Karen Read faces second trial in Massachusetts’ most high-profile murder case
Karen Read and her lawyers greet potential jurors during week two of her retrial (Photo: Getty Images)
Opening statements have begun in the second trial of Karen Read, the woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him in the snow to die, reports USA Today.
After a lengthy selection process involving hundreds of potential jurors, the retrial officially began with a jury of 18, nine women and nine men.
Judge Beverly Cannone expects the proceedings to last six to eight weeks. To maintain order around the Dedham courthouse, she banned public demonstrations within 200 feet, a decision challenged in court by Read’s supporters but upheld by a federal judge on April 14.
Meanwhile, Read’s defense team has taken their challenge to the US Supreme Court, arguing that retrying her on two charges - second-degree murder and leaving the scene - violates double jeopardy, as the previous jury had unanimously agreed to acquit on those counts.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denied Read's emergency request to delay the retrial. The Supreme Court is expected to respond to the petition by May 5.
Old narrative, new restrictions, added players
The first trial ended in a deadlock after nine weeks.
Prosecutors claimed Read hit John O'Keefe with her SUV during a heated dispute and left him outside a fellow officer’s house. They pointed to her damaged taillight with O’Keefe’s DNA and witness claims that she said "I hit him."
The defense, however, argued she was framed and blamed others inside the house, suggesting a cover-up involving a beating, dog attack, and sloppy police work.
This time, Judge Cannone has limited who the defense can accuse. While alternate suspects can still be named, "they cannot directly accuse one of the individuals previously implicated," citing lack of sufficient evidence.
Both legal teams have changed: the prosecution added Hank Brennan, known for defending Whitey Bulger, while Read’s side brought in two new lawyers, including Victoria George - a former alternate juror from her first trial.
The case continues to draw national attention, and once the criminal trial concludes, Read still faces a civil lawsuit filed by O’Keefe’s brother on behalf of the estate.
Whatever the verdict, this retrial is set to reshape one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched murder cases.
It’s one of several high-profile proceedings capturing national attention - just days earlier, the US government released 10,000 previously classified pages related to the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, reviving public interest in one of the most scrutinized political killings in American history.
