Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘Karen Read: The Perfect Storm’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ delves deep into the chilling and unsolved murder case of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was killed during a stormy night in early 2022. When the investigators noticed the shattered taillight of his girlfriend, Karen Read, and found matching fragments of it at the crime scene, they arrested her on suspicion of murder. However, what followed was a suspenseful trial, with the defense alleging that another Boston police officer was involved in the killing — Brian Albert.
John O’Keefe’s Was Found Dead Right Outside Brian Albert’s Property
On the stormy night of January 28, 2022, John O’Keefe was last seen alive by his girlfriend, Karen Read, as she dropped him off at the residence of Brian Albert and headed to her home. A few hours later, in the early morning hours of January 29, his body was discovered on the front lawn of Brian’s house at 34 Fairview Road. Like John, Brian was also a Boston police officer at the time, who was the brother of John’s friend, Chris Albert. Despite the blizzard on the evening of January 28, 2022, John O’Keefe and a group of his friends decided to party. After drinking and chatting at two different Canton bars — C.F. McCarthy’s and Waterfall Bar & Grille — Brian invited the entire group to his house, which he shared with his wife Nicole Albert, for an after-party.
While the evidence pointed out that his girlfriend, Karen Read, was involved in the murder, she claimed that she dropped him off and watched him enter Brian’s residence. According to her, she then returned home after an alleged argument with him. Meanwhile, Brian claimed that John had never entered his house that fateful night, and he only found out about the tragic event through his sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe, around 6 or 6:30 am that morning. During his testimony at Karen Read’s trial, Brian said that he never went outside after the news broke out.
He stated, “I didn’t see much of a reason to go out to that area. The police had already been in my house. They had already talked to us about what was going on. It was a snowstorm at that point. They were conducting an investigation, and I didn’t want to interfere with it or have anything to do with it.” He also claimed that he had no idea that John and Karen were also invited over to his house for the after-party, which allegedly lasted till around 1:30 am. At the trial, the defense argued that John got into a fight inside Brian’s house, which ultimately led to his death. They claimed that he was beaten to death and even attacked by Brian’s dog before they disposed of the body right outside the property.
Brian Deny’s His Involvement in John’s Murder and Prefers to Lead a Private Life
A year after the murder of John O’Keefe and the defense’s allegations against him, Brian Albert sold his Canton house and even re-homed their dog. However, he claimed that both of those things had nothing to do with John’s death. On September 4, 2023, he also retired after serving the Boston Police Department for nearly three decades. The former Boston Police Sergeant was last assigned to the Boston Police Department Fugitive Unit until his retirement. According to reports, he received a monthly pension of $8,483.11 or $101,797.32 per year, following his retirement.
In 2013, he also made an appearance on a reality TV series titled ‘Boston’s Finest.’ He has two brothers — Chris and Kevin Albert. The former is the owner of a pizzeria in Canton and serves on the Canton Select Board, while the other one is a Detective in the Canton Police Department. Apart from being a brother, he is also a devoted husband to Nicole and father to Caitlin Albert and Brian Jr. Given the defense’s allegations against him, he is currently leading a private life with his family, away from the prying eyes of the media.
Read More: Karen Read: Where is John O’Keefe’s Girlfriend Now?
