The second trial of Karen Read, concerning the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, has commenced in Dedham at the Norfolk Superior Court under the supervision of Judge Beverly Cannone. This trial is expected to feature detailed testimonies as it progresses.
At 9:45 a.m., the jury was officially sworn in. Judge Cannone posed three preliminary questions to the jurors before court clerk Jim McDermott administered the oath to the 18-member panel and read the indictments against Read.
Earlier in the morning, at 9:23 a.m., Judge Cannone dealt with several pending motions prior to the jury’s arrival. She approved the prosecution’s request to prevent the defense from introducing a third-party culprit defense during the opening statement. Conversely, she denied a prosecution motion seeking to introduce independent readers for text messages exchanged between Read and O’Keefe. Subsequently, the judge conferred privately with the attorneys regarding whether the defense could mention accident reconstruction experts hired by the federal government in their opening remarks.
Karen Read, aged 45, faces charges of second-degree murder related to the death of O’Keefe, who was discovered outside a fellow Boston police officer’s residence in Canton on January 29, 2022. Norfolk County prosecutors allege that Read fatally struck O’Keefe with her SUV while under the influence of alcohol. In contrast, Read’s defense team argues that her vehicle did not hit O’Keefe, suggesting that other individuals bear responsibility for his demise.