Crime Weekly - S3 Ep313: Karen Read: NOT GUILTY

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

On June 18, 2025, a Massachusetts jury found Karen Read NOT GUILTY of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. However, she did receive one year of probation after being convicted of OUI. We're coming to CrimeCon Denver! Use our code CRIMEWEEKLY for 10% off your tickets! https://www.crimecon.com/CC25 Try our coffee!! - www.CriminalCoffeeCo.com Become a Patreon member -- > https://www.patreon.com/CrimeWeekly Shop for your Crime Weekly gear here --> https://crimeweeklypodcast.com/shop Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrimeWeeklyPodcast Website: CrimeWeeklyPodcast.com Instagram: @CrimeWeeklyPod Twitter: @CrimeWeeklyPod Facebook: @CrimeWeeklyPod  

Mom, mom, did you see my race? Of course I did darling. Look, you did your best. You tried. The thing is, it's not about winning, it's about taking part. Next year you might do better. But I did win, mom. You did?

When it's sunny, make sure you can still see. At Specsavers, get two pairs of glasses from $149, and one can be prescription sunglasses. Hey, the sun won't wait. Visit Specsavers.ca for details. Conditions apply. Uh, excuse me. Why are you walking so close behind me? Well you're a tall guy.

You throw a decent shadow when I'm walking in it to keep out of this bright sun. It hurts my eyes. Okay, well you know what? Specsavers, you can get two pairs of glasses from $149 and oh, you'll like this. One can be a pair of prescription sunglasses. Sounds great! Where's the nearest store? Not far, come on. Let's hurry then! To my count! One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, two, one, MUSIC Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Crime Weekly Special Episode.

I'm Derek Lavasser. And I'm Stephanie Harlow. And this is going to be a brief one, but we promised after our episode yesterday that we would have an update if there was a verdict today. We had predicted that there would be a verdict today and that it would come back not guilty. And that's what you can see by the title here. Karen Reed found not guilty on the two more severe charges and guilty on the OUI. Stephanie, do you want to go over the specifics of that? What the ruling was? I'm sure everyone here probably already watched it live or has heard about it. I was watching it live.

And so we have the official decision, the verdict, and also the sentencing. Yeah, they actually did the sentencing pretty quickly. So I was happy about that. Well, time they did something quick, right? Exactly, don't drag it out anymore. Exactly, just do it. So we know that the jury deliberations took about three

full days before the conviction, which was basically only for that minor infraction. Yeah, that's my opinion. So yeah, the only charge that Karen Reed was found guilty of is operating under the influence which landed her with one year of probation. I think 20-something days of classes that she has to take but basically a slap on the wrist.

And the drunk driving charge was the lesser subcharge of a manslaughter count, which the jurors obviously also acquitted Reed of. So pretty much what we said when we came on yesterday that we thought they were going in which is what they were Planning to do at the end of the first trial. I believe that's what I think they were trying to do I agree will never know for certain but I if I had a million dollars, that's what I would put it on Yeah, absolutely

You know if you're watching it live you're seeing it They're reading the verdict and you hear this roar from the outside people and you could and it just to me It just told you how many people were committed to this outcome, were committed to seeing this all the way through. And they felt like it was as much of a win for them as it was for Karen Reed and her defense team. Yeah, you kind of compared it to,

you said it sounded like a Taylor Swift concert when you called me earlier. Yeah, it really did. And congratulations to Karen Reed and her defense team. We agree with the decision There's no doubt about it. That's why I felt confident Putting that episode out yesterday. I read between the lines with the jury questions to me It really showed what they were debating. They were they had already decided on the two more severe charges They were debating over the OUI

There was probably one or two people who were leaning the other way. Whatever it is we may never know, although I think we will. And I'm glad that even though it wasn't clear-cut at first, like we had hoped for at the end of our episode yesterday, they got in a room today with a full belly and, you know, a good night's rest, and they probably came to a similar conclusion that we came to, which is, hey, if we hang on this last charge, there's a chance that they have to do this thing all over again. We do not want to put it in the hands of the judge.

We want to take control right now, and we have the ability to do so. We understand the sentencing here, the significance of what could happen. I think the most was two years probation, or something like that, or maybe there could have been some time, but I think the most was two years probation or something like that or maybe There could have been some time but I think they all feel like this and it feels like the standard sentence is what?

