A 24-hour vigil to remember John O'Keefe on the third anniversary of his death was held Tuesday into Wednesday at Canton Police Headquarters, though it was not attended by his friends or family.
"The reason we're not participating is because it's not a genuine honoring of John O'Keefe. It's not," said John Jackson, a friend of O'Keefe's and his family. "There's no reason he shouldn't be with us today. The three years is an open wound, that's just not healing."
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Participants in the vigil said they're looking for justice for both O'Keefe and his last girlfriend, Karen Read, who is accused of hitting her boyfriend with her SUV after a night of drinking and leaving him to die in a blizzard. She denies the charges and says she been framed.
"I'm not from Canton. I don't know John, but I know when something isn't right," said Jessica Svedine, one of the organizers of the standout.
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"John gets forgotten about. You don't hear about him. You hear about everything else, but he gets lost," said Tom Derosier.
Jackson, the O'Keefe family said, says the event is helping to raise money for the defendant.
"They're asking for the amount of his badge number to be donated to her defense fund. At a minimum, at a minimum, that's distasteful," Jackson said.
The standout in Canton included members of the Free Karen Read movement, including Scott McGuinness.
"This is not a fundraiser for Free Karen Read. This is the Free Karen Read movement honoring Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe," he said.
Karen Read's re-trial is still set for April 1.
