Karen Read Attended Catholic High School in Taunton

I didn't follow the Karen Read trials very closely and didn't know very much about the woman's past.

Since Read's murder trials were held in Boston, or more specifically Dedham, I just assumed she was from the Boston area. I was wrong. Karen Read has deep ties to Bristol County.

Karen A. Read was born on February 26, 1980, in Blacksburg, Virginia, near the border with West Virginia, and not far from the North Carolina line.

Karen Read’s Bristol County Roots

When Read was a child, she moved from Virginia to Taunton, Massachusetts, with her parents, a brother and a sister. The family lived at the end of the cul-de-sac, and Read attended Coyle & Cassidy High School, a now-closed private Roman Catholic school.

Reports indicate Karen Read was a standout student who studied piano.

From Taunton to Bentley University

After high school, Read enrolled in Bentley University, a private business school in Waltham, Massachusetts. While at Bentley, Read earned a bachelor's and master's degree in finance.

The Associated Press reported that at the time Read was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend on January 29, 2022 "by intentionally driving her SUV into him," she was living in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Karen Read’s Finance Career

"Long before she was charged with murder in the death of John O'Keefe, Karen Read had a successful career as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College," according to the AP.

The Patriot Ledger reported that Read also worked at Fidelity Investments before her arrest and was fired from both jobs after being charged.

Read was acquitted of second-degree murder charges in O'Keefe's death, but was found guilty of operating under the influence of alcohol, for which she received one year of probation.