Two recent cases involving Norfolk District Attorney Morrissey's office, the deaths of
John O'Keefe and
Sandra Birchmore, have cast public doubt on prosecutorial integrity and law enforcement accountability. These allegations led to the launch of a
federal probe, as well as an independent audit of the
Canton Police Department by the firm 5 Stones Intelligence, which uncovered evidence of "antiquated policing."
Commonwealth vs. Karen Read Norfolk District Attorney Morrissey's office announced the arrest of
Karen Read on February 2, 2022 in connection with the death of her boyfriend,
Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. O'Keefe was found unconscious on the front lawn of fellow Boston Police Officer, Brian Albert, in Canton. Read was initially charged with
manslaughter. On June 9, 2022, the Norfolk District Attorney's office issued a press release stating that Karen Read had again been taken into custody by the
Massachusetts State Police. On Friday, August 25, 2023, before the trial even began, District Attorney Morrissey's office released a pre-recorded video statement declaring Read's guilt and defending the innocence of the witnesses of the case. He claimed that the "constitutional presumption of innocence" should be afforded to these witnesses, who were not on trial, yet did not defend the same right for Read. Read's first trial resulted in a mistrial on July 1, 2024, due to a hung jury. On June 18, 2025, Read's retrial resulted in a verdict of "not guilty" on all major charges. She was found guilty of
operating a vehicle under the influence, receiving the standard sentence of one year
probation. Morrissey's only comment was, "The jury has spoken."
Killing of Sandra Birchmore On February 4, 2021, 23-year-old
Sandra Birchmore, a native of
Stoughton, Massachusetts, was found dead in her
Canton, Massachusetts apartment following a
wellness check. She was three months pregnant at the time. Her death was initially ruled a
suicide by the state
medical examiner, and in a 2022 statement, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office spokesperson said their initial investigation “found no evidence of foul play” in Birchmore's death. Federal authorities later determined that her death was a
homicide, alleging that a former
Stoughton Police Officer, Matthew Farwell, murdered Birchmore, tampered with her digital devices, and staged the scene to appear as if the victim had taken her own life. Farwell's
federal indictment Authorities allege Birchmore and Farwell had a sexual relationship for years, beginning in 2013 when the two were 15 and 27, respectively. Farwell reportedly forced her to participate in violent rape fantasies. In late 2020, Birchmore informed Farwell that she was pregnant. Before her death, Birchmore disclosed to several people that Farwell had been physically violent with her. In June 2025, it was revealed that a DNA test found that Farwell was not the father of Birchmore's unborn child. ==References==