold." (The spelling is "Hos" in the search.) This would have been more than three hours before O'Keefe was found in the snow. Prosecutors have disputed this timeline, saying McCabe searched the phrase after he was found.
4:53 a.m.: Read and O'Keefe's 14-year-old niece each contact McCabe, saying O'Keefe did not return home and they were unable to reach him by phone, according to a police report.
5 a.m.: Kerry Roberts picks up McCabe and Read to look for O'Keefe.
6 a.m.: The group finds O'Keefe unresponsive in the snow outside Albert's house.
In the ensuing search of the scene, Canton officers recover a broken drinking glass, consistent with one O'Keefe had been seen holding, and drops of blood, according to the police report.
7:59 a.m.: O'Keefe is pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital.
6 p.m.: Massachusetts State Police recover three pieces of plastic consistent with Read's taillight.
Investigation and prosecution of Karen Read
Feb. 1, 2022: Read is arrested on charges of manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly crash. Her attorney calls the charges "a tremendous reach" in court the following day.
June 9, 2022: The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office announces that a grand jury has indicted Read on a second-degree murder charge. In court the next day, her attorney alludes to several notions that would become central to her defense, including claims that O'Keefe's injuries were not consistent with a vehicle crash and that the lead state police investigator, later identified as Michael Proctor, had a conflict of interest. Prosecutors request $500,000 bail, the judge sets it at $100,000 and Read posts it.
Sept. 22, 2022: Read's defense goes further, alleging in court that evidence shows O'Keefe was severely beaten and that Albert has ties to the Canton Police Department and Massachusetts State Police, which her attorneys say colluded in a large-scale cover-up. (Authorities have long denied a cover-up.)
April 12, 2023: Read's attorneys publicly release court documents they say contain "bombshell exculpatory information," including the allegation that McCabe searched "ho[w] long to die in cold" hours before O'Keefe was found, as well as photos of Proctor with members of the Albert family.
May 3, 2023: Prosecutors dispute the defense's arguments in court, calling elements of it a "fishing expedition" and questioning why no one inside the home testified that O'Keefe went inside.
May 24, 2023: Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone denies Read's request to subpoena McCabe. Read speaks publicly outside of court for the first time since being charged.
July 31, 2023: Cannone denies the prosecution's request for a gag order against Read and her attorneys but says some statements from the defense have "at times arguably crossed the line of permissibility" and calls for the defense to ensure that "their statements are limited in conformity with the rules."
Aug. 25, 2023: Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey takes the unusual step of issuing a video statement outside of court. He condemns "the harassment of witnesses" as "baseless" and disputes several of the defense's claims. "Conspiracy theories are not evidence," he says in the video.
Oct. 11, 2023: Aidan Kearney — the blogger better known as "Turtleboy," who had posted, at this point, over 100 articles about the story, sold "Free Karen Read" merchandise with the "Turtleboy" logo, and raised money for Read's legal defense fund — is arrested on charges of witness intimidation and conspiracy. Kearney has proclaimed his innocence on these charges and others later brought against him.
Nov. 20, 2023: Residents of the divided community vote 903-800 to audit the Canton Police Department over the case.
Dec. 20, 2023: Kearney is indicted on 16 new charges, including eight counts of witness intimidation, three counts of conspiracy to intimidate witnesses and five counts of picketing a witness.
Dec. 26, 2023: Kearney returns to court to face new charges of assault and battery and witness intimidation, stemming from allegations that he pushed a woman he was dating. His bail is revoked and he is sent to jail.
Jan. 31, 2024: A state police affidavit reveals Read allegedly fed confidential information to Kearney in 189 phone calls lasting over 40 hours, as well as by other means. Kearney's attorney says in a statement, "The only crime here is the robbery of privacy." On his website, Kearney writes, "Turtleboy does not reveal sources. However, there is nothing wrong or criminal about seeking out people close to Karen Read in order to write a story about her."
Feb. 9, 2024: Defense and prosecutors file a joint motion seeking to push back the start of the trial from March 12 as both sides await information expected from federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts who have been looking into how the case was investigated.
Feb. 15, 2024: Cannone declines the joint motion, keeping the trial schedule set.
Feb. 22, 2024: Prosecutors unveil long-awaited results of crime scene evidence tests, alleging that O'Keefe's DNA was recovered from the broken taillight of Read's vehicle. New court documents also outline the commonwealth's claims of a strained relationship between Read and O'Keefe in the weeks leading up to his death.
Feb. 23, 2024: Kearney is released from jail but faces new charges for allegedly harassing a witness and intercepting wire or oral communication. Prosecutors say he threatened the woman whose allegations prompted the assault and battery case against him, "saying that, if she didn't cooperate, he would destroy her in front of her kids by publishing old probate court records that he had acquired."
Feb. 26, 2024: Cannone delays the start of the trial from March 12 to April 16 after federal prosecutors release over 3,000 pages of new evidence. In court, Read's attorneys say the new evidence is exculpatory, while prosecutors say at least 90% of it is consistent with prior testimony.
March 12, 2024: In court, Read's attorneys argue their motions to dismiss the charges against her and disqualify Morrissey from prosecuting her.
March 13-14, 2024: Massachusetts State Police confirm Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case against Read, is the subject of "an internal investigation into a potential violation of department policy." Sources later confirm to NBC10 Boston the investigation is in connection to the Read case.
March 26-28 2024: Cannone rules against Read's motion to dismiss the indictments against her. Two days later, she denies the motion to disqualify the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office from the case.
April 4, 2024: Cannone agrees to establish a 200-foot buffer zone to keep protests away from the courthouse. Prosecutors sought a 500-foot buffer zone, while protesters argued the move would violate their First Amendment rights and appealed, though the appeals process eventually upholds the 200-foot buffer.
April 10, 2024: Over 100 pages of documents are unsealed following a request from The Boston Globe, shedding light on Read's attorneys' argument that prosecutors "deceived" the grand jury that indicted her.
April 16, 2024: Jury selection begins at the onset of Read's trial, which Cannone says is expected to last between six and eight weeks.
April 25, 2024: The final pre-trial hearing is held in the case, which officials confirm will be tried in a smaller room at Norfolk Superior Court starting the following Monday, April 29.
