Girlfriend of deceased Boston police officer out on bail, details of incident revealed

The girlfriend of a Boston police officer has been released on bail after being charged in his death.

Massachusetts State Police homicide detectives attached to Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey’s office Tuesday arrested Karen A. Read, 41, of Mansfield, on a manslaughter warrant in the Saturday death of John O’Keefe, a Boston Police officer from Canton who was found unresponsive outside a Canton residence early Saturday morning.

Read pleaded not guilty today at her arraignment where she was released on $50,000 bail.

According to court proceedings, Read, who is formerly of Taunton and Dighton, and O’Keefe went to two establishments in Canton on Friday night. They were then invited to a party at a home known to them on Fairview Road. Read stated that she dropped off O’Keefe at the home just after midnight and went home due to feeling ill.

After returning home and not being able to reach O’Keefe, Read returned to the scene at approximately 6:00 a.m. with two friends to find him lying face up with his face swollen and blood coming out of his nose and mouth. Read attempted CPR on O’Keefe.

There reportedly is video of the incident from a Ring cam that has yet to be released.

O’Keefe was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. An autopsy done revealed O’Keefe had six bloody lacerations on his right arm, multiple skull fractures, and a severe head laceration. Both eyes were swollen shut and the clothes he was wearing contained blood and vomit. It was also revealed that hypothermia played a cause in his death, according to the medical examiner.

In court it was stated that Read called one of her friends around 5 a.m. saying “John is dead, I wonder if he is dead. It’s snowing, he got hit by a plow.” A Canton paramedic reportedly told authorities that Read repeatedly stated “I hit him.”

Read’s lawyer attempted to argue for lesser bail due to her ties to the community, her having no record, and Read having several health issues including a brain tumor.

Read is due to return to the Stoughton District Court at 11 a.m. on March 1, 2022, for a probable cause hearing.