Yeah, yeah, it seems standard maybe a suspended license, you know big deal I don't think she's driving around much these days. Anyways, so I'm glad that they got in a room and they said hey listen We've already figured out the first two charges the more severe ones were on the OUI. Whoever the dissenters were, they talked about it. They thought about the impact and the significance it could have on the overall case. If they couldn't come to a conclusion, they asked a few more questions specifically, in my opinion, about that charge. And they came to a resolution. And I'm extremely proud of this jury. Whether you agree with the verdict or not, we personally feel based on the evidence that was presented,

this was the right decision. There was definitely reasonable doubt. And that was from, in my opinion, a strategy that was much more streamlined, this trial as opposed to the last one. You know, there were some comments on yesterday's video saying, oh, we didn't watch the trial. Admittedly, I'll speak for myself.

I didn't watch the trial every day. I had it on in the background. I tuned in, I looked at the updates. But overall, my takeaway, especially after us doing the five or six part deep dive, we had the overall understanding of what happened, right? What transpired that night. And in the first trial, in my opinion,

the defense was focused on alternate theories. They talked about the McCabes, they talked about the Alberts, they talked about Chloe, they talked about the 227 search, they talked about Colin. They brought out all these other options of what could have happened.

And in this case, I felt like it was much more efficient, much more effective, and it was focused on one specific thing. And we're seeing it in the comments No collision. That's the phrase No collision. They brought in all the heavy hitters all the experts and showed the scientific evidence to support the thought the the Hypothesis that there was not collision and if you were to boil this case down to one specific thing I would say it was a battle of the experts. And candidly, the experts for the defense were much better.

It's that simple. They were more articulate. They were more believable. They came way they came off more presentable. I don't know. Just overall, I felt they were better. Yes, yes. They they just they just were more prepared and they were ready for action. And ultimately, they got the verdict they were looking for. So that's that's kind of my stance on it there's not much to add we we agree this is how it should have been it should have happened the

first trial yeah I just feel like in this in this case like yes of course I watched the first round its entirety we covered it here I had yeah yeah I had to take clips to kind of go along with what we were saying when we did the deep dive did I watch the entire second trial? I mean, it was like over six weeks long. I did watch pieces of it. I, every single day, followed up with updates. But in-

We talked about it a lot. Yeah, and this trial, and in this case, I feel like every single item of evidence was up for dispute. Every single item of evidence would be under a microscope and have both sides presenting it in a way that best benefited them. Even the fact that, you know, she was under the influence of alcohol has been disputed, which there's a clip of Karen Reed saying, Oh, could I have hit him?

Maybe. I mean, with the alcohol and everything she's saying, I was drinking. There's video of her drinking all night. We talked about that in the series everyone including all these cops including John O'Keefe But then I'll drink then her bloods taken at the hospital the following morning So I think it was around 9 a.m. That her blood was taken and at the time of that blood test her BAC was between 0.078 and 0.083 which is right around the legal limit. Teetering right on the legal limit.

But hours before that. She's coming down. Yeah, hours before that, it would have been high. But once again. Well, that makes sense with the question they asked, right? The time, are they going OUI at 1.45 in the morning or 5 a.m. in the morning? Because obviously at that point, she'd be coming down.

So that makes more sense with the question that was asked by the jury. Well, if you take it at 9 a.m. and it's right around the legal limit, obviously even two to three hours before that it wasn't It was higher. So I don't think that's up for debate. But yeah, you know They they managed to during the trial put that up for debate Which is what her defense team is supposed to do right because now they can only sort of estimate What her bac would be at the time that they estimate

she may have had John O'Keefe. So yeah, everything's sort of up for interpretation. Yeah, exactly, thanks. Which is a great phrase for this case because there's a lot of experiments, a lot of science, there's biomechanical, there's accident reconstruction, there's forensic evidence. It's not that we don't understand and we have to leave it up to the experts to communicate

to us, but depending on whether that's an expert for the prosecution or an expert for the defense, obviously their interpretation will be drastically different. And it's like, whose interpretation do you believe? We don't know about velocity. We know about as much about that stuff as- How many cases have we had that yeah we know about about as much as that as the for the prosecution's initial witness that they brought out yeah first time I got that poor Paul trooper Paul was that is a mess yeah I think so was that a poor guy I felt bad after a while

was it just a beating yeah I was saying it yesterday I wanted this trial to be over for everyone and you know what that includes the O'Keeffe's because They've been going through this every day as well and Regardless of what happened in this trial their life will never be the same John's not coming back and At some point you have to try to move on with whatever you have left and it's never gonna be the same It's never gonna be as good. But at this point Even though I don't know how they feel about the verdict, we'll let them speak on it,

but at this point it's over. Karen Reed will never be tried again for the murder of John O'Keefe. And based on how the case was constructed, the Alberts and the McCabes will never be arrested or tried for this case as well. How could they ever go after someone else, anyone else, with the case that they just put on against Karen Reed?

