The SUV made infamous by the Karen Read case is set for auction.
Read’s Lexus LX 570 will go up for auction in the coming months, according to a local auction house, and its place at the center of one of Massachusetts’ most notorious murder trials could push its final price well above market value.
Read was accused of backing into and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with that SUV after dropping him off during a blizzard outside the house of friends in Canton.
The owner of JB Auto Care in Weymouth purchased the vehicle from the leasing company after authorities released it.
No one has driven the SUV since police seized it nearly four years ago, according to the repair shop. The SUV had only 12,000 miles on it but required extensive repair work, according to Christian Brusard, a service advisor and son of the shop’s owner.
Mechanics changed the oil, cleaned out a rodent infestation, repaired the navigation systems, Brusard told MassLive, and, notably, replaced the taillight that became a major point of dispute in the trial, as investigators claimed it was damaged when Read struck O’Keefe.
“We had it, we fixed it,” Brusard told MassLive. “It’s good to go.”
JJManning Auctioneers, based in Yarmouth Port, will handle the sale. Justin Manning, the firm’s president, said he estimates the auction will be held in late January.
“Everything is being worked out now,” Manning told MassLive Thursday.
Read was charged in February 2022 with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision. Her first trial in 2024 resulted in a hung jury, with the judge declaring a mistrial.
The second trial in 2025 concluded in June with Read being found not guilty of the more serious charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision; she was found guilty of operating under the influence and was sentenced to a year of probation.
Brusard said JB Auto Care plans to donate all proceeds from the auction to Read.
