Karen Read deserved to be acquitted after being put through the gauntlet -- twice ... so says a star witness in her case.
Brian "Lucky" Loughran -- the snowplow driver who testified during Read's two trials that he didn't see John O'Keefe's body lying in front of the house where the Boston cop was later found dead in January 2022 -- tells TMZ ... he's happy Read was found not guilty on murder and manslaughter charges.
Loughran tells us he always thought Karen was innocent ... and, going through last year's proceedings which ended in a mistrial, and this year's trial that ended in her acquittal earlier this week, means she "went through hell twice."
Karen Read's acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges caused uproarious applause in the streets ... but, two Massachusetts families aren't cheering -- because the public scrutiny from this retrial has "dehumanized" them.
The Albert family and the McCabe family -- friends of deceased Boston cop John O'Keefe, who Read's attorneys painted as murderers in the alternate theory they presented during trial -- sat down for an interview on "Nightline" ... their first public interview since O'Keefe was killed in January 2022.
In the interview, Christopher Albert said the five of them -- his brother Brian Albert, sister-in-law Nicole Albert, her sister Jennifer McCabe, and Jennifer's husband Matt McCabe -- have been turned into caricatures ... big bad villains instead of real people.
Aiden Kearney, the citizen journalist intensely focused on the Karen Read retrial, says he was ecstatic when he heard "not guilty" three times when the jury verdict was read yesterday ... and while the trial is finally over, he says his connection to Karen is not.
Aiden -- who lots of Read supporters know as "Turtleboy" -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked him how he reacted to the trial outcome ... seeing as how he was so involved in her story.
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He says Karen getting acquitted of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, is most meaningful for her family ... and he told us what it was like at her celebratory dinner after the verdict was read.
The Karen Read documentary series -- which provided a BTS look at her first trial, and her preparation for the retrial for the murder of her Boston cop boyfriend -- was a big hit ... but TMZ's learned the creators won't be rolling the cameras on her life after acquittal.
Terry Dunn Meurer, who directed "A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read," tells TMZ ... her team has NO plans to follow Karen after the trial. Terry believes Karen's story has been told.
Terry tells us her documentary series will get a small update now that Karen's been found not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe ... a text update card will be added to the end of Episode 5, explaining what happened during the trial and the jury verdict this week.
11 AM PT -- We just found out what Karen Readand her crew ordered at her celebratory steak dinner last night -- and it was a serious feast.
A staffer at Mastro’s Ocean Club tells TMZ the group dug into multiple seafood towers, a spread of sliced steaks -- including bone-in ribeyes and bone-in filets -- and wrapped things up with butter cake, chocolate cake, and key lime pie.
Another source tells us the 3-hour-long dinner featured lobster, mashed potatoes, and asparagus ... with each guest ordering their own alcoholic drinks
Now that’s an order!
Karen Read celebrated her huge victory in court Wednesday at one of the finest steakhouses in Massachusetts ... she was as happy as a clam -- and so was her dad!
#WATCH: Karen Read celebrates with her team and family at Mastros Ocean Club in Seaport after the not guilty verdict.
Read showed up last night at Mastro's Ocean Club in the Boston seaport to gnaw on a big juicy steak and other yummy delicacies following her acquittal in her retrial for the 2022 murder of her police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, and two other charges, including motor vehicle manslaughter. But, Read was found guilty on a lesser charge of driving under the influence and handed a sentence of a year on probation.
As Read, her dad and her lawyers arrived at the restaurant, a bunch of journalists gathered outside and began hurling questions at Karen. One of the reporters asked how she was feeling ... and Read cracked a big smile, saying, "Happy. I'm happy, thank you."
Karen Read -- the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe in 2022 -- has just been found not guilty of murder.
Read was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death. The jury found her guilty of a single count of OUI Wednesday ... misdemeanor Operating Under the Influence.
Prosecutors alleged in January 2022, Read got into a heated drunken argument with O’Keefe before backing up and hitting him with her SUV, killing him ... then fleeing the scene, leaving him to die in a friend's snow-covered front yard in Canton, Mass.
Karen Read looks to be taking her retrial for murder in stride ... appearing relaxed after a recent court appearance -- having a drink and chatting with strangers.
TMZ has obtained photos of Read at SAVR, a bistro in Boston's Seaport District -- not long after she finished up another week of her retrial on Friday.
Eyewitnesses tell us Read was with her legal team -- including powerhouse defense attorney Alan Jackson ... who we're told flattered everyone in the bar, working the room and schmoozing like a pro.
