Glen Powell and Michelle Randolph at Golden Globes afterparty
Glen Powell and Michelle Randolph gave their romance a quietly public moment following the 2026 Golden Globes, stepping out together at an afterparty that also included Powell’s parents.
The appearance marked a notable milestone for the couple, who have been keeping their relationship largely low-key since romance rumours first surfaced late last year.
Powell, 37, attended the 83rd annual Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, with his parents, Cyndy Powell and Glen Powell Sr., as his guests.
While Randolph, 28, did not walk the red carpet with him, she was later spotted joining the trio after the ceremony.
According to E! News, Randolph was seen getting into a car with Powell and his parents following the awards show, before the group headed to a Golden Globes afterparty together.
Photos shared the next day showed Powell smiling as he walked slightly ahead of Randolph while arriving at the bash.
The actor wore the same midnight blue Brunello Cucinelli tuxedo and matching bow tie he had donned earlier that evening.
Randolph opted for a black gown featuring cutouts near her midriff, pairing the look with a black handbag and wearing her blonde hair down in soft curls.
The outing came about two months after the pair were first spotted together in Austin, Texas, where Powell lives.
Randolph has been spending time nearby while filming Landman in Fort Worth.
In early December 2025, Us Weekly confirmed that the two were seeing each other casually.
“They started seeing where things would go around October and have been trying to keep it under the radar for almost two months now,” an insider explained at the time, adding that the pair were “having fun.”
As their connection grew, Powell and Randolph were seen together in Miami before traveling to St. Bart’s to ring in the New Year.
“They traveled together and Glen invited her on the trip,” a source told Us Weekly, noting that the timing worked out because Randolph also had mutual friends attending.
The insider added that the couple “are dating” but were “keeping things casual and low-key” heading into the new year.
According to the source, “Glen is very into her and they are having a lot of fun,” pointing out that the two share common ground by working in the same industry.
The insider also said Powell thinks Randolph is “so beautiful and is smitten,” while describing Randolph as “very reserved,” adding that Powell “brings out the fun side in her.”
Their Golden Globes afterparty appearance, especially alongside Powell’s parents, suggested the relationship may be moving forward naturally, even as the couple continues to keep things relaxed and largely out of the spotlight.
Bebe Rexha has sparked conversation online after joking that she might ask Taylor Swift to manage her pop career.
Over the weekend, the 36-year-old singer shared a series of self-deprecating posts on X reflecting on her position in the music industry.
The exchange began when Rexha reposted a meme depicting the Grim Reaper unlocking doors for artists such as Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Tate McRae, and Zara Larsson—a reference to the internet slang “Khia Asylum,” used to describe pop stars perceived as overlooked by the mainstream.
“Guys please help me. It’s so lonely in here,” Rexha wrote alongside the image. She continued the joke with a mock voice memo titled “Khia asylum day 3051,” pretending she was physically trapped and forced to run on a treadmill in high heels while others escaped.
During the exchange, Rexha revealed that she is no longer signed to Warner Records and is now working as an independent artist. That disclosure led fans to offer advice on her next move. One suggested she ask Taylor Swift to manage her career—a comment Rexha replied to simply with, “That’s actually genius.”
Rexha and Swift have crossed paths before. In a 2019 interview, Rexha recalled meeting Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards and described the interaction as surreal, saying she was stunned by Swift’s encouragement and found her genuine in person.
A Florida mom is being remembered as a hero after she was shot protecting her children when her husband flew into a violent rage over an evening NFL game.
Jason Kenney, 47, shot and killed his wife, Crystal Roure, 38, before turning the gun on himself just three days before Christmas, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Kenney had been drinking while watching Monday Night Football inside his shed – located at the family’s Highland City home – when he came inside to watch the end of the game at around 11 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2025, authorities said.
Upon entering the home, a fight ensued between the couple after Roure said she did not want to watch football, according to police.
Crystal Roure was killed by her husband, Jason Kenney, after the couple began fighting over watching an NFL game inside their home in Highland City, Florida on Dec. 22, 2025, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.(Facebook/Jason Kenney)
As the altercation escalated, Roure yelled for her 12-year-old son to run to a nearby neighbor’s house and call 911, and he heard a single gunshot as he was fleeing the home.
Responding deputies subsequently found Roure dead in the family’s living room with a gunshot wound to her head, and her 13-year-old daughter suffering from two gunshot wounds while in her bed. The couple’s 1-year-old child was also found asleep in her crib, unharmed.
The teen survived the shooting after the bullet struck her nose and ricocheted through the top of her head, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news conference.
Jason Kenney reportedly called his sister after shooting his wife, Crystal Roure, and 13-year-old stepdaughter to tell her he had “done something really bad and he was not going to jail,” according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.(Facebook/Jason Kenney)
“She said, ‘I begged him, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me. And he shot me anyway,’” Judd said, referring to Kenney’s teen stepdaughter.
Authorities also discovered an undated letter Roure wrote to Kenney, telling him: “You’re drinking, you’re using cocaine again. This is not the way a family should be. You need God.”
Immediately following the shooting of his wife and stepdaughter, police say Kenney fled the area in his truck and called his sister to tell her he “had done something really bad and he was not going to jail.” Kenney reportedly added that she would “see it on the news,” before driving to his deceased father’s home in Lake Wales and entering a shed on the property.
Crystal Roure was shot and killed by her husband, Jason Kenney, inside the family’s home in Highland City, Florida on Dec. 22, 2025, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.(Facebook/Jason Kenney)
When officers arrived and began yelling for Kenney to come outside, they heard a single gunshot and ultimately found him deceased from an apparent self-inflicted wound to the head.
“He absolutely destroyed a family,” Judd said. “When you go in there, there is a beautiful Christmas tree with lots of Christmas presents under the tree, just like the nuclear family should be, and it ends up this way.”
Judd revealed that relatives of the family told investigators that Kenney had been abusing his wife “for a while,” despite the sheriff’s office having no records of any domestic violence calls regarding the couple. Additionally, Kenney had no criminal history, Judd added.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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“After they were married, I know she said he was drinking a lot more but she said that he was going to stop and said he would get help with it. Obviously that didn’t happen,” Roure’s sister, Stephanie Roure, told USA Today.
“My sister died a hero for protecting her children and getting my nephew out of the house to make the 911 call,” Stephanie Roure reportedly said. “She did that. She saved their lives and by doing so my nephew saved his sister’s life, and thank God the baby was untouched.”
Julia Bonavita is a U.S. Writer for Fox News Digital and a Fox Flight Team drone pilot. You can follow her at @juliabonavita13 on all platforms and send story tips to julia.bonavita@fox.com.
The British government intensified its crackdown on AI-generated sexual abuse Monday after ministers confirmed a possible ban on Elon Musk’s social media platform X amid a widening probe and with the company potentially incurring hefty fines.
The dramatic move follows the launch of a formal investigation by Ofcom, the U.K. communications regulator, into whether X breached its legal duties under the U.K.’s Online Safety Act and came after reports that the platform’s built-in AI chatbot, Grok, was used to generate and share sexualized deepfake images of women and children.
Grok was launched in 2023 but its image generator feature, Grok Imagine, was added in 2025 with a specific mode to generate adult content.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall described the recent use of the AI tool being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images as “deeply disturbing.”
Kendall also warned that social media companies would be held accountable if they failed to act.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall has warned that Ofcom has the authority to issue “fines worth millions of dollars” or penalties of up to 10% of a company’s qualifying worldwide revenue.( Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I welcome Ofcom’s urgency in launching a formal investigation today,” Kendall said, according to Reuters. “It is vital that Ofcom complete this investigation swiftly because the public – and most importantly the victims – will not accept any delay.”
