In a dramatic turn of events during KAREN READ‘s retrial for the murder of her boyfriend, JOHN O’KEEFE, a 2024 interview clip from Investigation Discovery was played in court on Thursday. The clip revealed Read’s account of a night of drinking at CF McCarthy’s bar in Canton on January 28, 2022, where she allegedly took matters into her own hands after receiving weak drinks.
KAREN READ recounted in the interview, “The drinks they were pouring me at McCarthy’s, where I consumed most of the alcohol, were the weakest vodka tonics. It tasted just like soda water with lime.” Unhappy with the alcohol level, she added extra shots to her drinks, stating, “Each drink was being counted as a double. I would get a vodka tonic and then pour a shot into it.”
The interview clip, which aired as part of the documentary, showed Read describing how she poured multiple shots into her glass, including one from a round ordered by their group. “That’s now my fifth and sixth drinks, with the seventh, which is a shot that all the men did, and I poured it. So, that’s one glass that I’m holding,” she explained.
Special prosecutor HANK BRENNAN presented a series of text exchanges between Read and O’Keefe from the day of his death, read aloud by Massachusetts State Trooper NICHOLAS GUARINO. The texts revealed escalating tensions between the couple, with O’Keefe expressing frustration over arguments and Read persistently trying to reach him.
At 2:38 p.m., Read called O’Keefe, who rejected the call and sent it to voicemail. She texted, “Can you pls answer??” O’Keefe replied nearly a minute later, “No Karen. Not sure why you need to announce that you’re grabbing a drink but have fun.” The exchanges continued, with Read suggesting they meet at a local spot rather than his house, while O’Keefe cited responsibilities with his niece and nephew.
Around 8 p.m., Read informed O’Keefe that a plumber was stopping by due to a lack of hot water. O’Keefe responded that he would fix it later in the week. This detail could support the defense’s theory that O’Keefe’s injuries were not caused by a collision with Read’s SUV but rather from a possible altercation with another individual.
Legal experts weighed in on the prosecution’s strategy, with New York defense attorney LINDA KENNEY BADEN stating, “I thought this presentation backfired. It looked like a couple with normal issues, and it was like she would wake up and leave this relationship where you were being used, not as a motive to murder.”
After the ID clip was played, Judge BEVERLY CANNONE dismissed the jury for the day due to witness-related confusion. The trial is set to resume on Friday with an in-person viewing of the crime scene.
For more details, watch the full interview clip here: [WATCH: Karen Read recounts night of drinking at local bar in 2024 television interview](https://www.investigationdiscovery.com).
Sources:
[Investigation Discovery](https://www.investigationdiscovery.com)
[Fox News Digital](https://www.foxnews.com)