“Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston and Drea de Matteo (Adriana on “The Sopranos”) would be perfect as Brian Albert and Karen Read in a film that is being made on a jaw-dropping murder case, according to Larry Forman.
Karen Read, 45, charged with murdering her boyfriend by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die in the freezing cold, was found not guilty last month. There was a hung jury in the first trial in which Read’s defense team argued that O’Keefe was not hit by the car and was killed inside a house where he was likely also attacked by the family dog. Jewish attorney and DUI expert Larry Forman, who attended some of both trials, covered the case extensively on his YouTube channel.
Forman, 37, moved from Jerusalem to Cleveland 20 years ago. An expert DUI attorney now in Kentucky, he counts celebrities and pro athletes among his many clients. He said his Jewish parents gave him the option of being a doctor and a lawyer and he chose the latter. But he used the charisma needed in more than 50 jury trails to have a successful YouTube channel which he’s used to cover the Karen Read trial more meticulously than anyone else.
Why have the trials struck a national nerve?
Because people identify with Read, and feel they could be falsely accused of murder, Forman said. But that’s not it.
I have never seen a more egregious cases where witnesses were lying. … This is a level I’ve never seen before. There is such a deep conspiracy between all these people. It’s almost impressive.”
Facts of the Case
On the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, shortly after 6:00 a.m., Boston police officer John O’Keefe was found unconscious in the snow outside the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts, about 15 miles southwest of Boston.
O’Keefe was declared dead at the hospital. Though the manner of death was “undetermined” causes of death were blunt impact injuries and hypothermia. His injuries included a cut on one eye, a laceration to the back of the head, skull fractures and patterned scratches on his arm. He was first spotted on the lawn by Read, who was with Jennifer McCabe, the sister-in law of the homeowner, and O’Keefe’s friend, Kerry Roberts.
O’Keefe and Read were at a bar where Albert, McCabe, ATF agent Brian Higgins and others were present. Higgins, who had exchanged flirty messages with Read and said he once kissed her, sent a text to Read at the bar that she did not answer; video footage later showed him making an aggressive gesture by the exit of the bar while O’Keefe was on the other side. Higgins was restrained by Albert and his brother, Kevin Albert. Footage showed O’Keefe leaving the bar holding a wine glass at about 12:11 a.m. Around 10 minutes later, he got out of Read’s car in front of the Albert home. Read said she remained in the car and eventually left. She made numerous calls and texts to O’Keefe thinking he was cheating on her.
‘Completely Impossible She Was Hit By a Vehicle’
Forman said he first became aware of the case in 2023 when contacted by journalist Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was credited in getting much of the public on Read’s side.
“I said ‘show me the autopsy, show me the vehicle and I’ll tell you if there was contact,” Forman recalled. “It will take me 15 seconds. He sent me photos. I looked at it. I told him there was no collision.”
He noted that an expert testified in the trial that marks on O’Keefe arm were consistent with a dog attack. The Alpert family had a German shepherd named Chloe they said they gave away not long after this incident. The prosecution argued that since he was holding a glass, and the taillight of the car hit him, that was how he got the injuries. Forman also said there was no glass or plastic found in the wounds of O’Keefe, and it was “completely impossible he was hit by a vehicle.”
‘No Ass, Hopefully She Kills Herself’
Lead investigator and Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor had to read aloud his own disturbing texts to colleagues and even a supervisor. In one, he referred to Read as a “babe” but critiqued her for having “no ass.” In another, he wrote “hopefully she kills herself.” He messaged another, “no nudes so far” in reference to a phone search of her phone. Proctor was fired and was not called to the second trial.
Forman said Proctor’s comments were “disgusting” and “beyond “unprofessional” and said it was absurd police did not search the Albert home for evidence of any struggle.
Butt Dials and Who Throws Out Their Phone at a Military Base?
McCabe made seven calls to O’Keefe’s phone from about 12:29 am to 12:50 am. O’Keefe did not answer any of them. McCabe had said they were “butt dials.” Defense attorney Alan Jackson said that the calls did not go to O’Keefe’s voicemail, meaning she would have also accidentally placed and stopped each call, totaling 14 hands free interactions. Why would someone make such a claim so difficult to believe?
“If you slip up and say one extra thing, you’re in trouble,” Forman said. “When you’re a master manipulator, less is more.”
If you slip up and say one extra thing, you’re in trouble. … When you’re a master manipulator, less is more.”
He added that Higgins threw his phone in the garbage at a military base, something he’d never heard of in any other case.
The WTF Moment From the ABC “interview”
Forman said the interview with the Alberts and McCabes by ABC News’ Matt Gutman was not a real interview.
Albert said McCabe entered his bedroom and said she thought O’Keefe was out front, possibly dead. Albert said he wondered why he would be in front of his house, rather than why he’d be dead. Forman said this was an (expletive) moment, as was Albert telling Gutman he didn’t go outside because “I’m not a Canton police officer, I’m a Boston police officer.”
“That is an insane response,” Forman said. “There’s a dead body on your lawn, but you don’t go look because it’s not your jurisdiction?”
Forman blasted Gutman for no follow-up.
‘How long to die in cold’
Many argue the smoking gun is McCabe’s Google search at 2:27 a.m. which she deleted, misspelling the first word and writing “Hos long to die in cold.” There would be no reason for her to make this search at this time, but she claimed she made the search later in the morning, and record show there were two similar searches at around 6:27 a.m. A witness for the prosecution claimed due to tabs, she could have made the searches later in the morning with it appearing as if done earlier. Gutman incorrectly asked if it was 6 a.m. instead of or 2:27 a.m.
Kerry Roberts Perjury or ‘False Statement’ So Big TMZ Picked It Up
Roberts admitted she told the grand jury that Read asked her to google hypothermia when Read never actually asked her to do that.
“She admitted she perjured herself in open court and was borderline proud of it,” Forman said. “TMZ even did a story, that’s how big it was.”
Forman Interviews a Juror
On his channel, which garnered millions of views for many videos on the case, Forman interviewed a juror named Paula. She told him among the defense witnesses who made an impact were Brian Loughran, who said while plowed snow at 2:30 a.m. and saw no body on the lawn.
Are Read and Albert Off the Hook?
While the majority of experts and podcasters believe Read was not guilty, family and friends of O’Keefe think she is. Could the family win a civil wrongful death suit against Read?
“She’s going to win,” Forman said of Read. “Her case in not like OJ or Casey Anthony, because she is factually innocent.”
With it being unlikely that Albert or anyone in the house would change their story, Forman said he is unsure if anyone who was in the house will be prosecuted but added that crucial evidence has either not been preserved or destroyed.
‘Tachlis’ and Will The Case Deter People From Drunk Driving?
While the content in Forman’s videos are not specifically Jewish, he at times drops Hebrew or Yiddish words, like in one where he spoke about ‘tachlis’ which is a main idea or big decision. Read was convicted of OUI, which is Massachusetts’ version of DUI, as her blood alcohol level from a test later in the morning was above the legal limit. Will the exposure from the case keep people from getting behind the wheel after boozing up?
“Deterrence doesn’t work,” Forman said. “Even if you execute people for drunk driving, people are going to drive drunk, think they’re smart enough to not get caught and everyone else is stupid. I always say, ‘please put me out of a job.’”
