Right here’s what we realized from the ‘Nightline’ phase on Karen Learn

Crime

Accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, Karen Learn opened up about their relationship and shared her model of occasions from the evening he died.

Karen Learn proclaimed her innocence to a nationwide viewers Monday evening, opening as much as ABC’s “Nightline” about her relationship with Boston police officer John O’Keefe and sharing her model of occasions from the evening he died.

Learn is accused of backing her automotive into O’Keefe and leaving him to die within the snow exterior a fellow Boston police officer’s Canton residence in January 2022.

However the Mansfield lady has steadfastly denied the allegations, pleading not responsible to expenses of second-degree homicide, motorized vehicle manslaughter whereas driving below the affect, and leaving the scene of a collision inflicting damage and demise.

“I didn’t kill John O’Keefe,” she informed ABC Information’ Matt Gutman within the “Nightline” clip. “I’ve by no means harmed a hair on John O’Keefe’s head.”

She described O’Keefe as “the patron saint of Canton,” including, “He was simply very selfless, frugal, and I feel you’d be hard-pressed to seek out anybody that didn’t look after John.”

Right here’s what we realized from Learn’s “Nightline” interview:

Learn and O’Keefe had a strained relationship at occasions

The couple first dated of their 20s earlier than reconnecting throughout the pandemic, Gutman reported.

“He had reached out to me on Fb and he stated, ‘Hey, blast from the previous. How’s issues?’” Learn recalled. “And after I noticed his image, his profile image was with a number of younger youngsters, after which it triggered my reminiscence that his sister and his sister’s husband had handed away. And he informed me, ‘Yeah, I’ve the children now.’ I admired that; I assumed that was superb.”

However their roughly two-year relationship was fraught at occasions; Learn informed Gutman that O’Keefe had been counting on her extra to maintain the children, and that he criticized a few of the childcare choices she’d made.

“We had had an argument on New Yr’s Eve,” Learn stated in Monday’s interview, recalling an incident the place O’Keefe grew to become “incoherently drunk” and left her together with his niece and nephew. 

“I felt very a lot taken benefit of,” she stated. “He apologized profusely for what occurred on New Yr’s Eve, and he stated, ‘If you happen to can’t recover from it, then you might want to spend a while at your own home. I can’t preserve apologizing; I don’t need to preserve rehashing this.’”

In keeping with a previous courtroom doc shared by Boston 25 Information, O’Keefe’s niece and nephew informed investigators that the couple argued commonly, and that O’Keefe had expressed a need to take a break from the connection. Learn, in the meantime, allegedly informed authorities that she and O’Keefe argued the morning earlier than he died over what she fed his niece for breakfast.

What occurred when Learn dropped O’Keefe off?

O’Keefe and Learn joined some pals on the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton on Jan. 28 and had been later invited again to the house of Brian Albert, a fellow Boston officer whom Learn stated O’Keefe admired.

“Each occasions I met Brian Albert, he appeared like the kind of particular person that you just’d be shocked he’s out socially, as a result of he doesn’t appear to be he ever desires to be there,” she stated.

The couple drove to Albert’s residence; from there, accounts differ.

Prosecutors allege that Learn dropped O’Keefe off, made a three-point flip, rammed into her boyfriend, and drove away. 

Her legal professionals argue that Learn was framed, suggesting that O’Keefe was severely crushed, attacked by Albert’s canine, and left exterior. Nevertheless, prosecutors have repeatedly rejected the protection crew’s claims of a conspiracy and cover-up, accusing Learn’s attorneys of creating out-of-court statements that amounted to “unsubstantiated proclamations, supported solely by self-serving hypothesis and conjecture.” 

Learn provided her personal model of occasions Monday, telling “Nightline” that she was uncertain whether or not the afterparty invitation prolonged to her and wished O’Keefe to double examine.

“I pull on the foot of the driveway. It’s snowing. John has no coat on. It’s windy,” she recalled. “So I drop him off, he goes up the driveway, and approaches the aspect door. And as I see him method the door, I look down at my telephone.”

Learn informed “Nightline” that after about 10 minutes of ready in her automotive, she grew to become irritated that O’Keefe hadn’t gotten in contact. She stated she drove again to his residence, noticing when she awoke earlier than 5 a.m. that he nonetheless hadn’t returned.

She started looking for O’Keefe, enlisting assist from two different girls: Kerry Roberts, O’Keefe’s buddy, and Jennifer McCabe, Albert’s sister-in-law and a fellow afterparty visitor. 

The three girls headed to Albert’s residence, the place they discovered O’Keefe mendacity within the snow. He was pronounced useless quickly afterward at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton.

Did Learn say ‘I hit him’?

A forensic specialist who examined Learn’s SUV discovered “a dent with chipped paint within the trunk door, a damaged tail gentle, and scratches on the bumper,” in addition to human hair on the “rear passenger aspect quarter panel,” prosecutors wrote in a Could movement.

“I had informed each Jen and Kerry that I cracked my tail gentle,” Learn stated in Monday’s interview. “I stated, ‘I simply hit my automotive, on prime of every part. However I didn’t have a look at the harm.’ And each girls stated, ‘It’s cracked. It’s cracked. Relax, you cracked your tail gentle. You’re OK, let’s go search for John.’”

McCabe allegedly informed investigators that Learn acknowledged, “Might I’ve hit him?” and “Did I hit him?” Prosecutors additionally stated a primary responder on the scene reported listening to Learn say, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.”

“I stated ‘I hit him.’ It was preceded by a ‘did’ and proceeded by a query mark,” Learn informed “Nightline.” “What I assumed may have occurred was that, ‘Did I incapacitate him unwittingly, in some way, after which in his drunkenness, [he] handed out?’”

Gutman requested her if it was potential that she hit O’Keefe unintentionally.

“No,” she replied. “Not potential.”

Learn is due again in courtroom on Sept. 15.

Watch the “Nightline” clip under: