Karen Read spotted canoodling with lawyer as jury deliberated over whether she murdered cop boyfriend
Now that’s attorney-client privilege.
Karen Read was spotted cuddling up to her attorney Alan Jackson outside a high-end Boston steakhouse last week as jurors deliberated over whether she murdered her Boston cop boyfriend in 2022.
The iPhone live photo appeared to capture Jackson, a star criminal defense attorney from Los Angeles, wrapping his client in an embrace — with one arm around her midsection and another tight across her chest — on June 27 outside Smith & Wollensky in downtown Beantown.
In the 1.5-second clip, Read, 44, appeared to smile as Jackson — who wore a wedding ring throughout the trial — grabs her while they watch two other people pose for a photo outside the restaurant.
The Post has verified that the metadata of the original photo shows it was taken in the area of the steakhouse as the jury deliberated.
“I was eating dinner with my wife and I happened to look out and see them outside, and it looked wrong and inappropriate so I just grabbed the closest phone and took a picture,” said the photographer, who did not want to be named.
“It was just her attorney kinda I don’t know what you would call it. It looked inappropriate for an attorney-client type situation.”
The Smith & Wollensky where the snap was taken is not far from a North End restaurant where Read and Jackson were earlier photographed dining with members of the legal team, and wearing the same outfits seen in the embrace photo – a dark sleeveless top on Read, and a navy blue T-shirt and blue jeans on Jackson.
Before the embrace, Read was being beckoned to join two people for a photo. Those people’s outfits — a blue collared shirt and dark shoes on one man, and a rectangular black watch on the other — matched the same outfits worn by the others in the North End dinner photo.
What to know about the Karen Read murder case
- Karen Read, 44, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly mowing down her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, as she was dropping him off to meet friends in Canton, Mass., on Jan. 29, 2022.
- The night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple had been out on a bar crawl, with Read allegedly consuming seven drinks in just 90 minutes, according to reports.
- Prosecutors claim that after Read drunkenly ran over her boyfriend, she drove off and left O’Keefe to die outside as a snowstorm was set to sweep in.
- Read’s lawyers argued she was framed in a sweeping law enforcement cover-up and that O’Keefe actually died after getting into an altercation with his officer friends.
- The two-month trial that had 74 witnesses featured stunning revelations, including “unprofessional” messages by the lead detective, and crowds of fawning supporters who cheered Read outside court each day.
- On July 1, 2024, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial in the case, since the jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of deliberations.
- Read faced up to life in prison if she had been convicted on the top count of murder.
The photo was publicized on the X account Masshole Mafia run by Kate Peter, who told The Post she was one of several people who obtained the shot.
Peter has been vocal in her belief that Read is guilty of killing Officer John O’Keefe, and runs the account as one of several partisan social media pages that have cropped up in the wake of the high-profile investigation.
O’Keefe was found dead in a snowbank in Canton, Massachusetts — outside Boston — in January 2022. Prosecutors alleged Read hit O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV and left him for dead in the cold after a night of heavy drinking.
Read hired a high-profile legal team, including Jackson — a high-flying former LA County prosecutor who went on to represent big-name clients, including Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.
Want to learn more about Karen Read’s murder trial? Click down below
- Karen Read, the woman accused of murdering her cop boyfriend, breaks silence — and alleges law enforcement cover-up
- New Karen Read ABC ‘20/20’ doc gives behind-the-scenes look at defendant picking out clothes, preparing for trial on murder charges
- Karen Read sued by family of Boston cop boyfriend she’s accused of killing
- Karen Read’s bid to have charges tossed in cop boyfriend murder case rejected by judge
Jackson married Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Lisa Kassabian in 2011.
In the Read case, Jackson argued the charges were a stitch-up by local cops who were out to “pin it on the girl” and claimed that O’Keefe died during a confrontation with his police pals.
Read’s defense has won legions of supporters, who gathered in the hundreds outside court each day to protest her innocence.
The months-long, live-streamed trial was a sensation in the Boston area.
Jackson’s argument also appears to have won over at least some members of the jury.
On Monday, the judge ruled the case a mistrial after jurors couldn’t agree on a unanimous verdict. The Norfolk County District Attorney said he plans to retry the case.
Peter said she uploaded the photo to social media, but because she used an Android device, the image uploaded with glitches.
As a result, Read supporters claimed it was fake or AI-generated.
Neither Jackson or Read responded to requests for comment from The Post on Tuesday.
