Boston Police officer dies after being left outside for dead by girlfriend during winter storm

A university professor was charged with manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, a 16-year Boston police officer, after he was allegedly hit with a blunt object and struck by her car before being left for dead in a snowbank outside a suburban home last Saturday morning.

John O’Keefe, 46, was found outside in Canton, a Boston suburb, at 6.a.m. that day. Karen Read, 41, his girlfriend and a finance professor at Bentley University, reportedly tried to cover up the crime by calling police the next morning but detectives found pieces of her car in the snow bank, Boston 7 News reported. 

The Canton Fire Department responded to scene after O’Keefe was found by people he knew. It remains unclear if the home belongs to Read and whether the incident was a hit and run.  

Canton got 21 inches of snow during a powerful nor’easter Saturday, but the discovery was made before the brunt of the storm struck. 

‘He appeared to have been in the cold for some period,’ the Norfolk district attorney’s office said in a statement. O’Keefe was unresponsive before being taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead several hours later. 

Investigators told Dailymail.com that they are looking into the ‘strong possibility’ that O’Keefe, a widower with young children, was struck by a vehicle after it was revealed that he had suffered skull fractures and swollen eyes by the time he had been found.

An autopsy scheduled on Monday did not officially determine the victim’s cause and manner of death. Police refused to comment on what initially led to the incident, as the investigation remains ongoing.

Authorities said Read drove with O’Keefe to the property on Fairview Road in Canton ‘possibly shortly after midnight,’ the district attorney’s office said. 

John O’Keefe, 46, was a 16-year veteran on the Boston Police Department when he was hit by a blunt object before being run over by his girlfriend last Saturday. He was left to die in freezing temperatures before being found and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead

Karen Read, 41, a finance professor at Bentley University was arrested on Tuesday before being arraigned in court on Wednesday. She was charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death, and motor vehicle homicide

Read reportedly tried to cover up the crime at the home in Canton, 20 miles south of Boston, by calling police the next morning. O’Keefe was found in a snowbank on the property

Read was arraigned Wednesday morning in Stoughton District Court on charges of manslaughter, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death, and motor vehicle homicide. She is being held on $50,000 bail and is not allowed to drive.

The case’s next hearing is on March 1 at 11 a.m. Read’s attorney, David Yannetti, told reporters he’s ‘disappointed in the rush to judgment on my client’ and that Read is ‘devastated’ by O’Keefe’s death.

It also remains unclear if Read will continue to teach, while the investigation and court trial continue.

‘The university cannot comment further on an active investigation. Our thoughts go out to Officer O’Keefe’s family and loved ones,’ Bentley University said in a statement on Wednesday.

Investigators have footage of the incident from the home’s Ring doorbell camera, but have not yet made it available to the public. Read’s car has been impounded, according to CBS Boston. 

O’Keefe was a widower with young children, according to his Facebook profile. It is not yet known how long he was in a relationship with Read before his death

Boston Police released a statement after Read’s arrest on Tuesday, saying that the department ‘continues to grieve over the tragic loss of our brother’

Boston Police Superintendent Chief Gregory Long said in a statement after Read’s arrest on Tuesday that the department ‘continues to grieve over the tragic loss of our brother.’

‘John was a kind person, dedicated to his family, and will be greatly missed by his coworkers and anyone who had the privilege of meeting him,’ the statement read. 

‘At this time, we are stunned and saddened and offer whatever support we can to John’s family. Boston Police Peer Support will be available to assist department members in need of emotional support.’