'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
John O'Keefe, a 46-year-old veteran police officer, was murdered outside the house of his fellow officer from the Boston Police Force in 2022. Despite some pieces of evidence and little idea about what happened that night, no one has been punished for this rather recent murder.
This case is the subject of the upcoming episode of Dateline season 33, which is set to premiere on October 18, 2024, Friday, at 9 pm EST. The episode will cover the circumstances around the murder of John O'Keefe, for which Karen Read, his girlfriend, remains the only suspect.
As mentioned earlier, this case is still shrouded in mystery, with little clarity over what happened to the police officer. Ahead of the episode, let us go over five key details that may eventually decide the fate of the case and Karen Read, the prime accused in the murder.
Trending
5 major details that are crucial to John O'Keefe's murder
1) John O'Keefe died after a night of intense partying, which leaves a lot of questions
On the night that John died, he, Karen Read, and a few of his friends from the Boston Police Force went drinking. After bar hopping and getting considerably intoxicated, the group decided to crash at Brian Albert's home. However, despite being with the group, Karen Read decided to go back home.
At around 4 am, she came searching for John after she realized he hadn't returned home.
2) There was a huge snowstorm on the night of John's murder, which could have also contributed to the death
After Karen came back home following an argument with John, there was a snowstorm on the fateful night. It was later determined that John died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia. The snowstorm, hence, could be one of the reasons the veteran police officer died after he was hit by someone or something.
3) Authorities alleged that Karen Read had hit John O'Keefe with her car before leaving him to die in the snow
Though Karen seemed distraught at the death of her boyfriend she admitted to being extremely intoxicated on the night and she even had a broken taillight. To add to this, glass shards were found around John's dead body. This seemed to indicate that Karen had, intentionally or unintentionally, hit John while backing the car, leading to his death.
With this evidence, the police later arrested Karen and charged her with the murder.
4) The couple had some hidden tension in their relationship
While it may not have been apparent to everyone, the couple reportedly had some tension in their relationship, which had continued for some time. Close friends and family members revealed that they had a huge altercation during a trip to Aruba months before the incident.
5) Karen's defense team claimed that John O'Keefe was murdered at Brian Albert's house and Karen was used as a scapegoat
Karen's defense team alleged that John was killed during an altercation at his fellow police officer's house and to cover this up, the police had planted evidence against Karen Read. The defense also pointed out that the injuries on John’s body were consistent with dog bite marks. Albert owned a German Shepherd.
With all this conflicting evidence, Karen Read's trial ended on a hung jury. She is currently waiting for a second trial, which is scheduled for January 2025.
The upcoming episode of Dateline on NBC will cover this case in more detail.
