Karen Read, the woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend, appeared emotionless until the jury started deliberating: new documentary reveals

Karen Read, accused of killing her Boston Police officer boyfriend, is eager for the day when she won’t have to visit a courtroom or wear a suit.

The docuseries “A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read” on Investigation Discovery features the Massachusetts woman defending herself against accusations in her 2024 trial. The show gives viewers a glimpse into Read’s legal battle to prove her innocence, including interviews with Read and key figures in the case.

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for the Boston Police Department for comment.

John O’Keefe was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department when he was found dead Jan. 29, 2022. He was 46. (Brendan Kane)

Karen Read faced serious charges after allegedly hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a drunken argument and leaving him in a snowstorm to die. She was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of the crime but maintained her innocence by pleading not guilty.

Prosecutors suggested that O’Keefe may have been trying to end their relationship before the incident. They highlighted the voicemail left by Read for O’Keefe after the alleged car incident, where she angrily exclaimed, “John, I (expletive) hate you.”

Karen Read and John O’Keefe supporters stand outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Feb. 25, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger/IMAGN)

Read’s attorneys argued she was framed as “a convenient outsider” to protect other law enforcement officers involved in O’Keefe’s death. Read said she believed the real killers were other members of law enforcement O’Keefe got into a fight with after she dropped him off.

Prosecutors said Karen Read and John O’Keefe had been drinking heavily before she dropped him off at a party at the home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer. They alleged she hit him with her SUV before driving away. Read denied this claim. (Courtesy of Karen Read)

“I was intrigued by the fact that there were two really strong sides to this story,” said Meurer. “It seemed that there was suspicious behavior on both sides of the story. … And having produced ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ for decades, I think that caught my eye. … It was a very intriguing mystery.

“As the documentary presents, Karen, at first, talked about how she was confused for the first three days. She didn’t know what had happened. … But then, a few days later, her Boston attorney got a phone call from an informant who said, ‘Take a look at the people who were in that house.’ I think that was the turning point. One of the reporters we interviewed said we wouldn’t even be here if that guy hadn’t called.”

A Google search that was shown during the trial that said, “Ho[w] long to die in cold.”  (Greg Derr/USA Today Network/IMAGN)

Read’s defense attorney, David Yannetti, claimed O’Keefe was beaten up inside Albert’s home during the after-bars gathering, People magazine reported. Yannetti claimed O’Keefe was then attacked by a dog and left to die, Boston magazine shared.

In July 2024, a mistrial was declared. A retrial is scheduled for April.

Fox News Digital reached out to Read’s attorneys.

Meurer described Read as exhausted but just as determined to prove her innocence. She would often say during filming, “I’m fighting for my life here.” 

She hopes to be acquitted and return to a private life.

Flags, flowers and remembrances flank the headstone of John O’Keefe, a Boston Police officer, at Blue Hill Cemetery June 27, 2024, in Braintree, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Meurer believes it’s unlikely anyone will fully recover.

Filmmaker Terry Dunn Meurer hopes viewers won’t forget that John O’Keefe, a “good guy,” was murdered. (Courtesy of Karen Read)

“This situation has divided the community,” she said. “Friendships have been destroyed over this. There’s no in-between here. And I hope [people] won’t lose sight that there’s a good guy here, John O’Keefe, who is dead. 

“There is a murder victim here. He was, by all accounts, a good cop and a good dad to the kids. I think John has gotten lost in all of the noise around the case. I just hope viewers will remember John.”