Karen Read case to be subject of new Netflix documentary series
CANTON - Netflix is making a documentary about the Karen Read case and the death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe.
The streaming service announced the new three-part documentary series on Friday. A release date has not been announced, but Netflix indicated there will be more updates on the series "in the coming months."
Karen Read case ended in mistrial
The announcement comes just a few weeks after Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial in the case because the "deeply divided" jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The prosecution intends to retry the case, but Read's attorneys are trying to get charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of personal injury and death dismissed because they claim jurors have come forward to say there was unanimous agreement that she was not guilty on those two counts.
Read was accused of hitting and killing O'Keefe, her boyfriend at the time, with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm outside a Canton home in January 2022 after a night of heavy drinking. Read's defense argued that she was framed through a cover-up involving law enforcement and several other people.
Netflix said the "as-yet-untitled documentary series will explore what happened in the days leading up to O'Keefe's death."
"Hugely sensitive case"
Thousands have followed the high-profile case obsessively, with crowds of Read supporters showing up outside Norfolk District Court in Dedham every day for the weeks-long trial.
Sandpaper Films is producing the documentary, which will be directed by Danielle Johnson and Rob Miller. The pair said they feel "immensely privileged to be bringing this important series to a Netflix global audience."
"It is a case that has garnered a huge amount of public attention and has far-reaching implications," Johnson and Miller said in a statement from Netflix. "We are also mindful that this is a hugely sensitive case and we are determined to treat all those involved with the respect and consideration they deserve."