Naman Shrestha
When a Boston police officer named John O’Keefe was discovered dead outside the house of a fellow police officer in the stormy early morning hour of January 2022, an extensive murder investigation was launched. Meanwhile, the entire community was left shell-shocked, with the family of the victim pushed into a state of grief, especially his brother, Paul O’Keefe. Bouncing back, he was determined to get justice for him and led the way when the investigators took the alleged killer into custody. The entire case is covered in detail on ABC’s ’20/20: Karen Read: The Perfect Storm,’ which also features in-depth interviews with John’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Paul O’Keefe Lost Several Members of His Family Over the Years
Known for being the brother of murder victim John O’Keefe, Paul O’Keefe has also had his own journey in life, with various ups and downs. Born to John Joseph O’Keefe II and Margaret Ann Welsh O’Keefe, Paul O’Keefe also grew up with another sibling besides John — a sister named Kristen O’Keefe Furbush. Raised in a seemingly loving and supportive household, he formed a tight-knit bond with his parents and siblings. So, when Paul learned about his father’s demise on October 11, 2005, he was deeply affected by it.
Less than four years later, another heartbreak awaited him. On April 29, 2009, his mother passed away. Having lost both his parents, he only had his siblings to call his family. Unfortunately, he even lost his sister in November 2013. Seeing the deaths of his family members took a toll on Paul, but he was kept together by the love and support of his wife, Erin O’Keefe. She was there to take care of him when his police brother, John O’Keefe, was murdered on January 29, 2022.
Suspecting his brother’s girlfriend, Karen Read, of killing him, Paul and his wife fought to get justice for John. They even took the witness stand on the first day of Karen’s trial. He addressed the court, “Definitely one of the worst weeks of our lives. I don’t know, I can only just pray my family gets the answers they need.”
Paul O’Keefe is Thriving as a Regional Strategic Account Manager Today
After graduating from Stonehill College with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Paul O’Keefe bagged his first job at O’Keefe Bros Plumbing & Heating as a Journeyman Plumber in January 2002. After working at the Weymouth-based company for over seven years, he switched to Sagamore Plumbing and Heating, Inc., where he served for ten months or so. In June 2011, he took a leap in his career by landing a job at J&K Sales Associates as a Sales Representative, where he was employed for more than a year.
Having gained enough experience, he applied for a job at Symmons Industries and was chosen to serve as the Business Development Manager in July 2012. His impressive performance and experience again worked in his favor as, in August 2019, he was promoted to the position of Regional Strategic Account Manager. As of today, he holds the same position in Symmons Industries and strives to go even further in his professional career by meeting customer expectations with his efforts and those of his co-workers.
Paul O’Keefe Has Filed a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against the Alleged Killer of His Brother
Soon after the judge declared a mistrial, Paul O’Keefe and the prosecutors hinted their intentions to re-try the case. In an interview with WBZ-TV, Paul talked about it in detail, “The mistrial that happened the other day, obviously, it wasn’t ideal. But if we have to do it again, we will do it again. It’s just a bump in the road and like I said, we will do it again. We will do it as many times as we have to.” During the conversation, he stated what he thought transpired on the fateful night. He said, “We know what happened. We know that Johnny and Karen were arguing, it was kind of towards the end of their relationship. Things weren’t well. They were drinking, and arguing and fighting, and in an intoxicated state of rage and jealousy, she just decided that she was going to do something about it.”
He spoke about the entire case in detail during the interview because he believed the public was misinformed and misguided. In his opinion, they only listened to one side of the story, and John O’Keefe’s side was still unheard. On the topic of him and his family receiving hateful messages from the supporters of Karen Read, he elaborated, “Yelling, screaming, calling us names. To this day I don’t know what I did wrong. I get messages all the time, through Facebook, or other ways of communication. Telling me that I’m a moron, I’m stupid, open my eyes and all this stuff. I don’t really care what people say to me. Because this isn’t about me. This is about my brother.”
Furthermore, Paul added, “All the time. It’s turned into the Karen Read show. She walks through a crowd that cheers her on. She goes out in public and takes pictures and signs autographs. She’s just living her life like nothing ever happened and meanwhile, my brother has been gone for almost 2 1/2 years. I just want people to go back to who the victim is in this. It’s not her, it’s my brother.” On August 23, 2024, the brother of former police veteran of the Boston Police Department, John O’Keefe, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Karen Read as well as the two Canton bars — the Waterfall Bar & Grille and C.F. McCarthy’s — where he was last seen alive. In the lawsuit, Paul is listed as the personal representative of John’s estate, demanding a jury trial for the matter. According to reports, Karen has since pled not guilty, so she is awaiting a January 27, 2025, retrial on the charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Read More: Karen Read: Where is John O’Keefe’s Girlfriend Now?
