John O’Keefe Funeral and the Case Against Karen Read

The funeral of John O’Keefe was held on Monday, February 7, 2022, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree, Massachusetts, with burial following at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree.¹ O’Keefe was a 46-year-old Boston Police officer and 16-year veteran of the department who had stepped in years earlier to raise his orphaned niece and nephew. Hundreds of officers and community members turned out to mourn him.

The Wake in Braintree

Visiting hours ran on Sunday, February 6, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, the Braintree parish where O’Keefe grew up and his family worshipped.² Around 5:30 p.m., a procession of officers led O’Keefe’s body into the church while a bagpipe band played outside.³

Hundreds of people lined the streets, among them dozens of police officers and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.³ One attendee, Grace Walling, told reporters, “I’ve never seen so many people pay their respects. He was well loved.”⁴

The Funeral Mass and Burial

The funeral Mass began at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the same church.¹ O’Keefe’s brother, Paul, delivered remembrances during the service. Colleagues lined the street outside the church as the Mass proceeded.⁴ O’Keefe was buried at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, with arrangements handled by the Cartwright-Venuti Funeral Home.

Who John O’Keefe Was

John J. “JJ” O’Keefe III grew up in Braintree, graduated from Braintree High School and Northeastern University, and later earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts.⁵ He joined the Boston Police Department on October 31, 2005, and served 16 years as a patrol officer across several district assignments.⁶ BPD Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long called him a “kind person dedicated to his family” who would be “greatly missed.”⁷

What most people came to know about him was how he became a father figure. In 2013, his sister Kristen O’Keefe Furbush died of a brain tumor. A few months later, her husband, Stephen Furbush, died of a heart attack.⁸ O’Keefe moved into their Canton home and became the legal guardian of their two young children, Kayley and Patrick Furbush.⁹ His brother Paul said John “proved” his character by stepping into that role.

After his death, a GoFundMe called the “Furbush Children’s Fund” raised more than $257,000 for Kayley and Patrick.¹⁰

How He Died

O’Keefe was found lying in the snow outside a home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton around 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022, during a snowstorm. He had spent the previous night out with his girlfriend, Karen Read, at the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton, and Read had driven him to the Fairview Road house, the home of retired Boston police officer Brian Albert, where others from the bar had gathered. An autopsy completed on January 31 ruled the cause of death as blunt impact injuries to the head combined with hypothermia.¹¹

Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long publicly announced O’Keefe’s death on January 30, 2022.⁷ At the time of the funeral a week later, the death was still under active investigation and no charges had been filed.

What Happened After the Funeral

Prosecutors later charged Karen Read with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death, alleging she struck O’Keefe with her SUV outside the Albert home and left him in the snow.¹² Read’s defense argued that O’Keefe was beaten inside the Albert residence and that she had been set up.¹³

A first trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial after the jury told Judge Beverly Cannone it was “hopelessly deadlocked.”¹⁴¹⁵

The O’Keefe family — his parents, his brother Paul, and his niece — has since filed a wrongful death and emotional distress lawsuit against Read and the two Canton bars the couple visited that night, C.F. McCarthy’s and the Waterfall Bar and Grille. In October 2025, Judge Daniel O’Shea allowed the reckless and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims to proceed.¹⁶

1
Patriot Ledger. Boston Police Officers Funeral Set Braintree
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NBC Boston. Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe to Be Laid to Rest Monday
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WCVB. Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe Wake
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CBS News Boston. John O’Keefe Funeral Boston Police Officer Braintree
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Cartwright Funeral Home. Obituary for John J. “JJ” O’Keefe III
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NBC Boston. Wednesday Marks 3 Years Since Death of Boston Officer John O’Keefe
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WCVB. Boston Police Officer Dies During Storm
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Patriot Ledger. Karen Read Braintree John O’Keefe Family Mistrial
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CBS News Boston. Karen Read Trial John O’Keefe Niece Testimony
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Boston.com. John O’Keefe Guardian Niece Nephew Fundraiser
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CBS News Boston. Karen Read Trial Timeline John O’Keefe
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BBC. Karen Read Trial
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NPR. Karen Read Acquitted Trial Verdict Not Guilty
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NBC News. Judge Declines Dismiss Murder Case Karen Read
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NPR. Karen Read Acquitted Trial Verdict Not GuiltyKaren Read Trial
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Court TV. Judge Allows O’Keefes Civil Case Against Karen Read to Move Forward