Karen Read appeared in a Massachusetts court Tuesday for a hearing ahead of her retrial, scheduled for April.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan stated in court Tuesday that the federal investigation into the state’s handling of Read’s case is now closed, according to the Boston Globe. No charges will be brought against police involved in the investigation.
Read is charged with hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her SUV while drunk in January 2022, then leaving him to die in a snowstorm.
Read’s defense claimed she was a victim of a cover-up and that other officers caused O’Keefe’s death.
Brennan said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts recently notified prosecutors of the decision.
“I could inform the court there is no longer any federal investigation of John O’Keefe’s death or any related matters. It is closed. It is over,” the attorney’s office said.
Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty said in a social media post that federal prosecutors have confirmed to her that “ALL ASPECTS of the federal investigation, initiated by [Foley’s] predecessor and related to the death of John O’Keefe, have been completed. The investigation is no longer active and will be closed.”
Federal authorities have not publicly commented on the investigation, and attorneys were prohibited from discussing it during Read’s first trial.
Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, Judge Cannone addressed alleged financial arrangement involving Read’s lawyers and two expert witnesses who testified in the first trial.
Jurors had been told that the witnesses from the crash reconstruction firm ARCCA were working independently of either side, but recently obtained emails reveal ed that Read’s lawyers discussed an “engagement letter” and a possible retainer with the analysts before the trial.
Prior calling an unexpected recess last month, special Brennan revealed that Read’s defense team consulted accident reconstruction experts from ARCCA Inc., hired by the FBI, about their testimony in her first trial.
Read’s lawyers said the analysts later claimed federal prosecutors instructed them to stop communicating with the defense team, as they were hired by the FBI for the investigation.
The defense described a $23,000 bill received from ARCCA after the trial as unexpected.
On Tuesday, Judge Cannone asked Read’s attorney, Robert Alessi, if he could confirm that there had been no communications with ARCCA about a payment between the “pause email” in March 2024 and the post-trial bill.
“I do not know that as a fact,” he reportedly replied.
ARCCA experts stated that O’Keefe’s injuries did not align with being hit by a vehicle, as prosecutors claimed. Jurors were told the analysts operated independently, which gave greater credibility to their opinions that favored Read’s defense.
Check back for updates.
