More than a month after her acquittal in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, Karen Read is asking a judge to compel prosecutors to return her personal property — including her 2021 Lexus SUV and multiple cell phones — which remain in state custody.
In a motion filed this week in Norfolk County Superior Court and obtained by PEOPLE, Read’s attorneys say they requested the return of the items from Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally in late June but received no reply. The property was seized during the investigation into O’Keefe’s death and remains in the custody of the Massachusetts State Police.
“Counsel attempted to negotiate the return of the listed property with ADA Adam Lally in late June… and has not heard back,” the motion states.
Read’s attorney, Steve Boozang, told Boston 25 News that the continued delay is “bewildering” and said they had hoped to avoid further litigation. “They returned no bill, meaning there was no evidence whatsoever that Karen Read or Aidan Kearney had committed any crimes,” Boozang said. “When I didn’t hear back after a month, it was time to file a motion and let a judge order the items to be returned.”
The Lexus LX 570, valued at approximately $60,000, was central to the prosecution’s case. Investigators alleged that Read, who had been drinking, struck O’Keefe with the SUV and left him in a snowbank outside the Canton, Massachusetts, home of another Boston police officer. O’Keefe was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead.
Read was ultimately acquitted in June of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. She was found guilty only of operating under the influence and sentenced to one year of probation.
The case drew national media attention and sparked widespread protests by Read’s supporters, who claimed she had been framed and that the investigation was deeply flawed. The controversy intensified after lead Massachusetts State Police investigator Michael Proctor was terminated for sending vulgar and unprofessional messages about Read during the investigation.
A hearing date on the motion has not yet been scheduled, and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office has not publicly commented on the request.
