Attorney Alan Jackson and Karen Read outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Karen Read's latest effort to delay the start of her retrial was denied Thursday, paving the way for jury selection to begin next week.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed a previous decision by the U.S. District Court, ruling Thursday that her motion to stay the state court proceedings pending appeal is moot.
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The defense requested federal intervention a day after Judge Beverly Cannone of Norfolk Superior Court denied a defense motion to delay the start of the case, citing concerns about scheduling the jury pool.
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Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV in front of a home in Canton in January 2022. She is charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
Her defense team has claimed that she is the victim of a massive coverup involving law enforcement corruption and is being framed for the murder. After her first trial ended in a mistrial last July, attorneys for Read have gone before a state court judge, a Supreme Judicial Court judge and a federal judge seeking to have two of her charges thrown out. They made the request based on statements made by jurors after the conclusion of the first trial, claiming retrying her on two of the charges would amount to double jeopardy.
Read's attorneys said last week that the outcome of their federal appeal would impact their overall strategy.
"Read’s trial counsel cannot realistically be expected to select a jury without knowing whether the trial will include all three counts or only Count 2," the petition reads.
The filing in federal court requested that the federal court intervene by ordering a stay until there has been time for the First Circuit court to issue a ruling on their appeal. Specifically, they wanted the start of the trial pushed back until April 28. They say this is because starting the trial could violate her double jeopardy rights.
With the motion being denied, Read's second trial will start on schedule, with jury selection beginning April 1.
Read the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling here:
Read the defense's motion to stay the proceedings here:
