Speaking publicly for the first time since her June acquittal in a high-profile Massachusetts murder retrial, Karen Read noted she is not at all involved with the Elizabeth Banks-led Prime Video limited series currently in development about her infamous case.
“I have nothing to do with that; it’s not authorized by me in any way,” Read told talk show host Howie Carr in an interview yesterday. “There is more to this story — I won’t say another side, I think that the public at large knows this story, they know the truth, but there’s a lot more to it than what, I think, Elizabeth Banks knows at this point.”
She added, “I’ve never spoken to her. I have not blessed this, no.”
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Meanwhile, her attorney Alan Jackson added, “At the end of the day, this is Karen Read’s story to tell; it’s not Hollywood’s story to make up and to fill in blanks that they want to fill in, to take poetic license, literary license, movie license … It’s a little bit of a shame that she was never even consulted, never even contacted.”
Read continued that she “heard through the grapevine” Banks was interested in portraying her in a project, but heard nothing further from the actress-cum-executive producer. “She knows who our contacts are. Yeah, we’re not hard to find.”
Two months ago, Read was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, and was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, ultimately sentenced to serve a year of probation. The 2025 retrial stemmed from a first trial that began in April of last year and which concluded in a mistrial due to a “starkly divided” hung jury. At the time, divisiveness reflected public sentiment in the state and country at large, as some in Norfolk County’s town of Canton believed her to be guilty and others said she was a scapegoat in a sweeping cover-up by law enforcement.
The highly publicized case regarded the February 2022 death of O’Keefe, who was found dead in a snowbank outside a home after attending a party. He was reportedly last seen leaving the house, but the circumstances surrounding his death were unclear, at first thought to be the result of a tragic accident.
Next, Jackson indicated he and Read will be pursuing a civil lawsuit in the aftermath of the latter’s acquittal, saying they are “considering all options” — both state and federal cases. “Nothing’s off the table, and no one’s off the table,” he told Carr.
On Wednesday, Deadline exclusively broke the news of the forthcoming limited series, which will be co-developed by Prime Video and Warner Bros. Television and based off of Law & Crime and Wondery podcast Karen. Justin Noble will serve as showrunner, scribe and executive producer, with David E. Kelley on board to also executive produce.
Separately, at the end of June, it was announced that LBI Productions would be partnering with Read and her lead defense attorney to develop a scripted project chronicling the story behind the case.
Natalie Oganesyan
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