Karen Read was acquitted in the killing of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe on Wednesday, vindicating a defendant who had claimed to be the victim of a sweeping cover-up across two divisive trials.

Karen Read on Wednesday walked out of court a free woman after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend.

DEDHAM, Mass. — A jury found Karen Read not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges Wednesday in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, a case that attracted legions of true crime followers who erupted in cheers when word of the acquittal spread outside court.