Witnesses Sue Karen Read for Defamation, Say She Tried to Pin Murder on Them

Four witnesses from the Karen Read saga are flipping the script -- suing her and blogger “Turtleboy” for allegedly trying to turn them into murder suspects.

Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Colin Albert and Brian Higgins filed a lawsuit Thursday in Massachusetts, claiming Read teamed up with Aidan Kearney -- aka Turtleboy -- to push a narrative that they -- not her -- were responsible for the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe.

According to the complaint, Read and Kearney “worked hand in hand” to spread what they call a deliberate web of lies ... all in an effort to shift blame away from Read after O’Keefe was found dead outside a home in January 2022.

Kearney, however, is pushing back ... telling us, "For 3 years I have relentlessly investigated the killing of John O’Keefe. Norfolk County and the MSP spent millions to convict Karen Read but they failed. Twice. Twice juries rejected the Commonwealth’s claim that Karen Read did this.

"Jurors, like myself and millions of others, believe others are responsible for John’s death. Where the Norfolk DA and MSP’s tunnel vision to get Karen failed to consider other suspects, I did. I look forward to having the opportunity to explain exactly why I believe these individuals are involved in John’s death and its coverup and the evidence that led me to that conclusion."

As we reported, Read was initially charged in O’Keefe’s death -- but after a mistrial in her first go-round, she was acquitted at retrial. Her defense famously argued she was the victim of a sweeping police cover-up ... pointing to close ties between law enforcement and the very witnesses now suing her.

Those same witnesses say that theory turned their lives upside down.

In a joint statement, McCabe and the others say they’ve spent years dealing with “relentless false accusations, harassment, and intimidation,” adding the alleged smear campaign “tore our community apart and caused immense suffering.”

They’re now asking a judge to hold Read and Kearney accountable and hit her and Kearney with big damages, including punitives -- and say they hope their lawsuit sends a message about the harm done when witnesses become targets.

Kearney, for his part, isn’t backing off ... blasting out a lengthy post on X, doubling down on his claims and insisting investigators got it wrong -- Read hasn’t publicly responded yet.

For context, three of the plaintiffs were partying with Read and O’Keefe the night before his death. O’Keefe’s body was found outside a home owned by Brian Albert, a Boston police officer, and McCabe was with Read when they discovered him. Higgins, an ATF agent, also testified -- including about flirtatious texts he exchanged with Read before O’Keefe died.

The lawsuit claims all four were dragged into the spotlight and falsely branded as being responsible for O'Keefe's death -- all while Read fought to clear her name.