It was just after 4 a.m. and Boston police officer John O’Keefe wasn’t home.
A Nor’easter was blowing in Canton, Massachusetts and no one had heard from him.
John and his girlfriend, Karen Read, had spent the evening out. They went to one bar, and then to another, where they met up with some friends.
One of the friends, Jen McCabe, invited them to go to a party at her brother-in-law’s house after the bar closed.
Karen said she dropped John off outside the party house sometime after midnight. The house was kind of dark, she said, so she wanted him to check it out while she waited in her SUV. She said John never came back, so she got angry, left and went home.
John never came home.
In the early morning hours, Karen reached out to Jen McCabe, to see if she knew where John was. She did not, but made some calls to others who had been at the party.
One of the partygoers told Jen that John never entered the house that night.
Karen got in her SUV and picked up Jen and another of John's friends to go searching for John.
They went back to John’s place first, to make sure he hadn’t returned, then they went to the house where the party was held.
As they approached the house, Karen was the first to spot him.
John was lying in the snow, cold and unresponsive. His eyes were swollen shut and there was blood dripping from his nose.
They called 911 and performed CPR on John.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, leaving his friends and family devastated.
But the question was, how did John end up in the snow that night?
Massachusetts State Police launched an investigation and developed a theory: That Karen was to blame for John’s death; that she had drunkenly backed into John with her SUV outside the party.
On February 1, 2022, Karen Read was arrested and charged with manslaughter, negligent motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a collision.
She entered a plea of not guilty.
But Karen would end up alleging a conspiracy and cover up of police and others.
The story quickly swept across the nation, but nobody could have predicted the dramatic events that took place two years later…
To see the full story, watch the episode “The Night of the Nor’easter” on Peacock now.
You can also watch on the NBC app or listen to it on our podcast.
After you’ve finished the episode, watch loved ones remember John O’Keefe as a fun-loving family man and dedicated police officer.
Plus, hear from one of our producers, Sue Simpson, about her experience at Karen Read’s trial from a journalist’s perspective.
Also, John O’Keefe’s ex-girlfriend Lindsay Higgins shares her perspective on the case, and the story of how she became friends with Karen Read after his death.
Also, check out this week's episode of Talking Dateline, where Andrea Canning and Blayne Alexander go behind the scenes of the episode.
