John O’Keefe’s mother sent a solemn message to Karen Read, his suspected killer, in court last week during her trial on murder and other charges, according to a body language expert.

Read, 45, is accused of slamming into O’Keefe with her 2021 Lexus SUV and leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022.

Her attorneys deny that a collision happened and assert that something else killed O’Keefe, a 46-year-old Boston police officer.

William Read has frequently stopped to speak to reporters on the steps of the courthouse as his daughter’s entourage is leaving for the day, and previously said he would like to be called as a witness in her trial.

William Read kisses his daughter, Karen, before the start of her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)

“What this state is doing is a persecution of Karen Read,” her father said on the courthouse steps earlier this month. “And this collection of actors [and] witnesses is disgraceful.” 

Constantine points to his confidence as another indicator of how the family feels about Read’s case. 

“I think that he feels that he’s got a great case,” Constantine said. “They’ve obviously had great counsel, and you could tell that he feels very confident having his daughter being represented by this team. I think he feels that she’s fairly represented.”

Hours after her father made his appearance with supporters outside the courthouse, Read spent Friday’s lunch recess shaking hands and thanking those who came to show solidarity – a move that mirrors her own father. 

“You can see a lot of Karen in her father,” Constantine said. “You could see that they were waving at everybody. I saw a picture of Karen [and] she’s waving at everybody as the car’s pulling up. It reminded me of Michael Jackson – he did the same thing in his case. But [William Read] was resting his arm out, and he’s waving at everybody as if they’re a celebrity. I don’t think he is doing it in a showy way or in a narcissistic way at all. I see him as being very, very supportive and cordial with everyone, trying to connect with other people out there and Karen’s supporters, and I think he’s very appreciative of it.”