Oh, they wouldn't, would they? They couldn't. So, I think it's safe to say at this point, as far as John O'Keefe is concerned, the person responsible, or the people responsible for his death will unfortunately never be held accountable. And that pains me to say it, I wish that wasn't the case, but that's the reality we're living in so what?

Of course I did darling Look, you did your best you tried the thing is it's not about winning. It's about taking part next year You might do better, but I did win mom you did when it's sunny Make sure you can still see. At Specsavers, get two pairs of glasses from $149 and one can be prescription sunglasses. Hey, the sun won't wait. Visit Specsavers.ca for details, conditions apply.

At this point, Karen is gonna move on. There's gonna be things that happen after this. You had talked about some of the things yesterday. There's gonna be more litigation, civil suits. I don't know if there will be, but I would expect that there would be. You would assume, you would assume. And so there's gonna be stuff going on there.

It won't probably be as publicized, because it's not as salacious, I guess, as far as knowing what's gonna happen as far as someone going to prison for the rest of their life. I think it'll be absolutely just as salacious. I think people will be just as much interested in it because especially, yeah, especially the, you know, very, which, you know,

I, we may not always agree on everything, but I do really, really, really appreciate and support anyone's passion when they are so very much, um, in support of someone that they feel is being wrongly accused and treated badly by the justice system. I have so much respect and admiration for that. Even if we don't agree on every single small detail, basically, I don't know what happened. And it's really difficult for me when everything is so, you know, very gray to come out one way or the other.

But I really respect anybody's heated passion to defend somebody who they feels being wronged by a system that's supposed to protect and help us so right and these people that were talking about law enforcement they could also be investigating your case or my case I'm 40 minutes away yeah so that's a scary thought and I think at the end of the day what Karen Reid if she decides to pursue legal action or civil action against? These you know law enforcement bodies or the state that that she feels wronged her and it's so many people agree with her

Including myself and Derek we agree that the way they treated her I was the right decision acceptable if this is the right this was the right decision if she pursues legal action against them then I think there's gonna be a lot of people following it and cheering her on and in her corner. And if there is another sort of case that's brought out, now you're going to have, like you do in a civil court, they're going to have to show certain things and who knows what her lawyers are going to ask for, who knows what's going to come out from that. Well, the threshold is much lower. It's preponderance of evidence. So I think it could be even more salacious at this point. Right.

So the only reason, the comparison I make is to OJ Simpson where we had the main trial and then there was the civil suit where OJ lost. He had to pay $33 million. I don't remember that getting as much coverage. This is a different time with the internet, with social media, X, Instagram, TikTok. Imagine if OJ was around now. Oh gosh.

Can you imagine? I know. I don't want to. I agree with everything you said right there. I say the statement all the time. I'd rather see 100 guilty people go free than one innocent person go to prison for a crime they didn't commit.

And we always have to approach every case like that. There are gonna be times where someone could slip through the cracks in a certain case, but I'd much rather find that out than find out later, 20 years later, that someone who actually was innocent lost their freedom for something they didn't do. That's horrendous. And there's not a world I could see that Karen Reed in this trial, either that they called another mistrial or they found her guilty that the entire state of Massachusetts didn't riot. You said this. Yeah. I was like, I hope for that state

that they make the right decision because people are so sick and tired of this. Nobody wants to see their resources in time go to another ridiculous trial. And I think that you would have had a public in complete outrage. The Red Sox winning would have seen nothing on this. Damn, my Red Sox. Yeah. No, listen, I I agree and yeah, it was just a better more streamlined case by the defense

