Will John O'Keefe Ever Get Justice? Legal Experts Weigh in on Troubling Karen Read Verdict

In a shocking turn of events, Karen Read has been acquitted in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe.

Legal experts now fear that "true justice" may remain elusive for O'Keefe and his family.

Criminal defense attorney Mark Bederow discussed the case with In Touch Investigates' Kristin Thorne, revealing alarming shortcomings in the investigation. "I think there are so many inherent flaws with the case," he stated.

"Rare is the case where you would ever say that one police department screwed up so badly and was so poor at evidence collection and investigation. You have the Canton police and the Massachusetts State Police, who both did a dreadful job. They didn't secure the crime scene."

O'Keefe, 46, tragically died after being discovered unconscious on the lawn of a retired police officer's home on January 29, 2022.

Read, 45, found O'Keefe and allegedly struck him with her vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, leading to her arrest just days later, on February 1, 2022. She faced serious charges, including second-degree murder.

Read's defense team claimed throughout the trials that the evidence against her was compromised, arguing that the crime scene was staged and that crucial surveillance footage was destroyed.

Ultimately, Read was acquitted of murder charges but found guilty of operating under the influence, resulting in a one-year probation sentence.

Discussing the investigation, Bederow emphasized that competent scene securing could have profoundly impacted the case.

"If any tail light pieces had been recovered at the scene, if they had secured the crime scene, obviously, there'd be no opportunity to do that," he explained. "But by abandoning the crime scene, by not photographing the condition of the vehicle when they found it, by not investigating witnesses properly. I mean, you could go on and on; solo cups, leaf blowers, Stop and Shop bags. I mean, it's just awful, awful police work in this case."

Bederow expressed serious concerns about the actual circumstances leading to O'Keefe's death, noting the forensic evidence collected.

O'Keefe's autopsy revealed that he suffered from "impact injuries to the head," including a laceration, skull fractures, and bruises.

"The neurologist was very clear that the eye injury, the lacerations, would not have been caused by John O'Keefe smashing his head backwards," Bederow stated. "But if that's what happened to him and he was found on his back, how did he get some of these injuries to his face, if they weren't from the impact of the vehicle?"

Following the verdict, O'Keefe's friends, who were present the night he died and testified during the trial, issued a statement that called the outcome a "miscarriage of justice."

"While we may have more to say in the future, today, we mourn with John's family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team and some in the media," the statement read.

Bederow remains pessimistic about achieving true justice for O'Keefe, citing significant flaws in the initial investigation.

"I mean, they put no serious investigative or intellectual curiosity into anything other than, 'She probably ran him over,'" Bederow concluded. "I think, short of a miracle of somebody coming forward and revealing things that are corroborated by other evidence, it'll probably never get solved."