Judge Beverly Cannone in court before reading instructions to the jury in the Karen Read murder trial on Monday, July 1, 2024.
There is no change in the works for who will preside over Karen Read's retrial.
Judge Beverly Cannone will oversee proceedings, scheduled for January, in Norfolk Superior Court, a court representative said Monday.
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The statement was issued following chatter on social media, including from talk radio host Howie Carr, suggesting that Cannone would have a new court assignment that might mean a new judge would preside over the retrial. Carr on Monday acknowledged that Cannone's transition out of the role of regional administrative justice wouldn't affect her participation in the closely watched Read case.
Here's the full statement to NBC10 Boston from the trial court spokesperson:
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In Superior Court, regional administrative justices and other leaders serve in their leadership roles for three years, after which they rotate out of them, barring exceptional circumstances. For that reason, several administrative justices and other leaders will in 2025 rotate out of those roles, including Judge Cannone from her role as Regional Administrative Justice in Norfolk County. Judge Cannone will continue to serve in Norfolk County in 2025 and will preside over the Commonwealth v. Karen Read case in January. She will also assume the chair of the Superior Court’s Criminal Committee.
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Office John O'Keefe, with her SUV outside of a Canton, Massachusetts, home in January 2022, though she's pleaded not guilty and contends she's the victim of a large cover-up to protect his real killer or killers.
The Supreme Judicial Court is set to hear arguments next month in her bid to have two of the three charges against her dropped over revelations about the jury's deliberations came to light, which Cannone denied.
