Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Opening statements in the retrial in the Karen Read murder case are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die in the snow. Read’s defense has argued that she was framed.
Jury Selection
The retrial started with an extensive jury selection process on April 1, ultimately taking ten days to complete. Out of hundreds of potential jurors that reported to Norfolk Superior Court, nine men and nine women were selected to serve on the jury.
Partway through the jury selection, Judge Beverly Cannone upped the seats from 16 to 18 due to the high-profile nature of the case. The suspected length of the retrial also played into the decision, given that five of the 19 jurors were dismissed in the initial trial.
Final Motions Hearings
During final motions hearings, there has been a lot of discussion over what evidence can be admitted and what arguments can be made during the trial, including Read's third-party defense. Judge Cannone previously ruled that the defense can implicate Brian Higgins and Brian Albert, but not Colin Albert.
Opening Statements
Attorney Hank Brennan will deliver the opening statement for the prosecution. Brennan as recently added to the case is most well-known for representing mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. Norfolk County District Attorney Adam Lally has remained on the prosecution team, but Brennan is expected to take the lead in the retrial.
The defense team has also changed things up for the retrial, confirming Alan Jackson will replace David Yannetti to deliver the defense's opening statement.
U.S. Supreme Court Appeal
Read’s defense team appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to have some of the charges dismissed, after having exhausted all other levels of the judicial system.
Read’s defense team has one last chance to have the second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident charges dismissed, after filing an appeal in U.S. Supreme Court. They argue those charges should be tossed out on the grounds of double jeopardy, after jurors in the initial trial reported that they had reached unanimous decisions.
Read’s defense also asked the nation’s highest court to delay the trial, pending a ruling on the double jeopardy argument. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denied the “application for a stay of state court proceedings,” but the Supreme Court has not announced whether it will take up the appeal.
Listen LIVE for the latest updates on the retrial of the Karen Read murder case.