Karen Read Retrial: Read admits spiking her drink, blames O’Keefe’s niece and nephew for tensions in the relationship

Karen Read’s retrial took a sharp turn on Thursday, April 24. A video clip, which is an extract from the documentary interview she gave in 2024, showed her admitting to adding extra alcohol to her drink. The court has also reviewed tense text exchanges between the couple. The footage and messages offered a glimpse at their troubled relationship.

Read claims O'Keefe encouraged her to spike bar drinks

In the video interview, Read explained that she disliked the drinks at McCarthy’s bar as they were not strong enough for her. To her, it tasted like “soda water with lime”.

She added on to say that her boyfriend, O'Keefe, encouraged her to go for a stronger drink. After his suggestion, she mixed her drink with additional shots of vodka. According to her, the cocktail had “three drinks” in one glass.

Text messages reveal a strained relationship between the duo

The court session had the presence of Massachusetts State Trooper Nicholas Guarino, who read the text conversations between Read and O'Keefe that took place in the first half of the same day when the incident occurred.

The exchange reflected discomfort between the couple, as Read repeatedly texted and called her boyfriend, but the calls went unanswered. It appeared as if O'Keefe was irritated with the conflicts between them.

As per a Boston.com report, O’Keefe texted Read about the issues in their relationships. He mentioned being “sick” of spats between them. The conversation, reportedly, took place on January 28, 2022.

As per Read’s claims, the duo had a fight over the food consumed by O’Keefe’s niece and nephew, who were staying with him. While Read mentioned feeling let down sometimes, O’Keefe apologised to her. Read later told him how the fight affected her, and that she felt about “coming back over”.

Read, who kept calling O’Keefe but couldn’t get through, even asked if he was seeing someone else. But O’Keefe dismissed her suspicions and simply expressed how their fights have made him feel. In later texts, Read repeatedly asked O’Keefe if he wanted to go for drinks. He dismissed her requests, but asked her to go ahead for drinks if she wanted.

In later texts, she even ended up calling the relationship between the duo and O’Keefe’s niece and nephew as a ‘toxic’ one, as she believed the kids had been the major reason for spats between the couple.

Defense points to alternative theory as trial continues

The defense team for Read presented evidence that O'Keefe's injuries did not stem from the driving SUV, as the prosecution had earlier suggested. Defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital how the messages demonstrated them as a normal couple who have fights over issues like any couple does. For her, this doesn’t appear as a conversation that could serve as a motivation for murder.

The court adjourned the jury session after text messages and video footage were presented for review. The court proceedings will take a break on Friday, before the jury members go and observe the crime scene location personally.

FAQs:

Why is Karen Read on trial?

Karen Read is on trial for the alleged murder of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, who died under suspicious circumstances.

What did Karen Read say about her drinking session on the night of O’Keefe’s death?

She said that the drinks served at the bar were not alcoholic enough, so she added extra vodka shots on O'Keefe’s suggestion.