‘I [expletive] hate you’: Karen Read voicemails recovered from John O’Keefe’s phone played in court

DEDHAM, Mass. — Karen Read left John O’Keefe a slew of profanity-laden voicemails in the hours leading up to the discovery of his lifeless body in the snow outside of a home in Canton in January 2022. They were played in court on Tuesday on Day 10 of her murder retrial.

Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert following a night of drinking.

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino, a digital forensics specialist, testified that he was tasked with extracting data from cellphones belonging to Read, O’Keefe, and other witnesses connected to the case under the direction of now-fired lead investigator Michael Proctor.

In the voicemails from the early morning hours of Jan. 29, Read accused O’Keefe of infidelity, expressed hate for him, and said his children are alone.

Between 12:33 a.m. and 6:03 a.m., Read called O’Keefe 53 times and left eight voicemails. None of Read’s calls were answered.

Voicemail #1 (12:37 a.m.)

“John! I (expletive) hate you!”

Voicemail #2 (12:41 a.m.)

No words are spoken and only inaudible, banging-like sounds are heard.

Voicemail #3 (12:59 a.m.)

“John, I’m here with the (expletive) kids. Nobody knows where the (expletive) you are. You (expletive) pervert.”

Voicemail #4 (1:01 a.m.)

A one-second message with no spoken words.

Voicemail #5 (1:10 a.m.)

“It’s 1 in the morning. I’m with your (expletive) niece and your nephew. You (expletive) pervert. You’re a (expletive) pervert!”

Voicemail #6 (1:17 a.m.)

“John, I’m going home. I cannot believe (inaudible). I need to go home. You are (expletive) using me right now. Your (expletive) another girl. (Name redacted) is sleeping next to me. You’re a (expletive) loser. (Expletive) yourself!”

Voicemail #7 (5:23 a.m.)

“John! (inaudible).”

Voicemail #8 (6:03 a.m.)

The sound of windshield wipers and a 911 call can be heard in the background. A screaming Read is also heard.

Earlier in the retrial, on Day 3 of witness testimony, Guarino read text messages that Read and O’Keefe exchanged before his death.

Special prosecutor Hank Brennan asked Guarino to read dozens of contentious texts that Read and O’Keefe had exchanged aloud in court for the jurors.

The messages, which were dated between 2:30 p.m. and 8:35 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2022, painted a strained relationship between Read and O’Keefe.

‘Stop calling’: Trooper reads text messages Karen Read, John O’Keefe exchanged before his death

The couple appeared to be discussing a fight that they had on that morning and trying to smooth things over. Prosecutors have said that the messages show their relationship was in a bad place.

Prosecutors allege Read intentionally backed into O’Keefe after she dropped him off at a house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense has claimed that she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O’Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer or partygoer and dumped in the snow.

A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile.

Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.

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