STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with her car and leaving him in the snow outside a home in Canton was arraigned Wednesday on charges in connection with his death.
Karen A. Read, 41, of Mansfield, pleaded not guilty in Stoughton District Court to charges of manslaughter, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death, and motor vehicle homicide in the death of 46-year-old Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
Read allegedly drove to a home on Fairview Road in Canton with O’Keefe just before midnight Friday following a night of drinking, according to prosecutors.
O’Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the force, got out of the vehicle, and while making a three-point turn, Read struck him, then drove away, prosecutors alleged.
Read became frantic hours later when she could not contact O’Keefe so she went back to the home, where she and two friends found O’Keefe unresponsive in a snowbank around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, prosecutors said.
O’Keefe was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead several hours later. Prosecutors noted that O’Keefe had cuts to his arms, swollen eyes, a skull fracture, and hypothermia had also set in.
The following day Read noticed a broken tail light on her SUV but she was unable to recall if she had struck O’Keefe, according to prosecutors.
Police say officers found a broken cocktail glass and blood in the area where O’Keefe was found. Read also allegedly told officers that they had been out drinking at a bar with another couple.
“They discovered a broken cocktail-style glass and multiple patches of a red substance that appeared to be blood in the vicinity,” a prosecutor told the court. “They secured the glass and six blood samples.”
The Boston Police Department released a statement following Read’s arrest that read, “The Boston Police Department continues to grieve over the tragic loss of our brother Police Officer John O’Keefe. John was a kind person, dedicated to his family, and will be greatly missed by his coworkers and anyone who had the privilege of meeting him. Today, the Massachusetts State Police and the Norfolk County District Attorney‘s Office arrested the person responsible for John’s death.”
In a statement, O’Keefe’s family remembered him as a dedicated police officer and a family man who would go out of his way to help those in need.
“We were so fortunate to have him as a part of our lives. When John’s sister passed away, and then her husband did as well a short time later, John welcomed the opportunity to raise his beloved niece and nephew and build a home and a life around their needs,” O’Keefe’s family said.
Outside the courthouse, Read’s attorney said his client is distraught.
“My client has no criminal intent. She loved this man. She is devastated. She is innocent, and that will come out at trial,” David Yannetti said
Read has since been released on $50,000 bail. A judge ordered her to stay away from the O’Keefe’s family and to refrain from driving until her case is resolved.
She is due back in court in on March 1.
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