In a separate statement shared later Monday, Kendall said the Grok AI tool had been used to create and circulate degrading, non-consensual intimate images.
“No woman or child should live in fear of having their image sexually manipulated by technology,” she said before adding, “The content which has circulated on X is vile. It is not just an affront to decent society, it is illegal.”
Kendall added that sharing or threatening to share deepfake intimate images without consent, including images of people in their underwear, constitutes a criminal offense under U.K. law.
The British government is stepping up its crackdown on AI-generated sexual abuse, with officials confirming a possible ban on Elon Musk’s X as part of a widening probe.(Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
She warned that Ofcom has the authority to issue “fines worth millions of dollars” or penalties of up to 10% of a company’s qualifying worldwide revenue.
“But X does not have to wait for the Ofcom investigation to conclude,” Kendall said. “They can choose to act sooner to ensure this abhorrent and illegal material cannot be shared on their platform,” she warned.
Ofcom had said it “urgently made contact” with X on Jan. 5, demanding explanations about the steps being taken to protect U.K. users and setting a response deadline of Jan. 9.
While xAI, another company founded by Musk, responded, Ofcom said it decided to open a formal investigation after reviewing the available evidence “as a matter of the highest priority.”
In a statement shared Monday, Ofcom said, “Reports of Grok being used to create and share illegal non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material on X have been deeply concerning.”
“Platforms must protect people in the UK from content that’s illegal in the UK, and we won’t hesitate to investigate where we suspect companies are failing in their duties, especially where there’s a risk of harm to children,” the statement said.
The logo of the AI chatbot Grok, which is being developed by the company xAI and was founded by Elon Musk in 2023, can be seen on the display of an iPhone standing on a laptop keyboard. (Silas Stein/Picture alliance via Getty Images)
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the chatbot acknowledged in a public post on X that it had generated and shared an AI image depicting two young girls in sexualized attire, calling the incident a “failure in safeguards” and apologizing for the harm caused.
Amid mounting criticism, Grok confirmed it has begun restricting some image-generation and editing features to paying subscribers. The chatbot said the limitations were implemented to prevent further misuse.
Musk also accused the U.K. Government of “fascism” Monday for “arresting thousands of people for social media posts.”
The billionaire Tesla founder had responded to a post on X that claimed the country arrests more people for social media posts than “any other country on earth.”
Alongside the Ofcom investigation, the U.K. government announced that legislation criminalizing the creation of non-consensual intimate images generated by AI would come into force this week.
Kendall said responsibility does not rest solely with individuals.
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“The platforms that host such material must be held accountable, including X,” she said.
If they do not act, she said she is “prepared to go further.”
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson said the government’s presence on the platform was “under review” and that “all options are on the table.”
The Associated Press also reported Monday that Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Elon Musk and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office for comment.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.
Matthew McConaughey finds it difficult to sit through his own movies
Matthew McConaughey says he struggles to watch his own films after they’re finished.
The actor, 56, made the admission in a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson.
McConaughey explained that while he is comfortable in the moment on set, he becomes overly critical when watching himself later.
“I’m f****** Brando or Olivier when I’m working,” Danson added. “When I watch it, oh jeez. I become this judgmental d***.”
He said it often takes him four attempts to finish one of his own films and that only by the fourth viewing can he make it through without dissecting every choice he made onscreen.
“I’m a four-time guy,” he shared. “Me watching my own work. The fourth time I watch it, if I make it that far, is when I actually can watch the whole the movie.”
The Oscar winner admitted his discomfort comes from being highly self-analytical as he tends to judge his work harshly.
“I’ll be judgmental, and I’m not wrong. But maybe I shouldn’t be that hard,” he shared, adding that he prefers to be on set, acting. “I like doing it. … We’ve all done it long enough. You know when you hit it, you got to look the other direction and go, ‘Yep,’ and they go, ‘Yeah.'”
Although he believes some of that criticism is valid, he acknowledged he may be too tough on himself. For McConaughey, the satisfaction comes from doing the work, not reviewing it afterward.
He also shared that constantly revisiting his performances could make him overly concerned with appearance or ego, something he actively tries to avoid. Once he and the director agree that a scene works, he prefers to move on rather than revisit it.
During the conversation, McConaughey reflected on how experience has changed his approach to acting. Early in his career, he said there was often a gap between what he intended to do and what appeared onscreen. Over time, that gap narrowed as his instincts sharpened.
LSU is expected to sign Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Monday.
Leavitt, the No. 2 quarterback and top uncommitted player in ESPN’s transfer rankings, chose to play for new coach Lane Kiffin and the Tigers after also taking visits to Miami, Tennessee and Kentucky.
It’s a significant recruiting victory for Kiffin and an LSU program in need of a proven starting quarterback after Garrett Nussmeier graduated and backup Michael Van Buren Jr. transferred to South Florida.
Leavitt, the Big 12’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has thrown for 4,652 yards, rushed for 816 yards and scored 46 total touchdowns with 11 interceptions in his career between two years at Arizona State and one at Michigan State.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt sophomore led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance during his first season in the program in 2024, earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference honors.
His second year with the Sun Devils was cut short by a foot injury that lingered for weeks and required season-ending surgery.
Leavitt produced 1,628 passing yards, 306 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns and three interceptions on the year, and won five of his seven starts, including an upset of eventual Big 12 champion Texas Tech.
When reports emerged during Leavitt’s visit that LSU was targeting Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., Leavitt continued his recruiting process by taking visits to Tennessee and Miami.
Leavitt visited the Hurricanes this weekend following their College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Ole Miss. Kiffin flew to Knoxville and met with Leavitt before he departed for his official visit to Miami.
Williams ultimately decided to stay at Washington on Thursday after initially announcing on social media he planned to enter the transfer portal. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss also announced he plans to return in 2026 if he’s granted an additional year of eligibility, though his waiver request was denied by the NCAA.
Nussmeier graduating and backups Van Buren and Colin Hurley exiting via the transfer portal left the Tigers with no returning scholarship quarterbacks entering Kiffin’s first year in Baton Rouge. The Tigers landed a commitment from Elon transfer Landen Clark on Sunday.
OpenAI has acquired the health-care technology startup Torch, the company announced on Monday.
OpenAI purchased Torch for roughly $60 million, according to a source familiar with the deal who asked not to be named because the details are confidential.
Torch was building a “unified medical memory” for artificial intelligence that aimed to bring a patient’s health data, which is typically siloed and stored across a number of different vendors and formats, into one place.
Torch’s employees will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition, the companies said.
“I can’t imagine a better next chapter than to now get to put our technology and ideas in the hands of the hundreds of millions of people who already use ChatGPT for health questions every week,” Torch CEO Ilya Abyzov wrote in a post on X.
Abyzov previously co-founded another health-care startup called Forward, which was a direct-to-consumer primary care business that carried out patient visits via tech-enabled “CarePods.” Forward abruptly shuttered operations in 2024.
OpenAI’s acquisition of Torch comes just days after it unveiled ChatGPT Health, a new experience that allows users connect their medical records and wellness apps to the AI chatbot.
The company also announced several enterprise-grade products for health-care organizations. Some of its initial partners include large health systems like HCA Healthcare.
In December, OpenAI hired Google’sAlbert Lee to lead corporate development, a signal that the company will continue to hunt for M&A targets that can help it gain an edge over rivals like Google and Anthropic.
The company made several acquisitions in 2025, including Jony Ive’s AI devices startup io for more than $6 billion in May.
Most women experience some nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.
