Karen Read, who is accused of murdering her police officer boyfriend, claims that her fellow officers are responsible for his death and that they staged a cover-up.
O'Keefe maintains his innocence and says it's 'not possible' he backed over Read, dismissing evidence such as the broken tail light on his SUV.
The woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend in January 2022 in Massachusetts is asserting her innocence and claiming she has been falsely accused.
This week, Karen Read, 44, gave her first media interview, discussing with ABC's "20/20" her belief that the police were involved in a conspiracy to make her responsible for the death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe.
Brian Albert, a retired officer, was killed by a 46-year-old officer who was run over by an SUV while being dropped off at his friend's house after a night of heavy drinking.
Two friends reportedly drove to Albert's house to search for O'Keefe and discovered his body in the early morning of the following day.
""20/20" reported that Read described finding her boyfriend's body the day after. She said it was cold, but she didn't feel dangerously cold. Instead, she felt an odd sense of knowing that she was okay, but her boyfriend was dying and she couldn't warm him up."
The defense claims that O'Keefe was killed in a fight at the party and left outside to make it look like she committed the crime in a widespread conspiracy.
The placement of injuries on the victim's body, specifically to the head and hands, serves as evidence that he was attacked rather than hit by a large vehicle, according to lawyers.
The Lexus SUV of Read had a broken tail light, and red plastic shards consistent with it were found on O'Keefe's body at the scene, serving as a key piece of evidence against her in the case.
The victim's blood alcohol content was above the legal limit, and he received furious voicemails from Read accusing him of infidelity and expressing "hate" for him.
The moment she met with O'Keefe's parents, she was read "20/20" and realized they suspected her of the murder.
"As we pulled into the driveway, I assumed my mother saw my cracked taillight and wondered if I had hit her son."
Did you accidentally hit him with your large SUV, as you admitted? Matt Guttman inquired in an interview.
"No," Read replied. "Not possible."
In July, Read was charged with second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter. The trial ended in a mistrial, and prosecutors have decided to retry her in January.
The trial has sparked significant public interest, with both sides attracting large crowds of protesters.
"According to footage obtained by WCVB, Read thanked a group of supporters following the mistrial, stating, "You're brave. You would have protested the Vietnam War and ended it. This is the modern equivalent, so thank you all.""
Planet Chronicle Digital's Mollie Markowitz contributed to this report.
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