I am incredibly late to this case and just learned of it yesterday. So I have read a few of the articles but can anyone give me a run down because I think I have myself confused.
There are so many players - half of them cops, state cops, Canton cops, Boston cops - that it's very hard to cover everything. And lots of twists and turns. But I'll try for anyone new to the case. Mind you, this is a primer. A deep dive is really needed before I'd recommend making up one's own mind.
John O'Keefe was a Boston cop who lived in Canton. Apparently a very good guy who'd worked in the kids' SA unit for years. He was the guardian to his minor niece and nephew as both of their parents had died when they were young. Karen Read was his on again, off again girlfriend who mostly lived with him and the kids. It was a verbally volatile relationship that may have been on the verge of ending. She had her own large home in Mansfield and was a Bentley College professor.
In January of 2022 Karen and John did some bar hoping in Canton. Karen was driving. In video from one of the bars they can be seen hugging each other. The prosecution contends she had nine vodka and sodas that night. I don't know, but she was probably drunk by the end of the night, possibly very drunk. Snow was just beginning to fall when they left. The storm was a big one, but did not begin in earnest until just about daybreak.
As the last bar was closing, they were invited to continue the party at the house of another Boston cop who lived in Canton, Brian Albert. Albert is also a trained MMA fighter and appeared on a cops-type cable TV series. Brian and O'Keefe did not not know each other well, if at all. The house was less than 2 miles from the bar. Karen got a bit lost on the way so they arrived a little late than the other bar hoppers.
There were quite a few people already at the house; some were younger folks celebrating the birthday of one of Brian Albert's sons. Some of the known adults at the party included Brian Albert and his wife Nicole. Nicole's sister Jennifer McCabe and her husband Matt, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Brian Higgins. Some claim Brian Albert's 17 year old nephew Colin Albert was also there. Colin had been a neighbor of John O'Keefe's and there are allegations Colin was a punk kid who was on bad terms with John. (I think Karen Read may have been the source for this tidbit, however). John was friendly with Jennifer McCabe through their daughters.
The Albert house is a fairly large 4 or 5 bedroom 1970's colonial with a finished basement.
Also at the home was Chloe the German Shepherd who apparently did not play nicely with humans or other dogs.
Karen has a couple of different stories about why she didn't go into the house when they arrived. At one point she says she didn't feel well and wanted to go home, but stayed for a few minutes to make sure John was staying. In another she says she didn't hear the invitation and wanted to make she was welcome as well. She says John went inside and she waited for his text or call, but none came. So she left, driving about 2.5 miles to John's home where she says she fell asleep on the couch.
According to the state, she left many nasty voice mails and texts after leaving the Albert's house, including at least one "I hate you!"
Read says she woke up around 5 and was very worried that John was not home. She had John's daughter contact Jennifer McCabe to ask if he left the Albert's. She also got in her car to try to retrace her steps and in the process of backing out of John's garage, she bumped into his car parked in the driveway. There is ring video that shows the rear passenger side of her Lexus SUV bump into John's SUV as she does.
She hooks up with Jennifer McCabe and one of her friends and the head over to the Albert house. As they approach the house, Read spots John lying on the lawn, about 12 feet away from the curb. He's on his back with under about 2 inches of snow. Hysterical, she tries to give him CPR, but he's dead or very close to it. When his body is warmed up and he is pronounced dead at a local hospital, the state police take over the investigation from the Canton PD.
I'll stop the narrative here because things stop becoming linear.
On the surface, this appears to be pretty straightforward. Drunken, angry, almost ex-girlfriend runs down boyfriend and leaves scene. But this is just the beginning.
*No one leaving the party that night after Karen drove off saw John lying on the lawn. Snow wasn't sticking quite yet, so one would think many could/should have seen him. No one heard a gunning car or a 220 pound body being hit and sent 12 feet. Sideways. The house is not set very far back from the road.
*An eyewitness who was picking up his sister saw Karen sitting alone in the car on the side of the road. She even moved up to to allow him to park closer to the house.
*A town plow driver who was prepping the roads for the storm drove by twice that morning. At about 2:30 and 3. He says he saw nothing at 2:30 and is adamant given the height of the truck and his lights, he would have seen a body at that location. At 3 am he said he saw a light colored SUV parked directly in front of where O'Keefe's body would have been. It should be noted the police did not attempt to speak to this town employee until more than 18 months later.
*The police have claimed that Karen's right rear taillight was damaged when she backed into John. The exact part of her SUV that made contact with John's vehicle at 5 am the next morning with video to prove it. While the Canton cops who were first on the scene noted no red taillight pieces, later on and over the course of the next several days taillight pieces were found at the scene. It should be noted that a state trooper named Proctor had possession of Karen's vehicle which had been towed from her parents house about 45 minutes away that afternoon. Proctor mis-stated the times he collected and dropped off the vehicle at the Canton PD. It's been alleged that Proctor and/or his family are quite close to the Alberts.
Many believe Trooper Proctor planted taillight pieces at the scene to either make his snowy investigation easier, or because he wanted to help out his friends. He wouldn't have known about the video of Karen hitting John's car at that time. Seeing a cracked taillight, did he think this was proof Read was guilty so he "borrowed" it to be left on the lawn.
*Despite the major commotion going on practically under their bedroom window, the owners of the home, the Alberts, never came out of the house that morning to find out what was going on.
*The state police never once entered the Albert home. Instead they interviewed everyone at Matt and Jennifer McCabe's house. (don't know about anyone else, but if there was a body of dead cop was found on my lawn, I'd expect a knock on my door. Or a battering ram if I didn't answer quick enough.)
*John's Apple Health data app shows him walking up and down stairs after Karen dropped him off.
*Much controversy with this one, but Jennifer McCabe allegedly Googled "Hos long to die in cold" at 2:30 am. The state alleges this isn't true and that she only googled that after they found John's body and at Karen's request.
*John's primary injury was a small but deep laceration at the back of his head. The state has not explained what caused it. He also had lacerations up and down his right arm that are inconsistent with being in a pedestrian incident. Some say they look just like shallow dog bites (John had no coat on but was wearing a heavy sweatshirt).
*Chloe the dog was rehomed after the incident. The Albert house went on the market in November of that year, after they replaced the carpet in the basement.
I'll stop here even though there are more points to be made, possibly on both sides. But this should help someone get started.
www.nbcboston.com