Although this is called morning sickness, it can happen at any time of day. Up to 80% of women report nausea and vomiting throughout the day.
While morning sickness is unpleasant and can be incapacitating, milder forms are usually manageable and often get better after the first three months of pregnancy.
But around one in 50 pregnant women (1–3% worldwide) experience morning sickness so extreme they are unable to eat or drink normally or do everyday activities.
This condition, called hyperemesis gravidarum, can last the whole pregnancy and be dangerous for both the woman and the fetus. It is the most common cause of hospitalisation in early pregnancy, but research is still emerging about exactly why it happens.
Here’s what we know, don’t know and suspect.
What causes hyperemesis gravidarum?
Until about five years ago, scientists believed the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), was the culprit. But we now know the main cause of all morning sickness – including hyperemesis gravidarum – is high levels of a hormone called GDF15.
A person’s sensitivity to GDF15 depends on how much of this hormone their bodies produce before pregnancy.
Women with naturally low pre-pregnancy levels are more sensitive to the GDF15 the placenta produces during pregnancy, compared to those whose levels were already high before pregnancy. This means having low pre-pregnancy GDF15 levels is a risk factor for developing hyperemesis gravidarum.
However, while there is a blood test that can measure GDF15 levels, it is not currently used to diagnose hyperemesis gravidarum.
There is no cure for hyperemesis gravidarum, so management of the condition focuses on reducing symptoms (Getty Images)
The test can be used to investigate some medical conditions associated with high GDF15, including some cancers and some chronic conditions. But high GDF15 levels alone aren’t enough to distinguish hyperemesis gravidarum from other causes of vomiting during pregnancy.
Some other factors that increase the risk of hyperemesis gravidarum include:
Women with hyperemesis gravidarum can’t stop vomiting and lose a significant amount of weight (more than 5% of their pre-pregnancy weight). As they can’t keep food or fluids down, they can become dangerously dehydrated.
Signs of dehydration include ketonuria (high amounts of acids in the urine, measured in a urine test), very low blood pressure (which can cause dizziness), and imbalances of electrolytes. Electrolytes are crucial for various bodily processes, including nerve and muscle function, and to keep you hydrated.
Because symptoms are so severe, women often need hospital care for periods of time, sometimes repeatedly throughout the pregnancy. Many people may have first heard of the condition via Catherine, Princess of Wales. She made headlines sharing her experiences of hyperemesis gravidarum and her need for frequent medical care.
How is it treated?
There is no cure for hyperemesis gravidarum, so management of the condition focuses on reducing symptoms.
Rehydration
Intravenous fluids can be used for rehydration and to restore electrolyte balance.
Reducing vomiting
While research is inconclusive on the best way to reduce vomiting, there are several anti-nausea drugs that are safe to take in pregnancy. Taking ginger supplements is another safe and effective way to reduce nausea and vomiting.
Nutrition
A dietitian may be able to help by monitoring any nutritional deficiencies and suggesting certain foods or nutritional supplements. However, in very severe cases, where someone’s vomiting doesn’t respond to treatment and can’t be controlled, they may need tube feeding or an intravenous drip to provide all their nutrition.
Mental health
The physical symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum are debilitating and women who experience it have an increased risk of anxiety and depression. So it’s also essential to monitor mental health and, if needed, offer referrals for psychological support.
The flow-on health effects
Hyperemesis gravidarum is detrimental to the health of both mother and fetus.
Because they can’t eat or drink during pregnancy, women with the condition don’t get enough fluids, calories or nutrients, including vitamins. This causes nutritional deficiencies which can harm their health.
About the author
Karin Hammarberg is an adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
It also increases the risk of severe pregnancy complications including placental abruption (where the placenta suddenly separates from the uterus wall) and pre-eclampsia (which causes high blood pressure and can affect the liver, kidney and brain).
Hyperemesis gravidarum also increases the risk a baby will be born prematurely, with a low birth weight, and/or be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Hopes for prevention
The finding that low pre-pregnancy GDF15 levels are linked to hyperemesis gravidarum may help us find new ways to treat and prevent it.
For example, researchers are looking at whether blocking how GDF15 works during pregnancy can reduce nausea. Theories about how to prevent the condition focus on boosting GDF15 levels before pregnancy.
These advances give hope for the future. But for now, the best we can do is to improve awareness and understanding about this debilitating condition – including among health professionals – and support women who suffer from it.
Hyperemesis Australia and the Centre Of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) websites are good places to start learning more about hyperemesis gravidarum and how to support women who experience it.
Karen Read was found not guilty of the most serious charges in her high-profile Massachusetts murder retrial in June 2025. In their fourth day of deliberations, jurors acquitted Read of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. She was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol.
After months of additional pretrial hearings following the mistrial, jury selection in Read’s second trial began on April 1, 2025. The jury got the case and began deliberations on June 13, 2025.
Read was accused of hitting O’Keefe with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die. Defense attorneys argued she was the victim of an elaborate cover-up and was being framed by a group of people that included law enforcement.
Here is a look at the timeline of events in the Karen Read investigation and trials.
January 29, 2022 – the night John O’Keefe died
Shortly after midnight: Karen Read, John O’Keefe and a group of friends went to the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton on the night of January 28, 2022. According to prosecutors, Read consumed several alcoholic beverages. Read drove O’Keefe to the home of Boston police officer Brian Albert. That is where police said people from the bar were meeting back up.
1 a.m.: Court documents later revealed that in the weeks before and even the hours leading up to the night out, text messages between Read and O’Keefe as well as voicemails showed a strained relationship. Investigators said that around 1 a.m. on January 29, Read allegedly left O’Keefe a voicemail that said “…you are a f—— loser, f— yourself” and “John, I f—— hate you.”
4-5 a.m. – At 4:23 a.m. while heavy snow was falling, O’Keefe’s niece called Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert’s sister-in-law and a friend of O’Keefe’s. She said Read was “distraught” because O’Keefe had not come home and was not answering his cellphone. According to court documents, McCabe said she heard Read screaming “John didn’t come home. We had a fight.” Around 5 a.m. Read called another woman whose husband was friends with O’Keefe. Prosecutors alleged that Read said while they searched “What if he’s dead? What if a plow hit him? … I don’t remember anything from last night, we drank so much I don’t remember anything.”
John O’Keefe was found dead outside a Canton home on January 29, 2022.
CBS Boston
5:07 a.m. – Read, McCabe, and the third woman went to look for O’Keefe. Prosecutors said Read mentioned to the women that she had a crack in her tail light and wondered if she could have hit O’Keefe. At 5:07 a.m., a surveillance camera at O’Keefe’s house shows Read’s SUV coming “extremely close” to O’Keefe’s SUV in the driveway. Prosecutors say no tail light pieces were found in the driveway. Read’s defense argues the vehicle did strike the SUV, breaking the tail light and providing an explanation for damage to SUV.
6 a.m. – Around 6 a.m., Read sees O’Keefe lying in the snow outside Brian Albert’s home. An emergency responder said that while hysterical and inconsolable, Read repeatedly says “I hit him. I hit him.” The defense argues that one of the first responding officers from Canton police gave “false and deceptive testimony” to the grand jury that would later indict Read.
January 29, 2022 – Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that at some point the morning O’Keefe was killed, someone googled “hos (sic) long to die in cold.” The sides disagree on when the search was made. Prosecutors say the search happened at 6:23 a.m. and 6:24 a.m. after O’Keefe’s body was found. The defense says a federal forensic expert determined the search was made at 2:27 a.m., before police were alerted that O’Keefe’s body had been found.
How did John O’Keefe die?
