The girlfriend of a Boston police officer found dead in the snow outside a home in January was indicted by a grand jury Thursday for second-degree murder and other charges.
Karen Read, 42, was previously charged with manslaughter, accused of hitting Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe with her car. In addition to the second-degree murder charge, she was also indicted on one count of motor vehicle manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a collision, NBC Boston reports.
O'Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the department, was found outside of a Canton residence. The district attorney’s office at the time reported he appeared to have been in the cold for some time.
Prosecutors say Read and O'Keefe had been drinking with friends and she told them she dropped O'Keefe off at the house shortly after midnight and went home because she was having stomach issues. She later returned to the home with two friends several hours later after she was unable to reach O'Keefe by calls and texts.
Prosecutors alleged in court that Read told a Canton firefighter/paramedic at the scene, "I hit him, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him."
Her car was later seized by police and is reported to have had a shattered right rear taillight and several scratches on its rear bumper. Hypothermia is also believed to be a contributing factor in his death.