Shocking moment in the Karen Read retrial ... with her defense team getting one of the prosecution's key witnesses to admit a major part of her testimony to the grand jury that indicted Read wasn't true at all.
The bombshell admission happened Wednesday in court, when Kerry Roberts was getting cross-examined by Read's legal team.
Roberts, a close friend of late Boston police officer John O'Keefe, admitted she did NOT hear Read ask Jennifer McCabe to search Google about hypothermia on the morning the three women found O'Keefe dead in the snow.
Karen Read’s stepping into her retrial for Boston cop John O'Keefe’s murder like a woman on a mission -- and she’s making sure everyone knows she’s ready to fight in round 2.
As you can see, Karen walked into the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Tuesday with all the glam and confidence -- flawless makeup, a perfect blowout, and strutting in a sleek black outfit.
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Karen walked in with her team looking totally self-assured -- and it seems like she's feeling way more prepared this time around.
The new Karen Read documentary series -- giving a BTS look at her first trial and her preparation for the retrial in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe -- is blowing up ... but TMZ’s learned they won’t be rolling the cameras for her upcoming retrial.
Director Terry Dunn-Meurer tells TMZ ... "Karen approached us with a compelling desire to share her story, and we believe we captured it thoroughly in 'A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read.' While the second trial will undoubtedly introduce new evidence and fresh faces -- including a new prosecutor and three additional defense attorneys -- the essence of Karen's story remains the same. Therefore, we currently have no plans to film another documentary covering the same ground."
The ID team stopped filming with Karen a few days after the first trial wrapped last summer, catching the aftermath, and then they did follow-ups in August ... but none of those included Karen -- and that's the extent of it.
Karen Read is at the center of a new documentary series offering intimate access as she and her legal team gear up for her retrial in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe -- and TMZ has your exclusive first look at Tuesday's upcoming episode.
In Investigation Discovery’s "A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read," Karen opens up her Mansfield, Massachusetts home to cameras and questions, insisting the allegations against her don’t add up.
Prosecutors allege in 2022, Read got into a heated drunken argument with O’Keefe before backing up and hitting him with her SUV, killing him ... then fleeing the scene, leaving him to die in a friend's snow-covered front yard.
New twist in the Karen Read case ... the judge just suspended an evidentiary hearing after voicing "grave concern" over new information from prosecutors.
A hearing in Read's retrial was moving along normally Tuesday when suddenly Judge Beverly Cannone called for a recess.
The swift change happened on the heels of special prosecutor Hank Brennan moving to exclude testimony from two crash reconstruction experts who were involved in the federal investigation into her case.
Karen Read's breaking her silence ... admitting she was angry with Boston cop John O'Keefe the night he died -- but, says that doesn't mean she ran him over with her SUV.
Read -- who is scheduled to be retried for O'Keefe's death in January 2025 -- sat down for an interview with ABC News ... saying John really upset her after a night of drinking in 2022, and she angrily left him at a friend's house.
Asked if a combination of anger and alcohol could've led her to try to "tap" O'Keefe with her SUV, Read shows her frustration ... denying she did and emphasizing she would never do that.
Karen Read is getting sued by her late BF John O'Keefe’s family ... and the family is also going after the two bars they say overserved her booze before she allegedly struck O'Keefe with her SUV in '22.
TMZ obtained the docs ... John’s brother Paul O'Keefe and other family members just filed a civil suit for wrongful death and emotional distress against Karen ... who’s still staring down a second murder trial after her first ended in a mistrial.
Paul and family claim Read was reckless and ignored the risks after drinking ... adding she allegedly left John -- a Boston police officer -- on the ground to die after hitting him with her SUV in a snowy yard.
Karen Readis the Massachusetts woman accused of her police officer boyfriend's death ... and after a hung jury prompted a mistrial, it's fair to wonder if she was being framed.
TMZ Studios' new series, "Strange & Suspicious," dives into weird and unexplained stories -- and here, we're looking into the possibility Karen is getting blamed for a murder she didn't commit.
Remember ... she's accused of drunkenly running over John O'Keefe.
Karen Read is heading back to court for round two -- a judge just greenlit a second murder trial in the death of her BF, John O'Keefe ... weeks after declaring it a mistrial following a hung jury.
Massachusetts Judge Beverly Cannone has penciled in Read’s retrial for January 27, 2025 ... dropping the news Monday in front of both the prosecution and defense attorneys.
The date isn't locked in yet because Read's lawyer, David Yannetti, mentioned to Judge Cannone he's got another trial lined up right before then.