January 29, 2022 – Police say they found a broken cocktail glass and pieces of tail light at the scene. A forensic toxicologist estimated that Read’s blood alcohol content (BAC) would have been around .13-.29 around 12:45 a.m., more than the legal limit.
January 31, 2022 – An autopsy is completed on O’Keefe. Prosecutors said the medical examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt impact injuries to the head and hypothermia. They say the medical examiner did not find “any obvious signs of an altercation or a fight.”
Karen Read arrested
February 2, 2022 – Read appears in Stoughton District Court for the first time, pleading not guilty to manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision causing death.
Karen Read was brought into Stoughton District Court, Feb. 2, 2022. (WBZ-TV)
June 10, 2022 – A Norfolk County grand jury indicts Karen Read on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read is arraigned on the new charges in O’Keefe’s death. She pleaded not guilty in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham and was ordered held on $100,000 bail. Read made bail and was released.
Karen Read’s defense claims she was framed
May 3, 2023 – Defense attorneys Alan Jackson and David Yannetti allege that O’Keefe was involved in a fight inside Brian Albert’s home. They claim O’Keefe was beaten and his body was later dumped outside. Jackson and Yannetti focused on wounds to O’Keefe’s arms, which they said showed he was attacked by Albert’s dog during the fight.
“This is not just fishing,” Jackson said during the May 3 hearing. “We’ve got a fish on the hook, we just need the court to help us reel it in.” Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally argued that O’Keefe never went in the home and added “There is no evidence that Mr. O’Keefe was beaten and left for for dead.”
Karen Read’s defense attorney Alan Jackson shows John O’Keefe’s autopsy photo at court hearing May 3, 2023.
CBS Boston
May 24, 2023 – During a pretrial hearing, Read’s attorneys laid out what they allege to be a cover-up by law enforcement.
“Certainly the Massachusetts State Police is involved. There are people that were in that house that are involved,” Jackson said. “Brian Albert is involved. Jennifer McCabe is involved. The rest of the folks that were in that house, there’s some level of involvement by every one of them. Every single one of them. We’re not going to rest until we get to the bottom of exactly who’s behind this cover-up. Not only Karen Read deserves this. John O’Keefe deserves this, and has deserved this from moment one. And that’s why they’re not going to rest.”
Following the dramatic hearing, Read spoke to reporters for the first time.
“We know who did it. We know. And we know who spearheaded this cover-up. You all know,” Read said on the courthouse steps. “I tried to save his life. I tried to save his life at 6 in the morning, I was covered in his blood. I was the only one trying to save his life.”
Courtroom battles over evidence
August 1, 2023 – Judge Beverly Cannone denied a prosecution request for a gag order in the case. The Norfolk District Attorney’s office had asked for the gag order saying witnesses were being harassed. Yannetti countered by saying it was prosecutors who are “controlling the narrative.”
Judge Beverly J. Cannone oversees a hearing in the Karen Read case at Norfolk Superior Court.
Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
August 25, 2023 – Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey released a video statement slamming what he described as “absolutely baseless” harassment of witnesses in the case.
“Conspiracy theories are not evidence,” Morrissey said. “The idea that multiple police departments, EMTs, Fire personnel, the medical examiner, and the prosecuting agency are joined in, or taken in by, a vast conspiracy should be seen for what it is – completely contrary to the evidence and a desperate attempt to re-assign guilt.”
Why was “Turtleboy” arrested?
October 11, 2023 – Aidan Kearney, the blogger who operates the site “Turtleboy News,” was arrested on charges of witness intimidation related to the Karen Read case. Kearney had been covering the case for months, often recording himself confronting witnesses. His defense attorney told the judge that Kearney was exercising his First Amendment right.
Aidan Kearney sits with his attorney, Timothy Bradl during a court appearance.
Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
December 26, 2023 – A judge revoked Kearney’s bail amid new assault and battery charges. Kearney allegedly went to his ex-girlfriend’s home, demanded to see her phone, then shoved her during a confrontation. Kearney remained in jail for nearly two months but was later released on personal recognizance.
Evidence under scrutiny
February 22, 2024 – In court filings, prosecutors said they have DNA evidence recovered from a broken tail light that implicates Read in O’Keefe’s death. They said the tail light is the same material from Read’s SUV, and that the DNA matched O’Keefe’s. They also said broken tail light material was found on O’Keefe’s clothing.
March 12, 2024 – Read’s defense team said that a federal investigation into the case led to an FBI expert concluding that evidence does not support the theory that O’Keefe died after being hit by an SUV.
“The damage on the car was inconsistent with having made contact with John O’Keefe’s body. In other words, the car didn’t hit him, and he wasn’t hit by the car,” Jackson said. Prosecutors disagreed, accusing Read’s attorney of “defense by obfuscation.”
March 13, 2024 – In a brief statement, Massachusetts State Police said they have opened an internal investigation into “a potential violation of department policy” by Trooper Michael Proctor, who was the lead investigator in the case. Police did not say what prompted the investigation, but said he remains on full duty. Read’s defense attorneys said the federal investigation showed Proctor hid personal ties to people involved in the case. In a statement, Proctor’s attorney Michael DiStefano denied any wrongdoing.
“Trooper Proctor has been fully cooperative in responding to the investigations conducted by the US Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police Internal Affairs Unit,” DiStefano said. “To be clear, Trooper Proctor remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr. John O’Keefe. To the extent that Trooper Proctor’s personal text messages are alluded to in court proceedings regarding Ms. Read, he respectfully submits that the objective investigative steps he and members of his unit took are in no way undermined by the content of the personal messages.”
Karen Read arrives at Norfolk Superior Court for jury selection in her murder trial.
Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Karen Read murder trial takes center stage
March 26, 2024 – Judge Cannone denied a defense motion to dismiss the case. Cannone said she was denying the motion due to “extensive evidence supporting the indictments.”
April 12, 2024 – During the final pretrial hearing in the case, Cannone heard 30 different motions on which she had to rule, listening to arguments from both sides on many of them.
Among them was an argument by Read’s attorneys that they should be able to make a third-party culprit defense during the trial. They say Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Brian Higgins, all of whom were present at the party John O’Keefe was at the night he died, could have killed O’Keefe.
Prosecutor Lally called it a “fanciful story,” but told the judge “there’s actually no actual evidence.”
Jury selection begins
April 16, 2024 – Karen Read’s second-degree murder trial began with jury selection. A total of four jurors were added on the first day.
April 17, 2024 – Jury selection continued for a second day, with seven more jurors added.
April 17, 2024 – A third day of jury selection wrapped without a full jury seated. Two more jurors were added, but one from a previous day was excused, bringing the total number of jurors seated so far to 12.
April 24, 2024– A jury was seated on the fifth day of jury selection over the course more than a week. The trial is scheduled to last 6-8 weeks once a jury is seated.
Testimony underway
April 29, 2024– Opening statments and testimony got underway with the first witnesses called. John O’Keefe’s brother Paul and his wife Erin were the first two on the stand. Canton police officer Steve Saraf also began his testimony. Prosecutors showed video from Saraf’s dashboard camera as he arrived on scene.
April 30, 2024– A Canton paramedic who treated John O’Keefe the day he died testified that he heard a woman saying “I hit him, I hit him.” Read’s defense team argued that the man’s testimony has changed over time.
May 2, 2024– Four paramedics and firefighters testified about what they heard Read say the morning O’Keefe’s body was found.
May 6, 2024– Jurors heard the 911 calls from the day O’Keefe’s body was found. Police who responded to the scene testified as well on the fifth day of testimony.
