A Mansfield woman is facing new charges in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend.
Karen Read, who was dating Boston police officer John O’Keefe at the time of his death, was in Norfolk Superior Court Friday, where she pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges.
A day earlier, a grand jury indicted Read on the murder count. She was arrested later that afternoon.
O’Keefe was off-duty when he was found unresponsive outside of a Canton home during a late January blizzard. Sources told 25 Investigates at the time the 16-year veteran of the BPD suffered a “serious” head injury and had signs of hypothermia.
Speaking outside of the courthouse in Dedham, Read’s attorney, David Yannetti, said his client is innocent and called the whole investigation into question, saying investigators have failed to collect all of the available evidence in this case.
“I am asking for objective evidence that would show everything that occurred that night, and that is solely within the power of the DA’s office to get – and thus far they have been unable or unwilling to get that,” Yannetti said. “That’s shocking to me.”
Read was released Friday afternoon after posting a $100,000 bail.
In addition to the second degree murder charge, she faces charges of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly collision.
Read was first arrested back in February and charged with manslaughter in Norfolk County District Court.
Following Thursday’s grand jury indictment, the case was moved up to Superior Court.
Prosecutors allege Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV outside the Canton home, where a party was underway, on Jan. 29 and left him lying a snowbank.
O’Keefe sustained blunt force trauma to the head and was hypothermic when he was found, the prosecution said in court on Friday.
He left behind a niece and nephew he adopted after his sister, and later his brother-in-law, died.
Read is due back in court Aug. 12.
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