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Karen Read has broken her silence for the first time following her acquittal in the death of her boyfriend, announcing her plans to write a book about her harrowing experience.
Read was acquitted of the murder of John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, in a June retrial that captivated and polarized the nation.
On Thursday, Read made her first public appearance since the acquittal on the Howie Carr Show, where she shared insights into her life since regaining her freedom.
Post-trial, Read said, it’s ‘not quite what I expected.’ ‘It’s a little like a dimmer where the lights are coming on a little brighter each week,’ she continued.
‘There’s moments I have every day, these little epiphanies of, “Wow, this is the first time I’ve done, fill in the blank, in the last four years that I was living with this nightmare”.’
Read, who is now living with her parents, added: ‘I feel lucky. I’ve lost a lot, but I still have what’s most important. My parents are in their late 70s, and I’m grateful they’re still here.’
She revealed her plans to tell her story in a book, adding: ‘I don’t always know what’s next, but I do want to write a book. There’s so much more people need to hear.’
Her story is set to be made into an upcoming Amazon Prime series, with Hunger Games actress Elizabeth Banks rumored to take on the role of Read.
‘It’s not authorized by me in any way. I’ve never spoken to her. This is my story to tell,’ Read said
Read was dramatically acquitted of murdering John O’Keefe in June of this year, in a retrial that both gripped and divided America
Attorney Alan Jackson (right) revealed on Thursday afternoon that he and his client are exploring filing a civil suit over her murder prosecution that saw Read acquitted in June
Read and her attorney, Alan Jackson, appeared on the podcast where Jackson discussed their potential civil suit being filed over her prosecution on the segment.
Jackson said: ‘I’ll say this I’m back here for a reason, it’s not just a pleasure tour.
‘We’ve met with the legal team back here dealing with the civil issue. There’s obviously a lot to unpack where that’s concerned.
‘So, had and will continue to have significant meetings about that, what Karen’s next options – what her options are in general, but what her next moves might be. And we’re considering all options.’
He declined to go into specifics about what the civil case could entail, but added ‘nothing’s off the table and no one’s off the table’.
Read’s attorney noted that, in order to fund her legal battle, she had given up her home, her car, lost her career, and four years of her freedom.
Read’s acquittal is far from the end of the grueling legal process and she is now facing another round in court.
On Thursday, Read’s Attorney Jackson said on the Howie Carr Show that the O’Keefe family is ‘going to have a very, very, very, significant uphill battle. Very obviously, the jury has spoken’
The suit alleges that Read and O’Keefe argued into the midnight hour of Jan. 29, 2022, and that O’Keefe left Read’s car and ‘in a state of intoxication,’ Read drove her SUV into O’Keefe, who ‘suffered serious injury and died’
Read and her legal team are gearing up for a civil trial – a $50,000 wrongful death lawsuit filed by O’Keefe’s family against her and two local bars.
Jackson said on the Howie Carr Show that the O’Keefe family is ‘going to have a very, very, very, significant uphill battle. Very obviously, the jury has spoken.’
‘It wasn’t like there wasn’t an enormous amount of scrutiny that was put through all the evidence against her. Two times, not once, the jury determined there was no collision,’ he continued.
Now, as they prepare their own civil suit, Read’s attorney said that he is ‘back here for a reason, it’s not just a pleasure tour.’
‘We’re not finished with the court system and the court system is going to allow me another opportunity and another platform, and allow Karen another platform, to get the truth out. And we damn well intend to do it,’ he said.
Read’s attorney noted that, in order to fund her legal battle, she had given up her home, her car, lost her career, and four years of her freedom, O’Keefe is seen here
Read was accused of drunkenly ramming her SUV into her boyfriend, former Boston police officer John O’Keefe (left), and leaving him to die in blizzard conditions on January 29, 2022
‘We’ve met with the legal team back here dealing with the civil issue. There’s obviously a lot to unpack where that’s concerned,’ he continued.
‘So, had and will continue to have significant meetings about that, what Karen’s next options — what her options are in general, but what her next moves might be. And we’re considering all options.’
Jackson said that he wasn’t sure ‘any amount of money’ could ‘reasonably compensate her.’
‘I can guarantee you, that civil case will be righteously defended — righteously defended — and that means getting every single scrap of information that we’re entitled to and that we did not get during the criminal case,’ he added.
‘She was jailed twice. Twice too many times…and both times jurors determined there was no collision,’ Jackson said.
Read directed a chilling accusation at the Massachusetts State Police, who investigated her, and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, who prosecuted her.
‘You lost. You lost big time. And you know what you did, what you’ve done,’ Read said.