May 7, 2024– Several Canton police officers testified about their handling of the crime scene. Among them was Sgt. Michael Lank, who Read’s defense team argued had personal connections to the home where John O’Keefe’s body was found in 2022.
May 10, 2024– There was a pause in the trial as Judge Cannone heard arguments about whether Aidan Kearney, who publishes as “Turtleboy” for his site, TB Daily News, should be allowed in the courtroom. He is facing charges of witness intimidation involving people in the Read case. The judge ruled that Kearney must leave the courtroom when certain witnesses take the stand.
Also that day, retired Boston police officer Brian Albert took the stand. He owned the home where O’Keefe’s body was found. Albert testified that O’Keefe and Read never entered his home the night of the incident.
May 14, 2024– A woman who was at Brian Albert’s Fairview Road home the night O’Keefe died said she saw a “black blob” in the lawn as she was leaving. The defense called it a “made-up story.”
May 15, 2024– Allie McCabe, a prosecution witness, broke down in tears on the stand describing harassment in the case. Colin Albert, who the defense claims could have been involved in a fight that killed O’Keefe, was also called as a witness.
May 16, 2024– Colin Albert finished his testimony with cross-examination that focused on what defense attorneys claim is a history of violent behavior.
May 17, 2024– Jennifer McCabe, a key witness in the case, took the stand. She was with Read the morning O’Keefe’s body was found. McCabe testified that Read asked her to Google how long it would take someone to die in the cold. Defense attorneys argue the search actually happened before O’Keefe’s body was found. Court ended for the day before Read’s attorneys began to cross-examine McCabe.
May 21, 2024– Jennifer McCabe was back on the stand, this time for several hours of contentious cross-examination by Alan Jackson. This day marked the first time Kearney’s “Turtleboy” site has been directly referenced.
Jennifer McCabe said defense attorney Alan Jackson had put the information out on social media, but Jackson said he had not. “I’m sorry. Turtleboy did,” the witness responded. Earlier in the day, Jennifer McCabe referred to Kearney as “some named blogger that I think the defense is very familiar with.”
May 24, 2024– Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Brian Higgins was on the stand. Prosecutors presented “flirty” text messages he and Read shared in the weeks leading up to O’Keefe’s death. Defense attorneys have said Higgins is one of three men they claim could have been responsible for killing O’Keefe during a fight.
May 28, 2024– Brian Higgins completed his testimony. Other witnesses were called, including O’Keefe’s niece and nephew. They testified about a strained relationship between Read and O’Keefe.
June 3, 2024 – Testimony focused on broken taillight pieces that were found at the scene of O’Keefe’s death.
June 5, 2024 – Several videos were played that prosecutors say show Read drinking numerous cocktails in the hours before O’Keefe died. They also focused on what they say was a broken taillight in Read’s SUV.
June 6, 2024 – Defense attorney Alan Jackson told reporters that Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who Read’s attorneys have tried to show could have planted evidence to help friends who are witnesses in the case, will take the stand as a witness for the prosecution. There had been uncertainty when and how Proctor would testify, as he is listed on the defense and prosecution’s witness lists. Proctor is currently under investigation by Massachusetts State Police for his conduct in the case, though the specific reason is not known and he has denied wrongdoing. It is not yet known when Proctor will take the stand.
The same day as Jackson’s comments, Judge Beverly Cannone told jurors “I can safely say that you will get this case for your deliberation sometime in the last week in June.”
June 10, 2024 – Cannone heard arguments from both sides without the jury present about the prosecution’s motion to exclude testimony from a witness who is expected to testify that scratches on O’Keefe’s arm were consistent with injuries from a dog attack.
Trooper Proctor also took the stand that day, reading derogatory text messages he sent to friends and colleagues about Read while investigating the case.
June 12, 2024 – Proctor completed tense cross-examination and stepped down from the witness stand. During his testimony, Proctor was grilled over a text message he sent about Read saying “hopefully she kills herself.”
June 14, 2024 – Testimony focused on Read’s SUV traveling in reverse the night of O’Keefe’s death, as well as the time of when Jennifer McCabe search on Google how long it would take a person to die in the cold.
June 20, 2024 – Prosecutors played angry voicemails that Read left for O’Keefe not long after prosecutors say she hit and killed him.
Karen Read murder trial ends, deliberations begin
June 21, 2024 – The prosecution rested its case and defense attorneys began calling witnesses.
June 24, 2024– The defense rested its case after calling its final three witnesses.
June 25, 2024– Attorneys presented closing arguments and jurors began deliberating.
June 28, 2024– Jurors sent a note to Judge Cannone, telling her they are deadlocked. The judge responded that she did not believe they had deliberated long enough, and asked them to continue trying to reach a verdict.
Mistrial declared in Karen Read murder trial
July 1, 2024– The jury sent another note to Judge Cannone, for a second time telling her they are unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury said they are “deeply divided,” and Cannone asked them to return for one final round of deliberations. Later in the day, a mistrial was declared due to the hung jury.
July 1, 2024– Hours after the mistrial was declared, Massachusetts State Police announced that Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, has been “relieved of duty.”
July 3, 2024– In an exclusive interview with WBZ-TV, John O’Keefe’s brother addressed the mistrial.
Fallout from the Karen Read trial
July 8, 2024– Read’s defense attorneys filed a motion to dismiss for two charges. In the filing, they claim the jury unanimously agreed that Read was not guilty on those counts while being deadlocked on a third charge.
July 8, 2024– Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor was suspended without pay following a duty hearing.
July 9, 2024– The union for Massachuestts State Police troopers responded to the suspension, calling it “disappointing.”
July 9, 2024– The Board of Selectmen announced that Canton police officer Kevin Albert was put on leave related to Proctor’s testimony during the trial.
July 10, 2024– In a new court filing, Read’s attorneys say another juror told them there was a unanimous agreement that Read was not guilty on two counts.
July 12, 2024 – Prosecutors fired back at the defense’s attempt to get two of the three charges against Read dismissed, saying she consented to the mistrial.
July 18, 2024 – An unnamed juror in the case said in a court filing that they fear for their safety.
July 22, 2024 – An anonymous juror tells WBZ-TV that the jury didn’t know how to communicate to the judge that they had unanimously agreed to acquit Read of two charges. Judge Cannone sets a new trial date for Jan. 27, 2025.
August 9, 2024 – The case returned to court for a dismissal hearing as the defense tried to convince the judge to throw out two charges against Read. Judge Beverly Cannone took arguments under consideration, but did not make a ruling.
August 23, 2024 – Judge Cannone rejects Karen Read’s attempt to get two of the charges against her dismissed. Read’s attorneys plan to appeal.
September 11, 2024 – Karen Read’s legal team files an appeal to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
September 12, 2024 – Canton police officer Kevin Albert, the brother of Brian Albert, is back on the job after being placed on leave during the trial.
September 20, 2024 – Karen Read’s appeal of two charges will be heard by the full panel of Massachusetts’ highest court, but it could delay her trial.
September 23, 2024 – Discipline was announced for two people connected to the Karen Read investigation. Canton Police detective Kevin Albert was suspended without pay for three eight-hour shifts. An investigation found that the detective, whose brother Brian Albert owned the home where John O’Keefe’s body was found, behaved in a way that was unbecoming of a police officer and violated department policies about alcohol consumption or possession on the job.
Massachusetts State Police announced the same day that Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, who was one of the lead investigators in the case, forfeited five vacation days following an internal affairs investigation. Bukhenik was in one of the group chats in which Trooper Michael Proctor sent the inappropriate text messages.
October 17, 2024 – Massachusetts State Police say they spent $258,278.94 on security for Karen Read’s first trial.
