Opening statements are set to begin in the second murder trial of Karen Read, who is accused of hitting her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm.
Defense attorneys for Read, 45, say she was framed for O’Keefe’s death in January 2022.
After ten days of questioning hundreds of prospective jurors, jury selection ended April 15 with nine women and nine men chosen. Judge Beverly Cannone said the trial could take six to eight weeks.
The divisive case has attracted attention from YouTubers, TikTokers and internet sleuths and become the subject of podcasts, movies and televisions shows.
Cannone barred supporters of either side from demonstrating within 200 feet of the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, prompting some of Read’s supporters to sue Cannone over the order. A federal judge ruled against Read’s supporters on April 14, meaning protesters will have to stay away from the courthouse.
As the retrial got underway, Read’s attorneys also asked the nation’s highest court to drop two of the three charges against her. The defense said jurors in the first trial unanimously agreed to acquit her of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash causing injury or death, and retrying her on all but the third and final charge would constitute double jeopardy.
On April 9, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denied Read’s emergency petition asking the court to pause her retrial pending a decision. A response to Read’s petition to drop the charges is due by May 5, according to the Supreme Court’s website.
What happened in the Karen Read case? Timeline of key moments in John O’Keefe murder trial
What happened during the first trial?
During Read’s first trial, it took five days to select 19 jurors and alternates from a pool of 401 people. More than 65 witnesses were called, including family members, forensic experts and police investigators.
Prosecutors alleged Read hit O’Keefe with her car and left him outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer after the couple got into an argument. They cited evidence including a broken taillight on which O’Keefe’s DNA was found, witnesses accounts of Read repeatedly saying “I hit him” at the scene and angry voicemail messages she left accusing O’Keefe of infidelity the morning he died.
Supporters of accused murderer Karen Read stand outside court as Read and her attorneys appear inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
Meanwhile, the defense claimed Read dropped O’Keefe off and then a fight broke out inside the home, pointing the finger at several other potential suspects. Read’s attorneys cited O’Keefe’s injuries, which they say could have been caused by a beating and animal attack, a misspelled Google search made by a friend of O’Keefe’s asking how long it takes to die in the cold and police missteps in the investigation as evidence of a cover-up.
The first trial lasted nine weeks. After five days of deliberation, that jury remained deadlocked.
How will Karen Read’s second murder trial be different?
Defendant Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson review jury questionnaires during the second day of jury selection in Read’s retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. on April 2, 2025.
While Read’s attorneys will be allowed to suggest alternative suspects, Cannone ruled they cannot cast blame on one of the people they pointed the finger at in the first trial, citing insufficient evidence.
“It’ll definitely be different in its execution, in how each side sort of executes its strategy, but the basic narrative will be be the same,” said Daniel Medwed, a professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University.
The prosecution’s witness list includes many of the same people who testified at the first trial, as well as a new witness, Read’s father. Both the prosecution and defense teams have also added to their line up.
Hank Brennan, a private defense attorney who represented James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, was hired as a special prosecutor by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office to try the case. He will be assisted by former lead prosecutor Adam Lally and Laura McLaughlin.
A cop dead in the snow: Why Karen Read’s trial is a true-crime obsession
The defense added two attorneys: Robert Alessi and Victoria George, who is a former alternate juror from Read’s first trial. David Yannetti, Elizabeth Little and Alan Jackson, who has represented Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, also remain on Read’s team.
Read to face wrongful death lawsuit
After Read’s second murder trial concludes, she will have to face a civil suit brought by O’Keefe’s estate and its representative, his brother.
Read’s attorneys filed motioned to stay the civil case until the criminal case is resolved. Judge William White Jr. granted a stay of Read’s deposition and any other discovery directly related to her.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Karissa Waddick and Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY; Peter Blandino, Jessica Trufant and David R. Smith, The Patriot Ledger
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karen Read’s second murder trial gets underway with opening statements
