Karen Read reveals decision behind new lawsuit against city and police - BERITAJA

Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman who was acquitted of sidesplitting her constabulary serviceman fellow past year aft 2 wide publicized execution trials, revealed Friday why she revenge a suit alleging misconduct and negligence successful the investigation that led to her prosecution.

“This was ever our plan, that I had to prevention my ain life first,” Read said connected “TODAY” while flanked by her 2 defense attorneys. “I person to proceed fighting for justice. The acquittal is deserved, but the wrongs person not been wholly righted.”

“They’ve been happening on the way, but I ever knew this was going to hap if I could get the thief legally to do this,” she added.

Read sued the Massachusetts State Police and the municipality of Canton connected Thursday, alleging that misconduct and negligence led to her prosecution successful the decease successful 2022 of John O’Keefe, a Boston constabulary officer.

Her attorneys based on successful the suit that “an embedded civilization of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and organization rot” was astatine the bosom of 2 agencies that investigated O’Keefe’s death, the State Police and the Canton Police Department.

Karen Read and John O'Keefe.via Dateline

The suit comes aft Read was acquitted past June of second-degree murder, centrifugal conveyance manslaughter while driving nether the power and leaving the segment of a collision resulting successful death. She was convicted of a azygous complaint — operating nether the power of liquor.

She was acquitted little than a twelvemonth aft her first proceedings ended pinch a hung jury.

On Friday, Read’s lawyer Alan Jackson explained that the extremity of the suit is to “bring to the ray the organization biases, the organization corruption that permeates the Massachusetts rule enforcement system.”

“The rule speaks successful dollars, but that’s not what the eventual extremity is here,” Jackson told “TODAY” co-anchor Craig Melvin. “What Karen wants, you cannot constitute connected a check, which is exposure. Exposure of the corruption that is the DNA of the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department, which is evidenced by these 2 individuals and their matter messages.”

In a connection responding to the lawsuit, officials successful Canton rejected “broad changeable characterizations” about its constabulary officers and said the municipality had made important strides toward implementing the findings of an audit that was captious of really its officers handled Read’s case.

The Massachusetts State Police superintendent, Col. Geoffrey Noble, described derogatory matter messages cited successful Read’s suit arsenic “entirely inconsistent pinch immoderate basal modular of decency and surely pinch the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper. These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments perfectly do not bespeak the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated wrong our ranks.”

“They were successful a position wherever they could, they felt comfortable wrong their ain family, the family of rule enforcement, to nonstop these vile matter messages,” Jackson said.

Read added that she believes O’Keefe was the “victim of this organization corruption” among rule enforcement.

O’Keefe, 46, was recovered dormant extracurricular the suburban location of different Boston constabulary serviceman connected the greeting of Jan. 29, 2022. According to the aesculapian examiner, the origin of decease was blunt unit trauma to the head, pinch hypothermia listed arsenic a contributing factor.

Prosecutors alleged that Read was dropping O’Keefe disconnected for a gathering astatine the different officer’s location erstwhile — fueled by intoxication and anger about the authorities of her deteriorating narration — she reversed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe and near him for dead. Read rejected the allegations.

There was nary video of the alleged collision, nor did immoderate witnesses declare to person seen it. But prosecutors from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office presented conveyance information and master grounds that they said proved their case.

Her attorneys blamed others for O’Keefe’s decease — including Brian Albert, the now-retired constabulary sergeant who was helping big the gathering astatine his Canton location — and said she was the unfortunate of a corrupt, biased rule enforcement investigation.

During Read’s first trial, her attorneys based on that Albert and others about apt killed O’Keefe during a conflict and framed Read for his death. The attorneys were barred from identifying the group arsenic suspects successful the 2nd trial; aft she was acquitted, Read revenge a lawsuit accusing them of covering up O’Keefe’s death.

Attorneys for Albert and the others person called the allegations “false, defamatory, and without merit.” In April, they revenge a defamation suit against Read.

The 2 lawsuits continue.

Read’s attorneys besides accused the erstwhile authorities trooper who led the investigation into O’Keefe’s decease of bias.

During some trials, the lawyers presented matter messages that showed the erstwhile trooper, Michael Proctor, making derogatory comments about Read and sharing investigative specifications pinch non-law enforcement personnel, including a comparative who was adjacent to the Alberts.

Proctor, who testified astatine the first trial, acknowledged saying “unprofessional” things about Read but denied starring a biased investigation. He was dishonorably discharged aft those proceedings and was not called to attest during the 2nd trial.

Read connected Friday said that since the trials, she has not returned to activity and has focused her attraction connected her case. And while she “wants this to beryllium over,” she continues to conflict for O’Keefe, whom she described arsenic “very easy going and benignant of shy.”

“He’s not lost; he’s the logic we are doing this,” she added.