October 18, 2024 – Prosecutors seek phone records from Karen Read’s father. When her second trial begins, prosecutors plan to call William Read as a witness.
October 18, 2024 –Detective Lieutenant Brian Tully, the subject of an ongoing internal affairs investigation, was transferred out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Tully testified during Read’s first trial.
October 28, 2024 – Lawyers for Karen Read want a wrongful death lawsuit against her to be delayed until after her second criminal trial, an issue they argued before Judge William White, Jr. in Plymouth Superior Court in Brockton.
October 29, 2024 – Vanity Fair releases the first part of its highly anticipated Karen Read interview. She told the magazine she owes at least $5 million in legal fees.
October 30, 2024 – The second part of Vanity Fair’s interview with Karen Read is released. She responds to criticism from the O’Keefe family, including directly responding to quotes from Paul O’Keefe’s interview with WBZ-TV in July.
November 1, 2024 – The judge overseeing the wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read rules that she will not have to be deposed in the civil case until after her second criminal trial is over.
Karen Read and her defense team and the prosecution file motions in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024
Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool
Preparations for Karen Read’s second trial
November 4, 2024 – The prosecution and defense teams filed a motion in court calling for Read’s second criminal trial, scheduled to start on Jan. 27, 2025, to be postponed until April 1, 2025.
November 6, 2024 – Read’s attempt to get some criminal charges against her thrown out on the grounds of double jeopardy came before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Attorneys for both sides made their case during the hearing. No decision has been announced yet.
November 7, 2024 – The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office requests the unredacted audio recordings, notes, and texts between Karen Read and a Boston Magazine reporter.
November 26, 2024 – During an evidentiary hearing, prosecutors asked the judge to allow them to obtain phone records for Karen Read’s parents. The defense called the request a “fishing expedition.” Judge Beverly Cannone did not rule on the request and took arguments under advisement.
November 29, 2024 – Judge Cannone rejects the prosecution’s request for the phone records of Karen Read’s parents.
December 3, 2024 – Prosecutors are asking Judge Cannone to keep expert testimony about an alleged dog attack out of Karen Read’s second trial.
December 5, 2024 – Judge Beverly Cannone approved a request from prosecutors to get access to unedited and off-the-record recordings from interviews with Karen Read and her family.
December 9, 2024 – After just over a month, Judge Cannone approved the joint motion by the defense and prosecution to delay the start of Karen Read’s second trial.
December 30, 2024 – Former Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz, who alerted Massachusetts State Police to taillight evidence during the investigation, died.
January 2, 2025 – Prosecutors asked to exclude testimony from defense expert Richard Green surrounding Jen McCabe’s “ho[w] long to die in cold” Google search.
January 6, 2025 – According to a court filing, Trooper Michael Proctor has a misconduct hearing scheduled for January 15.
January 15, 2025 – Trooper Michael Proctor’s misconduct hearing got underway at Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Framingham.
January 23, 2025 – Karen Read’s legal team wants the state to pay for travel expenses for one of her defense experts. Read’s attorneys say that the Canton Police Department did not preserve video footage, but that was not disclosed. As a result, they say their expert wasted his time.
January 29, 2025 – John O’Keefe’s family provided a statement to WBZ-TV as they marked three years since his death. “It has been 3 years since Johnny was senselessly taken from us. The void in our lives grows with each passing day, week, month and year. His absence is profound and we will continue to seek justice for him. He is always in our hearts,” the O’Keefe family said.
February 6, 2025 – A hearing was held in the case as attorneys discussed potential evidence for Read’s second trial and who should have to pay for a defense expert who says he was unsuccessfully able to analyze video from the Canton Police Department. Following the hearing, the judge ruled against the defense’s request to have the state pay for the expert.
February 10, 2025 – Trooper Michael Proctor was back at Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Framingham for the second day of testimony in his trial board hearing to determine his professional future. The hearing was not open to the public. A third hearing day was scheduled for March 13.
February 11, 2025 – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied Read’s appeal as she sought to have some of the charges against her dismissed.
February 12, 2025 – Among over a dozen new filings in the case was a request by the defense for unredacted documents from the investigation into the death of Sandra Birchmore.
February 18, 2025 – Judge Cannone abruptly halted a hearing in the case after the prosecution raised concerns about defense attorneys’ conversations with a crash reconstruction expert hired by the federal government.
February 20, 2025 – Judge Cannone issues a scheduling order that reads, in part, “Counsel should be prepared to address issues related to the Defendant’s recent production pursuant to Rule 14, especially as the materials produced relate to prior representations made to the court on the record by defense counsel concerning the ARCCA witnesses.”
February 24, 2025 – A person briefed on the situation tells WBZ it is expected to be announced at Karen Read’s February 25 hearing that a federal investigation into the death of John O’Keefe – and by association, Karen Read’s case – has ended and that no charges will be filed.
February 25, 2025 – At a tense hearing, Karen Read’s attorneys defended their communications with a witness in the first trial. Karen Read’s defense alleges “misdirections” by prosecution.
February 25, 2025 – Following the hearing, supporters greeted Read with flowers outside the courtroom on her 45th birthday.
February 28, 2025 – Karen Read’s defense files a motion to dismiss her entire case for reasons of “extraordinary governmental misconduct.”
March 4, 2025 – Special prosecutor Hank Brennan confirmed in court that the federal investigation into John O’Keefe’s death is over. Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty later issued a statement saying the federal probe “is no longer active and will be closed.”
March 5, 2025 – The case was the subject of two hearings in separate courthouses. Karen Read appealed a recent decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court at federal court in South Boston. Read and her attorneys then headed to Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham where her defense argued its recently filed Motion to Dismiss.
March 13, 2025 – Trooper Michael Proctor returned before a Massachusetts State Police trial board for a third day. Proctor’s family also released a statement, accusing Read’s defense team of using the trooper to “deflect from the overwhelming evidence.”
March 13, 2025 – A federal judge denied Read’s request to drop two charges against her, saying Judge Cannone was not wrong in declaring a mistrial.
March 18, 2025 – Judge Cannone admonished the defense team on Tuesday for “repeated misrepresentations” to the court. Despite the stern warning, Cannone did not remove any lawyers from the case.
March 19, 2025 – Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in Read’s case, was fired by Massachusetts State Police.
March 20, 2025 – For the first time, Read and Aidan Kearney, the blogger who writes under the name “Turtleboy” appeared during a hearing together. Prosecutors are seeking messages between the two, which Read and her attorneys object to.
March 21, 2025 – Karen Read’s attorneys asked a federal judge to delay the start of her next trial, after the request was rejected the day before by Judge Beverly Cannone. The federal judge denied Read’s request.
March 24, 2025 – Prosecutors are seeking messages between Karen Read and her defense attorney David Yannetti in the days following O’Keefe’s death.
March 25, 2025 – As expected, Judge Beverly Cannone rejected the request for text messages between Read and Yannetti during the final pretrial hearing. Cannone also said she expects jury selection to take a “very long time.”
March 25, 2025 – Judge Cannone denied Karen Read’s motion to dismiss the entire case against her, setting the stage for her second high-profile trial to get underway.
March 26, 2025 – Karen Read added a former juror from her first trial to her legal team.
March 27, 2025 – Karen Read’s motion to stay state court proceedings pending appeal is denied by First Circuit Court of Appeals. The court affirmed the lower federal court’s decision.
March 31, 2025 – The defense will not be allowed to blame Colin Albert for John O’Keefe’s death, Judge Beverly Cannone ruled.
