Opening statements in the retrial of Karen Read, charged with the murder of her police officer boyfriend, are scheduled to commence today at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. The proceedings, which are being closely monitored, follow a tumultuous first trial that ended in a mistrial.
The jury, composed of nine men and nine women, has been selected, and Read expressed a mix of readiness and anxiety as she faces charges related to the death of John O’Keefe. Her legal representatives recently sought an emergency delay from the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the retrial constitutes double jeopardy, but the request was denied.
Read, a resident of Mansfield, Massachusetts, stands accused of fatally injuring O’Keefe with her SUV and abandoning him in a snowstorm in 2022 after a house party in Canton. Her defense contends that O’Keefe’s death was the result of foul play by another partygoer, possibly an individual associated with law enforcement, and asserts that Read has been unjustly framed.
The initial trial ended without a verdict, with jurors reportedly divided on the charges. Notably, Read’s defense team highlighted that some jurors believed she was not guilty of second-degree murder. Efforts to dismiss the charges based on these accounts were unsuccessful, and the retrial proceeds with the same allegations.
In the first trial, the prosecution argued that Read intentionally struck O’Keefe after a night out, illustrating their rocky relationship through testimonies from O’Keefe’s family, who described frequent arguments. The defense disputed these claims, instead pointing to inadequacies in the investigation, which they argue was compromised by relationships between investigators and individuals at the party.
Among those questioned in the first trial was former State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose conduct during the investigation has been criticized. The defense suggested Proctor’s personal biases may have directed the investigation towards Read.
As this second trial unfolds, the defense has been restricted from naming third-party suspects in opening statements, though they may later introduce evidence implicating other individuals, except a former police officer’s nephew, in O’Keefe’s death.
Legal proceedings have seen Read’s team argue against a retrial on grounds of double jeopardy, but these motions have been repeatedly dismissed by various courts. The retrial is set to proceed with Hank Brennan, a special prosecutor known for his past high-profile cases, leading the prosecution.
With the trial resuming at the same venue, the presence of Read’s supporters is anticipated outside the courthouse. The consistency of the evidence, combined with a potentially more assertive prosecutorial approach, sets the stage for an intense legal battle.
