A Massachusetts woman was indicted on murder and related charges Monday after police say she mowed down her boyfriend in January, but her defense lawyer says there was no criminal intent involved.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Karen Read, 42, on second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision causing death charges. She’s accused of killing her boyfriend, identified as John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer.
According to court documents, Read was initially arrested on manslaughter charges in February, after she allegedly hit O’Keefe with her SUV, then left him for dead outside a friend’s residence in Canton. Police said the incident happened after Read had a night out involving drinking.
The Boston Globe reports that both Read and O’Keefe went to two bars in the Canton area with friends on the night before the incident. Once the bars closed, the group agreed to meet up at a friend’s house, where O’Keefe was hit by Read’s SUV.
After the incident, Read allegedly drove home and later, didn’t remember what happened, according to police. The following morning, she became concerned when O’Keefe wasn’t home and she noticed damage to her vehicle, New York Post reports.
Read sent out text messages looking for her boyfriend and asked friends to check if O’Keefe was still at the friend’s home. That’s when he was discovered lying unresponsive in a snow bank. Read arrived at the scene shortly after.
“I hit him, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” Read later said to a paramedic at the scene, according to NBC 10.
Read’s lawyer, David Yannetti, said “there was no criminal intent” and that couple had been in a loving relationship, with the defendant raising his nephew and niece that he adopted.
O’Keefe was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police announced upgraded charges this week and arrested Read again Thursday evening at her Mansfield home.
Read pleaded not guilty to the charges against her; she’s been released from jail on $100,000 bail and is expected back in court in August.
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[Featured image: LinkedIn, Police Handout]