Karen Read’s second trial begins
April 1, 2025 – Karen Read’s second trial officially got underway with jury selection.
April 2, 2025 – The jury for Karen Read’s second trial reached seven members. Read’s supporters also filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that a court mandated buffer zone violates their constitutional rights.
April 3, 2025 – Ten jurors have been seated after three days of jury selection.
April 3,2025 – Karen Read has appealed her case to the highest court possible, the U.S. Supreme Court.
April 7,2025 – Karen Read is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to delay her state trial while they decide if they will take up her appeal.
April 9, 2025 – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. Supreme Court denied Karen Read’s request to pause her trial. The Supreme Court will review whether to take the case on April 25. Fifteen jurors have been seated for the trial.
April 13, 2025 – A federal judge ruled against Read’s supporters who wanted to be able to protest closer to the courthouse ahead of her second trial, saying the buffer zone does not violate their constitutional rights.
April 15, 2025 – A jury was seated for Karen Read’s second trial, with opening statements scheduled to take place in a week.
April 16, 2025 – The final motion hearing before the start of the trial was held. Arguments were heard over topics that included federal ARCCA witnesses. Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney also said through his attorney that he would plead the Fifth Amendment if called as a witness, and prosecutors agreed not to call him.
April 22, 2025 – Attorneys gave opening statements as the trial officially got underway. The first two witnesses were also called.
April 23, 2025 – John O’Keefe’s mother, Peggy O’Keefe, took the stand. It was the first time she has spoken out publicly since her son’s death.
April 24, 2025 – Text messages between Karen Read and John O’Keefe in the hours leading up to his death were read on the third day of trial.
April 25, 2025 – Jurors visited Brian Albert’s former home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton. The court also heard from two witnesses: a paramedic who took Read to the hospital the day that O’Keefe was found dead, and a doctor who tested her blood alcohol level that morning.
April 28, 2025 – The United States Supreme Court announced that it will not hear Karen Read’s appeal on grounds of double jeopardy.
April 28, 2025 – A half day of witness testimony focused on Jen McCabe’s “how long to die in cold” Google search and John O’Keefe’s movements the night of his death. Then defense crash reconstruction experts were questioned without the jury present.
April 29, 2025 – Key witness Jen McCabe began her testimony. Judge Beverly Cannone issued a stern warning for defense attorneys, but allowed upcoming testimony from defense crash reconstruction experts.
April 30, 2025 – Jen McCabe was back on the stand for hours of tense cross-examination during the seventh day of witness testimony.
May 5, 2025 – Canton firefighter-paramedic Katie McLaughlin testified that she heard Read repeatedly say “I hit him” after O’Keefe’s body was found. Retired Canton Police Lt. Paul Gallagher testifies about responding to the scene, using a leaf blower to move snow.
May 6, 2025 – Several witnesses took the stand on the 10th day of testimony. Jurors heard several angry voicemails that Karen Read left for John O’Keefe in the early morning hours on January 29, 2022.
May 7, 2025 – Forensic expert Jessica Hyde, who analyzed Jennifer McCabe’s Google search, and State Police trooper Connor Keefe testify.
May 8, 2025 – Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik took the stand to testify about evidence collection and the role of his former colleague Michael Proctor.
May 9, 2025 –Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik read text messages between Brian Higgins and Karen Read.
May 12, 2025 – After three full days on the witness stand, Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik concluded his testimony.
May 13, 2025 – Court was canceled for the day unexpectedly just before proceedings were scheduled to begin because Karen Read was sick.
May 16, 2025 – Witness testimony from two Massachusetts State Police crime lab analysts, and a message from the judge to jurors about how they conduct themselves in court.
May 19, 2025 – A forensic analyst for the prosecution testified about the movements of Karen Read’s Lexus SUV on the night in question.
May 20, 2025 – Karen Read’s attorney questions forensic analyst Shanon Burgess’ timeline of the night John O’Keefe died.
May 21, 2025 – Judge Beverly Cannone delayed the start of testimony, saying she had to question jurors individually after an issue was brought to her attention.
May 27, 2025 – Judson Welcher, a prosecution accident reconstruction expert, took the stand for direct questioning.
May 28, 2025 – Defense begins cross examination of crash reconstruction expert Judson Welcher.
May 30, 2025 – The first witness called by defense attorney Alan Jackson was Matthew DiSogra, a digital forensics expert who specializes in car data and crash reconstruction.
June 2, 2025 – Former Canton police officer Kelly Dever, Dr. Marie Russell, and a friend of former state police trooper Michael Proctor were called to the stand by Karen Read’s defense team.
June 3, 2025 – During a second day of questioning of dog bite expert Dr. Marie Russell, the defense called for a mistrial with prejudice, but was denied. A Dighton police officer also testified about how he remembered seeing damage to Read’s taillight compared to how it is pictured hours later in the Canton Police Department garage.
June 4, 2025 – Snowplow driver Brian “Lucky” Loughran testified about not seeing a body on Fairview Road in Canton on the night O’Keefe died. Loughran was cross-examined about how Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney’s coverage could have influenced his testimony.
June 5, 2025 – Jurors were given the day off because of heat. The judge said fans and air conditioning units would create noise and make witnesses hard to hear.
June 6, 2025 – The only witness on the stand all day was Daniel Wolfe, a crash reconstructionist for engineering consulting firm ARCCA.
June 9, 2025 – The defense’s request for a mistrial was denied. Attorneys had accused the prosecution of a “stunt” when Hank Brennan asked Wolfe about holes in O’Keefe’s sweatshirt, and if they could have been caused by a fall backwards. Brennan later admitted he made a mistake, and the judge later gave jurors an instruction that the holes were caused by a criminologist.
June 10, 2025 – The former medical examiner for Rhode Island testified, followed by Dr. Andrew Rentschler, who is the final defense witness.
June 11, 2025 – Karen Read’s defense rested its case after Rentschler finished testifying that in his opinion, John O’Keefe was not hit by a vehicle.
June 12, 2025 – The final hearing before closing arguments was held as attorneys and the judge met without jurors present. The defense said it will not be pursuing a third-party culprit argument against Brian Albert and Brian Higgins, but will be focusing on the lack of a police investigation into Higgins.
June 13, 2025 – Both sides presented drastically different closing arguments about how John O’Keefe died and what role Karen Read played in his death. Jury deliberations began a short time later.
June 17, 2025 – On the second full day of deliberations, the Karen Read jury came back with four questions for the judge. One of them sought clarity on what happens if they agree to not guilty on two charges but are hung on the third charge. Jurors later were dismissed for the day without a verdict.
Verdict reached in Karen Read trial
Karen Read gestures to supporters after she was found not guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass.
Josh Reynolds / AP
June 18, 2025 – In their fourth day of deliberations, jurors acquitted Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. She was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. Judge Cannone sentenced Read to one year probation.
June 18, 2025 – Several key prosecution witnesses who are friends with the O’Keefe family issued a statement, calling the verdict a “devastating miscarriage of justice.”
June 19, 2025 – Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement that in the aftermath of the Karen Read case, the department will continue to work on improvements in oversight and accountability.
June 19, 2025 – District Attorney Michael Morrissey issued his first statement on the verdict, saying to WBZ-TV only, “The jury has spoken.”
June 23, 2025 – Special prosecutor Hank Brennan issues his first statement since the trial ended. He was “disappointed” in the verdict and condemned “witness abuse.”
June 24, 2025 – Karen Read’s lead attorney, Alan Jackson, responds to Brennan’s remarks, accusing the prosecutor of ethical violations.
June 29, 2025 – Karen Read and Alan Jackson are reportedly working on a film script and book.
