Mom Recalls Heartbreaking Moment She Learned Son, Allegedly Killed by 'Karen Read,' Was Found in Snowbank

During an emotional statement, the mother of a Boston police officer described finding her son lifeless in a snowbank, and she refuted remarks made about her during media interviews by Karen Read. who prosecutors allege murdered the officer.

On Wednesday, Peggy O'Keefe stated that she received a phone call at approximately 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022, from one of her son John O'Keefe's friends. This individual was accompanying Read when they found the unconscious officer on the front lawn of Brian Albert—who was serving as a sergeant with the Boston Police Department at the time.

Peggy O'Keefe remembered, "She mentioned 'John was discovered in a snowbank.' I was confused and asked her, 'Can you explain?' She responded, 'They found him in the snow; they aren’t sure what occurred.'"

Peggy O'Keefe did not take the stand during Read's highly publicized initial trial, which concluded with a hung jury last summer.

The individual named Read, aged 45, has been accused of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter due to drunk driving, and fleeing the scene after causing a fatal accident.

In opening statements Tuesday , prosecutors charged Read with killing John O'Keefe, 46, who was struck fatally and left unconscious outside Albert’s residence in a suburban area near Boston during a snowy morning in January 2022.

The defense lawyer Alan Jackson asserted that other individuals present at the residence carried out the killing. He alleged that Read was a victim of police misconduct and an attempted cover-up.

On Wednesday, as Peggy O'Keefe remembered, her son's friend arrived with the book "Read" in hand and transported both of them to the hospital where John O'Keefe had been admitted.

During the journey, she stated that she inquired of Read about what had occurred with her son. Read replied that they attended a party and she had left him there.

Peggy O'Keefe remembered asking her, "So you simply abandoned him?" She responded, "Yes, I just left him there."

The prosecutors claim that after dropping John O'Keefe off at Albert's place, Read started to drive away but reversed her Lexus SUV and unfortunately hit him fatally.

Based on the defense's version of events, there was no crash, and Read observed John O'Keefe go into Albert’s house, where he may have been attacked and bitten by Albert’s dog. (In the initial trial, Albert stated that John O'Keefe did not enter his residence.)

Peggy O'Keefe stated that Read didn’t inform her whether she left John O'Keefe inside or outside of Albert’s house.

At the hospital, according to Peggy O'Keefe's testimony, staff members were guiding her through the emergency room when she spotted Read.

Peggy O'Keefe remembered her saying, "She began shouting, 'Is he dead?'"

Near the conclusion of Peggy O'Keefe's roughly 20-minute testimony, special counsel and chief prosecutor Hank Brennan mentioned an interview Read did for a documentary produced by Investigation Discovery.

Brennan aimed to introduce Read’s statements made during "Investigation Discovery" and "20/20" regarding Peggy O'Keefe, as these remarks demonstrate her awareness of culpability, according to him.

The Norfolk County Superior Court judge, Beverly Cannone, did not make an immediate decision regarding the issue.

The Investigation Discovery segment featured Read recounting her experience of seeing Peggy O'Keefe at the bereaved mother's house shortly following their visit to the hospital. According to Read, Peggy O'Keefe was hunched near a kitchen counter when she remarked, "It seems as though he was struck by a vehicle."

Brennan questioned Peggy O'Keefe, “Have you ever found yourself leaning against a kitchen counter thinking, ‘He seems as though he was struck by a vehicle’?”

She responded, 'I don’t recall speaking with her that morning.'

Jackson didn’t challenge Peggy O’Keefe, but he argued that the clip shouldn’t be allowed as evidence since it merely depicts Read reciting “what someone else uttered.”

He stated that the clip is clearly and deliberately being employed to portray his client as villainous with an issue that is entirely unrelated.

Meanwhile, Brennan stated that it wasn't just pertinent but also "an incredibly robust piece of evidence indicating guilt."

The article was initially posted on The News Pulse