Federal investigation into death of John O'Keefe in Massachusetts is over, no charges being filed source says
A person briefed on the situation tells WBZ it is expected to be announced at Karen Read's February 25 hearing that a federal investigation into the death of John O'Keefe - and by association, Karen Read's case - has ended and that no charges will be filed.
Read is accused of hitting and killing O'Keefe, a former Boston police officer, with her SUV in Canton in 2022.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, which oversees Department of Justice investigations and prosecutions in Massachusetts, has never confirmed nor denied the presence of a federal investigation. Most recently, new U.S. Attorney Leah Foley told WBZ's Kristina Rex on February 5 that she could neither confirm nor deny an investigation.
Still, the existence of a federal investigation is public knowledge. Both the Commonwealth and Karen Read's defense attorneys have referenced the investigation, and experts hired by the federal government even testified at Read's first trial.
Multiple witnesses questioned
Multiple witnesses in the case testified in state court that they had been questioned as a part of a federal grand jury convened in the spring and summer of 2023. No federal charge had stemmed from that grand jury.
It's unclear exactly what or who was under federal investigation, a fact that created much speculation around the mysterious investigation on all sides.
Karen Read's February 25 hearing is a hearing in which defense attorneys will respond to allegations from prosecutors that they made misrepresentations to the court about coordinating testimony with federal experts despite a protective order that prohibited them from doing so.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
Who is Karen Read and what is she charged with?
Karen Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, with her SUV during a snowstorm in Canton in January 2022.
She says she is the victim of a cover-up by law enforcement and others and has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
Read's first trial ended last summer in a mistrial with a "starkly divided" hung jury. Read's second criminal trial is scheduled to start on April 1, 2025 in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.
Impact of federal investigation
Many of Karen Read's supporters had hoped the federal investigation would exonerate her.
WBZ Legal Analyst Katherine Loftus said she is not surprised there will be no charges filed.
"It's so rare for a federal grand jury to be convened to investigate, basically a state court homicide case," said Loftus. "And what we have had, because of the documents produced from the grand jury, much of that information was used for impeachment evidence in the trial so it really has affected the underlying state court trial."
So, what does it mean that no federal charges will come from the investigation?
"When no indictments come out from the grand jury, there's no charges against anybody, basically what happens is it just dies a slow quiet death, and nothing comes out," Loftus said.