July 7, 2025 – Massachusetts State Police reassign Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik from Norfolk County to an administrative role in the South Boston barracks.
July 10, 2025 – Karen Read filed a motion seeking to dismiss the civil lawsuit filed against her by the O’Keefe family.
September 22, 2025 – Karen Read appears in Plymouth Superior Court for a hearing in her civil case, and her legal team reveals she plans to sue the Massachusetts State Police, former Trooper Michael Proctor, members of the McCabe and Albert families, and other key players in the case.
November 3, 2025 – Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, who testified in Read’s first trial, was placed on administrative leave amid allegations of misconduct. The Town of Canton did not say if there was any relation to the Read case.
November 13, 2025 – The jury foreman in Karen Read’s second trial said his mind was made up early – “I didn’t take one note“.
November 17, 2025 – Karen Read files lawsuit against Michael Proctor, Jen McCabe, Brian Higgins and other key witnesses from the trial.
December 10, 2025 – Karen Read’s Lexus SUV is set to be auctioned off.
As Wall Street’s top bankers huddled in New York last month, preparing to convince Elon Musk’s SpaceX that they should be chosen to lead its upcoming IPO, one firm wasn’t letting its star advisor miss the bake-off.
Among the squad of JPMorgan Chase investment bankers flying 2,500 miles west to California to pitch SpaceX was the lender’s boss, billionaire CEO Jamie Dimon, people with knowledge of the trip told CNBC.
The morning after that pitch meeting, on Dec. 19, Dimon was already back in his customary early Friday perch: sitting in his bank’s New York lobby, taking meetings in full view of the thousands of employees streaming through the building’s turnstiles.
The whirlwind few days highlight the reality of Dimon’s singular impact on JPMorgan, the world’s largest bank by market capitalization.
Dimon marks his 20th anniversary as CEO this month and remains deeply involved across the sprawling businesses of JPMorgan, a giant across Wall Street and Main Street with $4.6 trillion in assets. Half a dozen executives across investment banking, asset management and consumer banking echoed that view.
Which makes the inevitable questions surrounding Dimon’s tenure loom large as he approaches 70 years of age. Dimon has for years maintained, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that his retirement was perpetually five years away. In 2024, for the first time, he acknowledged that window was shrinking.
Will JPMorgan’s era of dominance be over when Dimon exits as CEO?
“Given his track record, anybody else would be a downgrade,” said Ben Mackovak, a bank board member and investor through his firm Strategic Value Bank Partners.
“I’m sure somebody else could grow into the role and surprise people,” Mackovak said. “But on day one, no one is going to be as qualified to run that bank as Jamie.”
Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., attends the ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the firm’s new headquarters at 270 Park Ave., in New York, Oct. 21, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
In two decades, Dimon took a middle-of-the-pack American lender and, with his unique combination of judgment, paranoia, attention to detail and scope of vision, created a juggernaut of finance that the world hadn’t seen before.
During calm times, he invested aggressively for the future, and during periods of tumult, like 2008 and 2023, he avoided pitfalls that consumed other banks, allowing him to snap up three failed institutions.
Over the past 20 years, the bank’s annual net income soared more than 500% to $58.5 billion in 2024. The firm reports full-year 2025 results on Tuesday.
Now, at a market cap of roughly $900 billion, JPMorgan is worth nearly as much as the next three largest U.S. banks combined: Bank of America,Citigroup and Wells Fargo.
Besides running JPMorgan, Dimon has taken on an outsized role in global finance as a top voice explaining market gyrations or emerging risks and influencing regulators amid policy shifts. It was Dimon’s recession warning on a Fox News segment in April that helped convince President Donald Trump to pivot on his trade policy, igniting a historic relief rally.
“It’s just the aura he has, the credibility that he’s built up in the markets,” said Fitch Ratings analyst Chris Wolfe. “The minute you step out of that role, it’s not like you can just hand that over, your successor doesn’t automatically inherit that. I think that’s the real challenge.”
Potential successors
The question of who could take over for Dimon — who was already a cancer survivor when he nearly died in 2020 from a ruptured aorta — has been openly discussed among investors for more than a decade.
To investors, his most likely successor is currently Marianne Lake, head of the firm’s giant consumer bank and former CFO of the company, followed by Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh, the co-heads of the firm’s commercial and investment bank.
Marianne Lake is head of JPMorgan’s consumer banking division.
“If investors were to do a straw poll today, they’d probably pick Marianne,” said Truist bank analyst Brian Foran.
“The running joke is that she’s a human supercomputer when it comes to banking,” Foran said. “Really, the only question mark people have about her is, she’s so analytical, can she do the kind of ‘rah-rah’ stuff to inspire the sales force?”
Wells Fargo banking analyst Mike Mayo hypothesized that JPMorgan stock could immediately drop 5% if Dimon were to suddenly exit, regardless of the named replacement. (The bank has said Dimon would serve as chairman even after relinquishing the CEO role.)
It’s a somewhat common occurrence on Wall Street for companies with iconic CEOs: The stock premium shrinks, at least for a period, when their longtime leaders announce their departures. For instance, Berkshire Hathaway shares trailed the S&P 500 last year after Warren Buffett said he was stepping down as CEO.
‘Never going to quit’
When asked about CEO succession, JPMorgan executives say that Dimon is as plugged in as ever and unlikely to step down soon.
Depending on how long he sticks around, that means it’s not necessarily his current direct reports like Lake, Petno and Rohrbaugh who are in line, but more junior executives now being groomed and evaluated for leadership roles, they told CNBC.
“There’s a lot of work going into imagining that day without him,” said a JPMorgan executive who asked not to be named speaking about his boss. “If he stays until he’s 85, it’s not his direct reports that are going to be next in line, its maybe one or two levels down from today.”
“Does he leave a huge vacuum? Yes,” said the executive. “It’s not fatal, though, because we’ve been planning for it. I think there’s combinations of people that together can create the same outcome.”
The CEO of a commercial bank and former JPMorgan executive, who described Dimon as a mentor, also said he didn’t think Dimon would step down soon.
“Jamie’s never going to quit,” said the CEO, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly. “What else would he do where he’s as important as he is now? His friends are all people from work. He loves it.”
Still, beyond the day-to-day management of a company with 318,000 employees, Dimon seems intent on setting up JPMorgan for a future without him.
Legacy values
In recent months, Dimon oversaw the completion of the bank’s new $3 billion headquarters in midtown Manhattan and announced a $1.5 trillion initiative to bolster industries crucial to U.S. interests.
And, perhaps most crucially, he continues to instill his values into the firm’s management team.
Last year, at a conference for JPMorgan’s top 400 executives, Dimon rattled off a list of once-great companies that died though mismanagement. Finance is especially prone to this threat, because of the temptation to manipulate numbers for short-term gain, he said.
“Travelers blew up. Citi blew up, twice. Bear Stearns failed, Lehman failed, I’m here because Bank One screwed up a bunch of businesses,” Dimon said, referring to a predecessor firm to JPMorgan.
“If you look at these things, it’s complacency, it’s bureaucracy, it’s arrogance. A lot of it is dishonest numbers. Failure to set standards,” Dimon said. “These are the cancers that kill companies.”
Nobody knows when Dimon’s last day as CEO will come, except to know that it is approaching. After adjusting his standard five-year retirement answer to hint at a sooner departure, Dimon hasn’t advanced that clock any further.
“As great as he is, he can’t do this forever,” said Barclays banking analyst Jason Goldberg. “Every day that passes, you’re a day closer to the end.”
— CNBC’s Gabriel Cortes contributed to this report.
