BOSTON—Karen Read has fired back with a devastating lawsuit that lays out a sweeping, detailed case for what she has said all along: she was framed, the investigation was corrupted, and the real killer of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe was never brought to justice.

In a powerful 20-page filing submitted this week in Bristol County, Read accuses several key witnesses and multiple State Police investigators of orchestrating a cover-up designed to pin O’Keefe’s death on her. The lawsuit alleges these individuals “concocted a plan” to shift blame away from the people inside the Canton house where O’Keefe spent his final hours.

Karen Read Lawsuit by Abby Patkin

Read was fully acquitted of murder and manslaughter after two high-profile trials. Jurors rejected the prosecution’s central theory and convicted her only of a drunk driving misdemeanor. Now, with criminal charges behind her, she is using the civil courts to expose what she says really happened on January 29, 2022.

According to the complaint, O’Keefe was killed during a chaotic altercation inside the Alberts’ home after a night of heavy drinking. Read alleges the party-goers failed to call 911 and instead made a now infamous search for “how long to die in cold” before placing O’Keefe outside in the snow to stage a hit-and-run narrative. Those named in the lawsuit include Brian and Nicole Albert, Jennifer and Matthew McCabe, and Brian Higgins.

The filing also draws a sharp line under what Read’s lawyers describe as a deeply compromised investigation by the Massachusetts State Police. Detective Lt. Brian Tully, Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, and former Trooper Michael Proctor are all accused of ignoring evidence that pointed away from Read and overlooking the conduct of party attendees. Proctor’s vulgar and degrading texts about Read, which surfaced during her criminal trial and led to his dismissal, are cited as proof of bias, hostility, and motive to protect personal connections within the Albert household.

Despite being central figures at the party and in the investigation, these witnesses now claim Read’s allegations are “false” and “without merit,” signaling plans to sue her for defamation. Read’s legal team dismissed that threat as a distraction from the far more serious wrongdoing outlined in her complaint.

Read is seeking to consolidate her lawsuit with the wrongful death suit filed by O’Keefe’s family, a move that would force all evidence onto the same playing field and prevent key witnesses from hiding behind selective narratives.

Her lawsuit argues that she endured years of emotional, physical, and financial devastation because of what she calls a malicious prosecution driven by biased investigators, manipulated evidence, and a coordinated effort to steer suspicion away from the people who were actually with O’Keefe when he died.

As this civil battle begins, one line from Read’s filing stands out as the defining question of the entire case: “His killer, or killers, still walk free.”

For the first time, Karen Read is in control of the courtroom. And she intends to use it to pull every hidden detail into the light.