A Stoughton man is facing criminal charges after authorities say he scattered rubber ducks around Canton in a show of support for Karen Read.
A barrage of rubber ducks branded with messages protesting the
case has prompted authorities to pursue witness intimidation charges in a bizarre episode some of Read’s supporters have dubbed “Duckgate.”
For months, the toy ducks have been popping up around Canton, where prosecutors say Read drunkenly and intentionally backed her SUV into her boyfriend — Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe — and left him to die on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s lawyers allege she was framed in a vast law enforcement conspiracy, and they’ve sought to implicate the Alberts, a local family who owned the Fairview Road home where O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow.
Read’s first trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial July 1. A retrial is set to begin in January.
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The case has drawn national attention, with “Free Karen Read” supporters gathering outside the courthouse during her trial and promoting the defense team’s coverup theory. Some of the scrutiny has focused on homeowner Brian Albert’s nephew Colin, who was present at 34 Fairview Road the night O’Keefe was killed but purportedly left the home before Read and O’Keefe arrived. Colin Albert also testified there was no animosity between him and O’Keefe, his former neighbor.