Karen Read's lead lawyer rips special prosecutor for ‘egregious breach' of ethics in statement following acquittal

Boston Globe

4 days ago

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Brennan, a prominent Boston defense attorney whose client roster has included the late South Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, didn't immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.
In
Prosecutor Hank Brennan finishes up his closing arguments during the murder trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Mark Stockwell/Associated Press
'I am disappointed in the verdict and the fact that we could not achieve justice for John O'Keefe and his family,' Brennan said.
Read, 45, was
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Prosecutors said she backed her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage into O'Keefe after dropping him off outside a Fairview Road home in Canton early on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of bar hopping.
Karen Read embraces a supporter as she leaves the courthouse at the start of the third day of jury deliberations in her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Josh Reynolds/Associated Press
Her lawyers said she was framed and asserted that O'Keefe entered the property, owned at the time by a fellow Hub cop, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by a German Shepherd before his body was planted on the front lawn.
Jurors determined the government had failed to prove the felonies beyond a reasonable doubt but did find Read guilty of a misdemeanor OUI offense, for which she received a year of probation.
Brennan said that following 'an independent and thorough review of all the evidence, I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person. Neither the closed federal investigation [of the state probe] nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O'Keefe.'
Numerous people who were at the home that night have faced accusations that they were involved in O'Keefe's death or took part in a cover-up, allegations that were spurred by the defense, online discussions, and a large movement of Karen Read supporters who championed her innocence.
None of the witnesses have been charged in connection to the case, which triggered the separate federal grand jury investigation.
'The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice,' Brennan said.
'If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system affecting both victims and criminally accused. We cannot condone witness abuse causing participants to worry for their own safety or that of their families.'
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Brennan said he hopes that with the verdict, the witnesses and families tied to the case will be left alone. He also extended condolences to the O'Keefe family and 'faith that over the coming years they will find peace and closure.'
'The harassment of these innocent victims and family members is deplorable and should never happen again in a case in this Commonwealth,' he said.
Jackson, in his fiery rejoinder Tuesday, said Brennan had violated court rules with his verbiage.
'The Rules of Professional Conduct are clear: A prosecutor should support the legitimacy of the justice system and promote public confidence in its operations,' Jackson said. 'Openly attacking a jury's verdict because he disagrees with it undermines that centuries'-old edict.'
Jackson also pushed back on the government's contention that the state probe into O'Keefe's death was thorough.
'If that were true, the Commonwealth would have uncovered what we, the defense, uncovered: hidden exculpatory evidence; lies and perjury by the Commonwealth's own witnesses; cops covering for other cops; a biased and corrupt lead investigator with personal ties to witnesses; and inculpatory and suspicious conduct by myriad witnesses.'
Jackson reiterated a defense mantra that Read is 'factually innocent' of killing O'Keefe.
'This case is a stark reminder that there has been a complete breakdown in what is supposed to be our justice system,' Jackson said. 'Those in power are more interested in protecting themselves than the citizens that they are sworn to protect.'
The defense is thankful for the jury's verdict, Jackson said.
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'But make no mistake—if DA Michael Morrissey had his way, the truth never would have come out in this case,' Jackson said. 'It would have been lost somewhere in private and deleted conversations that would never have seen the light of day. Corruption like this doesn't happen in isolation. How many innocent people have been railroaded because of failures in our judicial system? We, as citizens, must demand more of our institutions."
Read still faces a wrongful death lawsuit brought by O'Keefe's family in Plymouth Superior Court.
Travis Andersen can be reached at