Jury selection commenced on Tuesday for the retrial of Karen Read, less than a year following a mistrial declaration in connection with the death of her boyfriend, a Boston police officer.
Read, a resident of Mansfield, stands accused of fatally injuring her boyfriend, Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV and abandoning him to perish during a snowstorm outside a house party in Canton. Her defense team contends that O’Keefe was actually slain by another individual, possibly a fellow law enforcement agent present at the party, and that she was framed.
Following the mistrial last year, several jurors came forward to reveal that they had unanimously found Read not guilty of the most severe charge, second-degree murder, as well as a lesser charge. Despite efforts by Read’s lawyers to dismiss those charges, she will face the same accusations as in her initial trial. Their attempts to have the entire case dismissed on grounds of governmental misconduct were also unsuccessful.
Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool, File
The Tragic Incident
Read, a former financial analyst and Bentley College adjunct professor, faces charges of second-degree murder and other offenses in connection with the death of John O’Keefe, a 46-year-old police officer. O’Keefe, a 16-year police veteran, was discovered unresponsive outside the residence of a fellow Boston police officer.
According to prosecutors, after a night of drinking, Read, 45, dropped O’Keefe off at a house party just after midnight. As she attempted a three-point turn, prosecutors claim she struck O’Keefe before driving off. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank.
Prosecutors will aim to persuade jurors, as in the first trial, that Read’s actions were deliberate. They are expected to present witnesses who will testify to the deteriorating nature of the couple’s relationship before O’Keefe’s demise.
