Karen Read’s second trial started today with opening statements in the high-profile Massachusetts murder case. Read, who is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow in Canton in 2022, is being retried less than a year after her first trial ended in a mistrial.
The 45-year-old Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of personal injury of death. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges and argues she is being framed by several people, including law enforcement.
Eighteen jurors – nine men and nine women – have been seated after a grueling jury selection process that took 10 days. One of the alternate jurors from Read’s first trial is now a member of her legal team.
How to watch the Karen Read trial
You can watch Read’s trial streaming live from Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on CBS News Boston or in the video player above when the proceedings begin at 9 a.m.
Click here for a full timeline of events in the case.
Karen Read opening statements
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan, the former Whitey Bulger attorney who was not part of the first trial, made the opening statement for the Commonwealth. Prosecutors said in a filing last week that they plan to use Read’s own words against her at trial. It’s expected that they will play clips from Read’s various media interviews that she has done in recent months.
Read said outside court recently that her lawyer Alan Jackson will deliver the opening statement for the defense. During last year’s trial, it was attorney David Yannetti who spoke first to the jury.
Karen Read trial witnesses
After opening statements, prosecutors will begin calling witnesses to testify at trial. There are 150 names that the prosecution and defense could call, but not all are expected to testify.
Among those who played a major role in the first trial and could testify again are former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired for his conduct while leading the Read investigation, and Jennifer McCabe, who made the controversial “hos long to die in cold” Google search.
Also on the witness list are Brian Higgins, Brian Albert and Colin Albert. The defense has argued they could have killed O’Keefe during a fight inside Brian Albert’s home at 34 Fairview Road. Judge Beverly Cannone, however, has ruled that the defense cannot argue that Colin Albert, who was a teenager at the time, could be one of the men responsible for O’Keefe’s death.
Click here for more about the key witnesses in the case.
Karen Read trial schedule
Karen Read’s first trial consisted of 29 days of testimony over nearly two months. The second trial may move faster, as Cannone said the court will be doing as many full days as possible, as opposed to half days of testimony that were a frequent occurrence in the first trial.
Court generally starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. They take a short morning break around 11 a.m. and an hour for lunch at about 1 p.m.
At some point early on in the trial, the jury will take a trip to Fairview Road in Canton to view the crime scene. That visit will not be shown live for the general public.
