Karen Read, who is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with a car and leaving him to die on the ground in a snowstorm, mentioned in an interview that if she had faced the same legal challenges she is currently dealing with back in the 1990s, she would have supported OJ Simpson’s acquittal on murder charges.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Read, aged 45, expressed, “I’m not saying I think OJ was innocent, but I do believe that the investigation was not entirely fair.” She further added, “Now that I am more knowledgeable, I would have celebrated his acquittal. It is vital to hold law enforcement officers accountable.”
Reflecting on the verdict of the trial in October 1995, she remarked that she perceived his high-caliber team of defense attorneys from Los Angeles as resembling “snake oil salesmen.”
Karen Read arrives for jury selection for her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
It found no evidence that Canton police had been involved in a conspiracy to frame Read, but the lead agency on the case was the Massachusetts State Police.
Proctor, the lead investigator, lost his job with the Massachusetts State Police in March after an internal review into his handling of the case kicked off following Read’s first trial.
The disciplinary report found that he had conducted himself unprofessionally, shared confidential information with people who were not privy to law enforcement information on the case, and drunk alcohol on the job. He was not accused of concocting evidence against Read.
