Killer Thriller: Accused: The Karen Read Story
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What is the background of the Karen Reed case?
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Hey everyone, Elisa Donovan here, back with a new episode of Killer Thriller. Today, we are diving into a true crime story that completely took over the headlines, and honestly, the entire internet for years. In 2022, Karen Reed was charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder, accused of killing her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, after a night of heavy drinking during a brutal snowstorm. Prosecutors claimed she hit him with her car and left him outside in the snow. The story absolutely dominated local news and became a national obsession. After a 2024 mistrial, the case was retried a year later and Karen Reed was acquitted of murder charges. But between accusations of a police cover-up, massive public protests, and true crime fandom, the verdict only fueled the fire.
So today, we are talking with Katie Cassidy, who plays Karen Reed in Lifetime's new film, Accused, The Karen Reed Story.
How did Karen Reed become a polarizing figure in the media?
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Killer Thriller with your host, Alisa Donovan.
OK, today we are talking about Karen Reed and I am here with my producers to lay it out for you.
So Lifetime's doing a movie about the Karen Reed story starring Katie Cassidy, who will be joining us. For somebody listening, including myself, can you set up who is Karen Reed? I know the name. What did what? Is the story, what did she do? What did she not do? Okay.
Well, first of all, to be clear, and this speaks to how so many people know about this case, I remember first being aware of it by someone standing on an overpass on the freeway in LA with a big sign that said, free Karen Reed.
What evidence was presented against Karen Reed during the trial?
And I was like, who's Karen Reed? And who is that? So that made me look it up. And I went, oh, Oh my God, this woman. So she, what happened is this woman lived in Boston with her boyfriend. It was a blustery winter snowy night. They all went out drinking. And then she was accused of hitting this man with her car and leaving him to die and freeze to death in the yard of a friend. Now, there is so much evidence to the contrary.
What were the key arguments made by the defense in Karen Reed's case?
And in fact, it's about like police cover up. All of these people believe that the Massachusetts Police Department is a conspiracy against her. And then the more that you read and see, It's really true. They gathered evidence in a solo cup. There was some evidence that wasn't actually put into the proper places until March. This happened in January. They never went into the house. and questioned any of the people that were in the house at the time they went there, which was about 1230 at night. Now, what's important to know is the owner of that home was also a member of the police department.
How did public perception influence the Karen Reed trial?
And they have text messages from a state trooper who becomes the head of the investigation where he says, oh, yeah, no, those guys aren't going to suffer at all, essentially to the extent like, oh, no, we're not going to be a part of it. He's a part of the team, too. Like these very clear coverups.
Was the boyfriend also a police officer?
Yes. Sorry. He was a police officer.
And is there any, was he definitely hit with a car? No, this is the other part.
The entire, the, the prosecution's case rests on the fact that he was hit by a car and that Karen said over and over that,
What challenges did Katie Cassidy face while portraying Karen Reed?
I killed him. I killed him. I killed him. That becomes a big part of the case. Did she say that? But then it's revealed that she never said it. They have no footage of her saying this. But because everybody was so drunk and it was freezing cold and there are all of these extenuating circumstances. There's a whole thing about where he has these all the injuries he had were scratches on his arm. that they likened to, they had an expert, the defense had experts come in saying, those are from a dog, that there's no evidence of him being hit by a car.
What does the Lifetime movie reveal about the Karen Reed story?
And then they find out the owners of the house had a huge German shepherd who was known as, quote, not good with strangers. And then they gave the dog away like a month after this happened.
Being that this guy was drunk and like just passed out in the snow and froze to death.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the background of the Karen Reed case?
0:00–1:15
2
How did Karen Reed become a polarizing figure in the media?
1:15–2:04
3
What evidence was presented against Karen Reed during the trial?
2:04–2:42
4
What were the key arguments made by the defense in Karen Reed's case?
2:42–3:26
5
How did public perception influence the Karen Reed trial?
3:26–4:07
6
What challenges did Katie Cassidy face while portraying Karen Reed?
4:07–4:43
7
What does the Lifetime movie reveal about the Karen Reed story?
4:43–5:24
8
What are the implications of the Karen Reed case on societal views of women in crime?
5:24–31:24
Speakers
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