Karen Read was criticized for having “two versions” of herself during the murder trial of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in an exclusive clip from A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read shared by In Touch.
“I think there are two versions of Karen Read inside the courtroom,” Kristina Rex, a reporter at WBZ-TV News, said in a teaser for the Wednesday, March 19 episode of A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read. “There’s a version when the jury’s present and the version when they’re not.”
Episodes 1 and 2 of the ID docuseries A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read premiered on Monday, March 17, offering viewers a deeper look into Read’s 2024 trial. The series explores accusations that she drunkenly ran over John with her car after a night out together. However, Read, 44, has consistently maintained her innocence, claiming she is being framed for his murder.
“When the jury is not present, Karen Read is often looking back and talking to her family, who’s sitting right behind her, laughing, making small talk with her attorneys,” the reporter explained. “But when the jury is there, she is often very stoic, lips pursed, to a degree, looking straightforward at the witness.”
Meanwhile, Sue O’ Connor, a commentator for NBC, echoed Karen’s changing demeanor and felt sorry that “John’s family had to watch that.”
“Before the jury comes in, she’s posing for pictures with [her lawyers] and the spectators that get to come in,” she explained. “Those are getting posted all over social media … It was really quite unprofessional the way they all carried on, a lot of giggling, a lot of fun.”
Brendan Kane, a friend of the late police officer, agreed that Karen was giggly in the courtroom.
“There was a claustrophobic feel in that room, the defendant is maybe four or five feet away from us, so it was impossible to not notice Karen’s demeanor,” he explained. “In between witness testimony, she would look over and mumble something to her counsel, then she’s smile or laugh or turn around to her parents and roll her eyes.”
Read defended herself and said her innocence was the reason she was relaxed in the courtroom.
“I’m sure the O’Keefe’s hate every minute of this, I’m sure they hate every time I turn around,” Read explained during the docuseries. “It does not bother me sitting that close to John’s family. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
John was 48 when he was found dead outside the home of fellow police officer Brian Albert’s home in January 2022. Read has maintained that John was severely beaten inside the home and then left outside to die in a snowbank.
According to Read and her supporters, what followed was an alleged widespread cover-up involving both local and state law enforcement, aimed at pinning the blame entirely on her.
Read’s 2024 trial ended in a mistrial in July of that year. Read’s retrial is set to begin on April 1.
“I’m not backing down now,” she told Vanity Fair in October 2024. “As scary as a potential conviction is, I will go to jail for something I didn’t do before I plea out. I will never give them that win.”
The one-hour finale of A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read airs on ID on Wednesday, March 19.
