ABC will air a new 20/20 special tonight at 8:00 PM EDT focusing on the verdict in the high-profile Karen Read case, timed to deliver exclusive interviews and fresh reporting immediately following the trial’s conclusion. The episode, titled Karen Read: The Verdict, will also stream on Hulu starting Thursday.
Hosted by chief national correspondent Matt Gutman, the special revisits the controversial death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, whose body was found in the snow outside a Canton, Massachusetts home in 2022. The case, marked by two trials, conflicting accounts, and law enforcement scrutiny, has been the subject of intense national interest.
Read was acquitted of second-degree murder and other major charges earlier today, but found guilty of DUI. She received one year’s probation. The 20/20 hour will include new interviews with her defense attorney Alan Jackson, close friends of the victim, and Michael Proctor, the former lead investigator whose role came under fire after a mistrial was declared in the initial proceedings.
This scheduling move positions ABC to capitalise on a true-crime moment while the public’s attention is sharply focused on the outcome. It also underscores the network’s strategy of flexing its news division’s deep bench across primetime real estate—particularly when public interest and legal milestones align.
20/20: Karen Read – The Verdict airs Wednesday, June 18 at 8:00 PM EDT on ABC. Available on Hulu June 19.
