Additional Coverage:
- Karen Read files lawsuit claiming she was framed in killing of police officer boyfriend (foxnews.com)
Karen Read Files Explosive Lawsuit, Alleging Frame-Up by Law Enforcement and Relatives in Boyfriend’s Death
Boston, MA – Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman recently acquitted of murder in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, has ignited a new legal firestorm. This week, Read filed a sweeping lawsuit, accusing a cadre of current and former law enforcement officials and their relatives of orchestrating an elaborate conspiracy to frame her and shield “the party or parties responsible” for O’Keefe’s demise.
The complaint, lodged Monday, paints a vivid picture of an alleged cover-up following O’Keefe’s discovery outside a Canton home in January 2022. Read asserts that members of the Massachusetts State Police, the Boston Police Department, and private citizens leveraged their connections to manipulate evidence, mislead investigators, and falsely pin O’Keefe’s death on her.
O’Keefe’s body was found around 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022, on the lawn of Brian and Nicole Albert’s home, following a night of heavy drinking during a blizzard. Read, along with Jennifer McCabe – a suburban soccer mom whom the suit implicitly links to the alleged cover-up – and another woman, discovered him. It’s important to note that neither McCabe nor any other defendants named in the lawsuit have been officially designated as suspects in O’Keefe’s death by law enforcement.
Read was initially charged with second-degree murder and related offenses. However, in June 2024, a jury cleared her of all homicide charges, convicting her solely of drunken driving. Throughout her legal battle, Read steadfastly maintained her innocence, contending that investigators deliberately overlooked or concealed evidence that pointed elsewhere.
According to the lawsuit, O’Keefe’s death occurred inside the Alberts’ home during a late-night altercation after extensive drinking. The complaint labels several defendants as the “House Defendants,” alleging they utilized their law enforcement acumen to “concoct a plan immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and to frame Karen Read.”
“Karen Read did not kill her then-boyfriend, Mr. O’Keefe,” the lawsuit unequivocally states.
“Rather, in the early morning hours of January 29th, Mr. O’Keefe was killed in Defendants Brian and Nicole Albert’s home … in an altercation during a late-night house party with other Defendants (collectively, the ‘House Defendants’) after a night of heavy drinking.”
Among the defendants named are:
- Michael Proctor: A former Massachusetts State Police detective, previously fired for discussing confidential case details in a lewd text chain.
- **Sgt.
Yuri Bukhenik:** Another investigator on the case from the Massachusetts State Police.
- **Lt.
Brian Tully:** An MSP homicide investigator who faced disciplinary action related to the Read case.
- Brian Albert: A former Boston police officer who hosted the party where O’Keefe was found.
- Nicole Albert: Brian Albert’s wife.
- Jennifer McCabe: Nicole Albert’s sister, and her husband, Matthew McCabe.
- ATF Agent Brian Higgins: Also present at the party.
The lawsuit reiterates its claim that the “House Defendants” leveraged their law enforcement expertise to “concoct a plan immediately after the altercation to avoid culpability and to frame Karen Read.”
Drawing on expert testimony from her criminal trial – which prosecutors had sought to discredit – the complaint asserts that the “House Defendants” allegedly searched Google for “how long to die in the cold” instead of contacting 911. This, the lawsuit contends, was part of a broader scheme to make it appear as though O’Keefe was killed by Read’s SUV, his body then dragged from the home and left in the snow overnight.
The lawsuit further scrutinizes the investigation itself, highlighting a series of alleged errors. These include the use of red Solo cups for evidence storage, mislabeled evidence bags, and a failure to review nearby security camera footage – all missteps that the complaint argues deliberately undermined the case against Read.
Moreover, Read’s legal filing accuses investigators of planting evidence, manipulating surveillance video, and destroying cellphones to bolster their “false narrative.” Specifically, the complaint alleges that Proctor, Bukhenik, and Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz had access to Read’s vehicle after it was seized.
“One or more of them destroyed the taillight, secretly took pieces of it into their possession, and then planted some of them in various places at 34 Fairview and on Mr. O’Keefe’s clothes,” the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit asserts that Proctor and other state police members “intentionally disregarded the obvious and compelling evidence” indicating O’Keefe’s death occurred inside the home. Read’s legal team points to investigators’ alleged failure to search the home’s interior for blood, their dismissal of injuries consistent with an assault, and their neglect to dispatch a crime scene photographer or criminalist to the property.
To date, Karen Read remains the only individual ever charged in O’Keefe’s death. While the FBI has reportedly interviewed several individuals connected to the case, no new suspects have been identified by law enforcement.
Attorneys representing the named defendants have yet to file their responses to the newly launched lawsuit.