What did Karen Read say in a series of voicemail messages?

The fate of Karen Read now rests in the hands of jurors as deliberations kicked off on June 25, 2024, in a Massachusetts courtroom.

Prosecutors allege that on Jan. 29, 2022, following an evening of drinking, the 44-year-old Mansfield resident hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer Jon O’Keefe, with her SUV outside a home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton around 12:30 am. They argue she then left him to die in the bitter snowstorm. Read, however, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including second-degree murder. Her defense team claims she’s being framed, asserting that O’Keefe was actually beaten to death during a party inside the home.

The prosecution is painting a picture of a woman scorned, while the defense is crying foul play. But in a surprising twist, a series of voicemails has added an extra layer of intrigue to this already complex case. Recently, the court heard eight voicemails that Read allegedly sent to O’Keefe after the incident. 

What did Karen Read say in the voicemails?

According to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino, Read called O’Keefe over 50 times that morning after the party, though it appears he never answered. The voicemails began late on Friday night, as Karen, feeling betrayed and furious, accused Jon of infidelity. Her first few messages accused him of being with “another girl,” calling him a “f*ing pervert.” These early voicemails were filled with anger and the sting of betrayal. As the night progressed, Karen’s messages grew increasingly agitated. By 1:18 a.m., her tone shifted slightly; it seemed she was trying to resign herself to the situation. She called Jon a “f*ing loser,” accusing him of using her, and said she was going home.

The culmination of these voicemails occurred at 6:08 a.m., shortly after Karen, accompanied by Jennifer McCabe and Kerry Roberts, discovered Jon O’Keefe’s body in the snow. In this final voicemail, the scene was chaotic: McCabe could be heard talking urgently to a 911 operator, while Karen’s background screams reflected her shock and horror at finding Jon dead.

However, her actions at the scene suggested a deeper involvement as witnesses recounted how Read pointed out O’Keefe’s snow-covered body to the accompanying women before they noticed anything themselves. This raised suspicions, as it implied that Read knew exactly where O’Keefe was, despite her alleged memory loss.

Further complicating the narrative, location data from O’Keefe’s phone indicated a timeline: he left the Waterfall bar in Canton at 12:12 am and arrived at Fairview Road by 12:24 am. Meanwhile, data from Read’s phone revealed that it connected to the Wi-Fi network at O’Keefe’s home only 12 minutes later, at 12:36 a.m. These timestamps suggest that Read and O’Keefe were together shortly before the tragedy occurred. However, as of now the jury has not reached a verdict.