Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Jury selection for Karen Read's second murder trial is scheduled to resume Monday.
After speaking with more than 70 potential jurors, only 10 seats have been filled. Judge Beverly Cannone wants to fill at least six more seats before the trial begins.
As jury selection continues, Read's team of legal experts are playing chess. Read recently added a Massachusetts attorney who served as an alternate juror during her first trial to her team. Victoria George, a Princeton alumna who attended Northeastern for law school, filed a notice of appearance for Read's defense on Wednesday.
Read's team also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that her charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene be dismissed on the grounds of double jeopardy. The double jeopardy clause in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime. Read's defense team argues that's exactly what is happening, claiming jurors in her first trial reached a unanimous but unofficial acquittal for those charges.
Karen Read's supporters are also suing several officials over the expanded buffer zone that has been put in place around the Norfolk Superior Courthouse. The new buffer zone is now 200 feet and includes Bates Court, Court Street, Bullard Street, and Ames Street, effectively keeping protesters away from the courthouse. The lawsuit includes Judge Cannone, DA Michael Morrissey, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Dedham Police Department.
The plaintiffs, Samantha Lyons, Jason Grant, Lisa Peterson, and Allison Taggart, argue that the barriers violate their First Amendment rights.
Read is accused of fatally striking her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her car and leaving him to die in the snow.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.