Jun 19, 2025 01:04 AM IST Karen Read was acquitted of second-degree homicide and manslaughter expenses in her retrial for the dying of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe Karen Read was acquitted of second-degree homicide and manslaughter expenses in her retrial for the dying of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in 2022. The 45-year-old was, nevertheless, convicted of working underneath the affect of liquor (OUI), a lesser included offense underneath the manslaughter cost. Karen Read was aquitted of homicide expenses on Wednesday(AP) What is OUI?OUI, or Operating Under the Influence, in Massachusetts refers to driving a motorcar whereas impaired by alcohol or medication, with a blood alcohol content material (BAC) of 0.08% or increased, or whereas visibly impaired, per Massachusetts General Laws. In Karen Read’s case, the OUI conviction pertains to her driving on the evening of O’Keefe’s dying, along with her BAC estimated at 0.09% hours later, although the protection argued she continued ingesting after returning house. The jury’s give attention to the OUI cost, evident in questions on its timeframe (12:45 a.m. or 5:00 a.m.), suggests they believed she drove underneath the affect however didn’t trigger O’Keefe’s dying. Will Karen Read Go to Jail?For a first-time OUI offense in Massachusetts, penalties sometimes embrace a effective of $500–$5,000, a license suspension of as much as one 12 months, and both as much as 2.5 years in jail or probation. Read was sentenced to at least one 12 months of probation and the ‘24D program’, an alcohol schooling course customary for first-time offenders. Meanwhile, after the decision was learn, cheers could possibly be heard from folks standing exterior the courtroom. The verdict got here practically a 12 months after a separate jury deadlocked over Read’s involvement within the January 2022 incident. The state’s case was led by particular prosecutor Hank Brennan, who known as fewer witnesses than prosecutor Adam Lally, who ran the primary trial towards Read. “She was drunk. She hit him and she left him to die,” he stated. Defense legal professional Alan Jackson rejected the concept there was ever a collision in any respect. “There is no evidence that John was hit by a car. None. This case should be over right now, done, because there was no collision,” Jackson stated throughout closing arguments.
