After Read mistrial, Netflix announces John O’Keefe documentary

Netflix announced Friday that it is making a three-part documentary series about the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, whose girlfriend, Karen Read, was charged with his murder and faced trial in Dedham this year, which ended in a mistrial.

The streaming giant said the series, which does not yet have a title, will “explore what happened in the days leading up to O’Keefe’s death” in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022.

The documentary is currently in production with Sandpaper Films under co-directors Danielle Johnson and Rob Miller, Netflix said. No release date was mentioned in the announcement.

Judge Beverly J. Cannone declared a mistrial in Read’s case earlier this month when the jury said it was deadlocked after five days of deliberations. Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey has pledged to retry the case, and a status conference is set for Monday.

Read, 44, a financial analyst and adjunct professor from Mansfield, allegedly backed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe after dropping him off outside a Canton home early on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of heavy drinking. She returned to the scene hours later and found O’Keefe’s snow-covered body, repeatedly shouting “I hit him” in the presence of first responders, witnesses testified.

Attorneys for Read say she’s been framed and that O’Keefe entered the home, where he was fatally beaten in the basement before his body was planted on the lawn by people who attended the house party. The house was owned by another Boston police officer, Brian Albert, who has since retired from the force. Her lawyers argued that she was being scapegoated in a police coverup.

The case garnered national attention and numerous supporters of Read gathered outside the Dedham courthouse daily throughout the eight-week trial.

“The team feels immensely privileged to be bringing this important series to a Netflix global audience,” Johnson and Miller said in the announcement by Netflix. “It is a case that has garnered a huge amount of public attention and has far-reaching implications. We are also mindful that this is a hugely sensitive case and we are determined to treat all those involved with the respect and consideration they deserve.”

Material from previous Globe coverage was used in this report.

Nick Stoico can be reached at [email protected].