Karen Read Files Civil Suit Alleging Law-Enforcement Conspiracy in Ex-Officer’s Death

Karen Read, who was acquitted in June 2024 of homicide in the death of Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, has filed a civil lawsuit accusing current and former law-enforcement officials and several private citizens of conspiring to frame her and shield the true perpetrators.

The complaint, filed Monday, names multiple members of the Massachusetts State Police, officers from the Boston Police Department and attendees of a Jan. 29, 2022 gathering at a Canton residence where O’Keefe’s body was found. Read alleges that the defendants used their professional contacts and investigative experience to tamper with evidence, mislead investigators and improperly point suspicion at her.

According to the filing, O’Keefe’s body was discovered about 6 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, on the lawn of a home belonging to Brian and Nicole Albert after a night of heavy drinking during a blizzard. Read and two other women, including Jennifer McCabe, were among those who found him.

"Karen Read did not kill her then-boyfriend, Mr. O’Keefe," the lawsuit 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."

The civil complaint identifies several defendants by name, including former Massachusetts State Police detective Michael Proctor; MSP Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik; Lt. Brian Tully, a homicide investigator who faced discipline related to the probe; former Boston police officer Brian Albert and his wife Nicole; Jennifer McCabe and her husband Matthew; and an ATF agent who attended the gathering.

Read’s attorneys say the complaint documents alleged investigative failures and misconduct that undermined the criminal case against her. Examples cited include evidence stored in red Solo cups, mislabeled evidence bags, a failure to review nearby surveillance cameras, and the alleged destruction or withholding of cellphone data. The suit also alleges evidence was planted and surveillance footage manipulated to support a narrative that Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV and left his body outside in the snow.

The complaint further alleges that certain officers had access to Read’s seized vehicle and that parts of a taillight were later found at the scene and on O’Keefe’s clothing. It accuses some investigators of intentionally disregarding signs that O’Keefe was killed inside the residence and of failing to photograph or properly process the interior for blood, injuries or other forensic evidence.

At Read’s criminal trial, prosecutors sought to link her to O’Keefe’s death. In June 2024, a jury acquitted her of homicide and related charges and convicted her only on a drunken-driving count. Read has continued to assert her innocence and now seeks civil relief while accusing others of manufacturing the case against her.

No one other than Read has been charged in O’Keefe’s death. The FBI has interviewed people connected to the case, but law-enforcement officials have not announced any new suspects. Attorneys for the named defendants have not yet publicly filed responses to the lawsuit.

This lawsuit raises contested factual claims that will be tested in civil court. The complaint sets out specific allegations of wrongdoing and mishandled evidence; those claims remain allegations until proven. Read’s filing seeks to shift accountability and to uncover what her lawyers describe as a coordinated effort to misdirect the investigation.