The prosecution and defense in the Karen Read murder retrial have asked to push back the start of proceedings. Here’s why.
Prosecutors and the defense in the high-profile Karen Read case have filed a joint motion requesting to delay the start of her second criminal trial.
In the joint motion filed Monday, the Commonwealth and Read's team requested the start of the trial be moved back to April 1. Currently, it is scheduled to start on Jan. 27, 2025.
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Read is accused of hitting her Boston Police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton, Massachusetts, in January 2022. Read's team claims she was framed, the victim of a police conspiracy. She faces charges of second-degree murder, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident and involuntary manslaughter.
In Monday's filing, attorneys said they would like more time to prepare and noted that this trial will have new expert witnesses. The Commonwealth has said it intends to retest some forensic evidence, and the timeframe to get the results of some of that testing is not yet clear. They are also looking to include new expert witnesses who did not testify in the first trial.
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The case has captured international attention and the first trial, which ended in a mistrial in July, raised questions about the way Massachusetts State Police investigators handled the case. Attorneys are scheduled to go before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts later this week to argue a motion related to the mistrial declaration. Read's team says several jurors have come forward with claims that the jury did find consensus on the two more serious charges - second-degree murder and knowingly leaving the scene of an accident - and they want the charges dropped. The SJC is set to hear arguments from the Commonwealth and Read's defense on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, O'Keefe's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Read. A judge ruled last week that Read would not be deposed in that case until the conclusion of her criminal trial, though attorneys were granted permission to move forward on discovery related to other witnesses and defendants.
