Karen Read Trial FULL Closing Arguments From Hank Brennan Prosecution
In this critical episode, we present Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan’s complete closing argument in the Karen Read murder retrial, where he methodically builds the Commonwealth’s case that Read struck and killed her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV in January 2022. Brennan, the seasoned attorney brought in specifically for the retrial, delivered an hour and twenty minute presentation that wove together witness testimony, forensic evidence, and Read’s own words to argue she committed second-degree murder.
“She was drunk, she hit him, and she left him to die,” Brennan stated emphatically, repeating this phrase multiple times throughout his closing. The prosecutor painted O’Keefe as “a good man” who “helped people,” noting how he took in his orphaned niece and nephew, before arguing that on the night of his death, it was O’Keefe who needed help—and Read chose to abandon him.
Central to Brennan’s argument was the physical and digital evidence. He presented data from Read’s Lexus showing she reversed at 24 mph with 74% throttle pressure, combined with O’Keefe’s phone data showing he exited the vehicle and never moved again after the alleged collision. “We know in that window she hits him, because he never moves again,” Brennan argued, using the technical data to pinpoint the exact moment of impact. He emphasized the debris field of taillight fragments found at the scene as irrefutable proof of a collision.
Brennan effectively used Read’s own statements against her, playing video clips from her media interviews where she questioned “Could I have hit him? Did I hit him?” and acknowledged she could have “clipped him.” He contrasted this with multiple first responders who testified they heard Read repeatedly say “I hit him” at the scene. The prosecutor argued these weren’t questions but admissions from someone “coming to terms with the moment.”
Addressing the defense’s conspiracy theory head-on, Brennan acknowledged former lead investigator Michael Proctor’s “distasteful” and “dishonorable” conduct but argued it didn’t negate the physical evidence or testimony from “independent core people” who witnessed Read’s statements. He dismissed claims of a cover-up as incompatible with the testimony of paramedics and firefighters he called “heroes” who were simply doing their jobs.
In his powerful conclusion, Brennan displayed a photo of O’Keefe and declared: “John O’Keefe is not a body. John O’Keefe is not a buffalo on a prairie. He was a person, and he was murdered by Karen Read.” This complete presentation showcases Brennan’s prosecutorial strategy of combining technical evidence with emotional appeals to secure a conviction.
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