A Massachusetts woman accused of running over and killing her police officer boyfriend in January 2022 claims she was entrapped.
Karen Reid, 44, gave her first media interview this week on ABC's “20/20” in which she said police were plotting to pin the blame on her for the mysterious death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe.
Reed is accused of running over 46-year-old Officer O'Keefe with his SUV outside a friend's house after a night of heavy drinking, leaving him to die in the cold. Officer O'Keefe had been dropped off at a party at a mansion owned by retired police officer Brian Albert.
Massachusetts police officer murder suspect Karen Reed compares supporters to Vietnam War protesters after verdict is vacated
Karen Reed listens as Judge Beverly J. Cannon addresses the jury at the start of the third day of verdicts in the murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via The Associated Press)
Reid and two friends reportedly drove to Albert's house to look for O'Keefe and discovered his body early the next morning.
“I jumped out of the passenger seat and fell onto the street. His eyes were closed and there was blood all over his face. He was still, not stiff, but still,” Reed told 20/20 of finding her boyfriend's body the next day. “It was cold. I felt cold, but it didn't feel dangerously cold. It was a weird feeling to know, 'I'm OK. I'm not dying, but he's here and he's dying and I can't keep him warm.'”
The defense has advanced the astonishing argument that Ms O'Keefe was fatally wounded during an altercation at a house party and then left outside to be used to frame her in a police department-wide plot.
The lawyers point to the location of the wounds on the victim's body – trauma to the head and hands – as evidence he was assaulted rather than hit by a larger vehicle.
Karen Reed arrives at Massachusetts courthouse amid chants of “killing cop” as supporters fight to get lawsuit dropped
Officer John O'Keefe is seen in this undated photo released by Boston Police. (Boston Police Department via The Associated Press)
The central piece of evidence in the case against Reed was a broken taillight on the back of her Lexus SUV, and pieces of red plastic consistent with such a light were found on O'Keefe's body at the scene.
Other considerations included her blood alcohol level being well above the legal limit and an intense voicemail left by Reed on the victim's cellphone in which she accused him of infidelity and expressed “hatred.”
Reed spoke to “20/20” about the moment he met with O'Keefe's parents and realized he was a suspect in the murder.
“They had pulled into the driveway before me, and I think she saw my cracked taillight and thought, 'Did I just run over my son?'” Reed said. “On the drive home, I told my dad, 'I need to get a lawyer.'
“You were obviously driving a very large SUV, so is it possible that you accidentally hit him?” interviewer Matt Gutman asked.
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Karen Reid supporters held a rally on the front steps of the registrar's office building. (Photo by John Trumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“No,” Reid replied. “That's not possible.”
Reed is charged with second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter. She appeared in court in July. Ended in invalidationProsecutors are scheduled to retry the case in January.
This strange and complicated trial has become even more notable for the public reaction it has generated: the case has drawn large numbers of protesters from both sides.
“You are brave,” Reid told supporters after the vacating ruling, according to the footage. Retrieved by WCVB. “You protested the Vietnam War and ended it, and this is a modern day version of that. Thank you all.”
Fox News Digital's Molly Markowitz contributed to this report.
