A Massachusetts professor accused of drunkenly mowing down her cop boyfriend in January will now face a charge of second-degree murder, an upgrade from the manslaughter charge previously filed against her, The Boston Globe reports. Karen Read, 42, is accused of killing longtime Boston police officer John O’Keefe after a night of barhopping during a nor’easter that dropped up to 20 inches of snow in the area. Police allege she got behind the wheel to drive home from a friend’s house but struck her partner along the way, killing him. Read allegedly continued home as usual, however, leaving O’Keefe in a snowbank, undiscovered until the following morning. Prosecutors said in court that Read was heard telling paramedics at the scene, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” according to NBC 10. Read was initially arrested on a manslaughter charge and paid $50K to be bailed out. She was re-arrested Thursday, however, after a grand jury indicted her on charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision. She has pleaded not guilty to the new counts.
