Just after her lawyers shared a video, Karen Reed, who seems to depict a scene involving the late John O’Keefe and ATF agent Brian Higgins at a bar in Canton, Massachusetts, spoke to reporters who, honestly, appeared distracted by other matters.
“The video speaks for itself,” she commented while heading to the awaiting SUV on Thursday.
Reed is currently on trial for the second time related to the murder of her boyfriend, O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, which took place in January 2022.
When a reporter asked, “Do you think John and Brian Higgins were in a conflict?” she replied, “It looks like that. It looks like that.”
The reporter pressed further, asking if, having spent the entire night with John, she felt they were fighting or at odds. Reed was hesitant and said, “I wasn’t paying attention.” She later mentioned being focused on the full view of the bar with a witness named Karina Kolokitas, noting they were there for around 90 minutes.
When the reporter queried again, “So you didn’t notice that?” Reed reiterated, “I didn’t pick it up.”
Reed was referencing Karina Korokitas, a defense witness who had seen O’Keefe hours before his death at the Canton Falls Bar and Grill. Kolokitas described an unusual interaction involving Jennifer McCabe, whose brother-in-law owned the home where O’Keefe later died, but she didn’t mention anything regarding a fight between Higgins and O’Keefe.
“The video speaks for itself,” Reed remarked outside the courthouse on Thursday.
A defense attorney, David Gelman, warned that Reed’s public comments could be detrimental to her case, saying, “This is exactly why she shouldn’t talk about the case. Prosecutors will certainly use this.”
Meanwhile, Reed was seen on video engaging in an extended conversation with Kolokitas, as noted by reporters.
Grace Edwards, a trial lawyer in Massachusetts, commented, “She had a great conversation with Kolokitas.”
Reed, along with O’Keefe, Higgins, and several others, were present at an afterparty near the bar where O’Keefe was later found dead. The surveillance footage suggests interactions that depict Higgins making gestures toward O’Keefe from across the room.
This all unfolded before Reed was accused of killing O’Keefe after allegedly attacking him near the back of a Lexus SUV, leading to his death during a snowstorm outside his brother’s home on Fairview Road.
Reed’s defense maintains that her vehicle did not strike O’Keefe, presenting witness testimony to suggest alternative explanations for his injuries. This includes the possibility of a physical altercation with Higgins, who, while not charged with any crime, had a reportedly flirtatious relationship with Reed behind O’Keefe’s back.
Prosecutors assert they found a piece of O’Keefe’s clothing fitting a taillight from the Lexus. Several witnesses testified that after his body was discovered on January 29, 2022, they heard Reed say, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him.”
