Karen Redd is facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the brother of her late husband, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.
Paul O'Keefe filed a lawsuit on behalf of his family, accusing Read of drunkenly running over John in her SUV and leaving him to die outside during a snowstorm in January 2022. The lawsuit also named as co-defendants the two bars in Canton, Massachusetts where Read and John drank before John's death, the Waterfall Bar & Grille and CF McCarthy's. both institutions are accused of “negligent service[ing] alcohol in an intoxicated person, specifically [Read].”
The civil suit comes nearly two months after Read's first criminal trial — a 10-week ordeal that went viral among true-crime fanatics on TikTok — ended in a mistrial and a “deeply divided” hung jury. Read was charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury and death after John's body was discovered. She has pleaded not guilty and has repeatedly denied killing John. Her retrial is tentatively scheduled for early 2025.
The new civil suit echoes many of the allegations prosecutors made against Read in the criminal case. It notes that Read had nine drinks at the two bars during the night of Jan. 28, 2022, and claims she was “under the influence of alcohol and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle” when she took O'Keefe to a friend's house in an afterparty shortly after midnight on January 29th.
During the night, the suit alleges, Read and O'Keefe “were in an argument.” According to the lawsuit, the couple's “relationship had already deteriorated” and Read allegedly “picked fights, experienced jealousy and had delusions of infidelity.” By that night, the lawsuit alleges, “Read knew that her relationship with [O’Keefe] he had run his course.”
After O'Keefe got out of Read's car at the afterparty, the suit alleges, “Read drove her SUV” and hit him. He then allegedly “left the scene and returned [O’Keefe’s] residence,” even though he “knew it was snowing, knew there was an impending blizzard, and knew or should have known that leaving [O’Keefe] outside of the blizzard would likely result in serious injury or death.”
The lawsuit also accuses Read of causing emotional distress to the family. They cite the alleged “false narrative” pushed by Read and her defense team that O'Keefe was actually killed by guests at the afterparty — many of whom were fellow police officers — and that law enforcement conspired to frame Read. . The lawsuit also alleges that Read caused severe emotional distress to O'Keefe's 14-year-old niece, who allegedly woke up at 4:30 a.m. to be told that O'Keefe had not returned home the night before.
An attorney for Read, as well as both bars, did not immediately return a call Rolling Stonehis request for comment.
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