I had I misspoke yesterday when I talked about the x-rays not that there was no x-rays for John O'Keefe to Substantiate him being hit but more so the prosecution and their experts some of them not even being being aware that those x-rays existed How are you gonna beat a? the prosecution and then their experts, some of them not even being aware that those X-rays existed. How are you gonna beat a top tier defense team like that when you don't even have those facts correct? Now, at minimum, it's a lack of preparation. Worst case scenario, as some people have suggested, they intentionally hid those X-ray results

because they didn't want them to come out because it would hurt their case of there being an actual collision. So overall, just to reiterate, because they didn't want them to come out because it would hurt their case of there being an actual collision. So overall just to reiterate where this is the right decision this is how the justice system is supposed to work. Some of you may agree with the verdict, some of you may not, but either way it played out the way it was supposed to play out. The jury did their job, both sides put on their case and

now Karen Reed gets to move on with the next chapter of her life. And so don't the O'Keeffe's, maybe not the chapter they wanted, but this whole part of their life is over, now it's the next thing. And I hope that everyone, even though there was some very passionate debates about Karen Reed online, offline,

different podcasters going out each other, it was crazy. I'm really hoping at this point, as you just mentioned, because I think it's what I want to end on, and I said it in the comments yesterday, the passion behind this case for Karen Reed, and even some passion on the other sides about her being guilty, just how involved everybody was.

I really hope as a true crime community, we take that energy and we take that passion and we apply it to some of the other cases that need this type of Attention as well missing persons cases unsolved homicides the wrongfully convicted whatever it might be Let's unify as a community and get behind something that the majority of us can agree on and get justice for the next person That would be my plea to everybody watching this right now because we do have the ability to make a difference. And that has been proven in this case. You could hear again, that up, that roar

from outside the courtroom. That was real people with real lives believing in something so passionately that they were willing to wait outside that courthouse for as long as it took to get that verdict. And you have to respect that. Yeah, I do. Absolutely.

100%. So the right decision was made finally, you know, better late than never. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt was not met. I don't think that it was in the first trial either. I mean, listen, at this point, and I said it yesterday, I would have even been okay with the OUI being dismissed. I would too. Listen, that just goes to show that they were doing everything the right way.

This is a huge win for Karen Reed and her legal team. We all have to respect the results. The court has made their ruling and that's the end of this one as far as the criminal case is concerned. Here's what I think. I think, and this is my speculation, I think Auntie Bev got a few calls last night for maybe some people more high up than her and they're like, listen, man. She amended the verdict slip today. They're like, listen, man. She amended the verdict slip today.

They're like, listen, you're out of pocket. You look ridiculous now. You're just making this worse. You need to go in there. They're gonna give you your verdict. You're gonna give her a sentence, slap on the wrist, get it out of here. We are done with this, man.

We look like clowns. Enough, Auntie Bev. Yep, get on your and now she's got she's got the jurors list basically suppressed you know cuz she's like oh I'm suppressing the jurors list because you know people like a turtle boy have have harassed people before and you know I want to keep these jurors safe and it's like these jurors are safe my friend they are they made the right decision no one is mad at these jurors, okay?

They were presented with a series of evidence. They evaluated it and they came to a conclusion conclusively and unanimously. Can't debate it. It's done. Karen Reed will never be tried again and that part of her life is over. I'm just waiting for the announcement that Beverly Canone is retiring. Some though, some people were saying in the comments that can she be held in contempt? I think you were laughing at that. Oh it was a hose long before before Anne Beth is held in contempt. I died. That was good. Okay so we're gonna wrap it up here. That's gonna put a pin on Karen Reed if there's something new that develops. What with either Karen Reed or you, John O'Keefe will keep you updated

We're gonna be back later this week with Darley Routier part five part five and Spoiler alert. We have a very special announcement for that episode that we're super excited about again. We appreciate the comments We appreciate the engagement for the most part. The debate is healthy. Everyone's's talking about it Not everyone agrees with everything we say that's okay. That's the world we live in we have to have healthy debate That's how we make a better society. I hope everyone stays safe out there. We will see you What two days two days now? We'll see you then take care. Have a good night. Be safe Mom, mom, did you see my race? Of course I did, darling! Look, you did your best.

You tried. The thing is, it's not about winning, it's about taking part. Next year you might do better. But I did win, Mom! You did? When it's sunny, make sure you can still see. At Specsavers, get two pairs of glasses from $149 and one can be prescription sunglasses. Hey, the sun won't wait.

Visit Specsavers.ca for details. Conditions apply.