Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday ahead of a status hearing in the ongoing case of Karen Read, accused of ramming into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm in January of 2022.
Dozens of Read supporters were present, and about 20 opposing supporters of John O'Keefe also waited outside of court.
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Earlier this month, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial after five days of deliberations when the jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict following a two-month trial.
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Read arrived at court about 10 minutes prior to Monday's scheduled 2 p.m. hearing along with her lawyers and several security guards.
Monday's hearing lasted only a matter of minutes, with Cannone setting a tentative retrial date for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, and a hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9 to hear arguments on the defense's motion to dismiss the case.
It became a common occurrence during the final weeks of Read's first trial for large groups of her supporters to gather outside the courtroom, often dressed in pink. On several occasions, people opposing Read also showed up, leading to a series of conflicts.
Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police who was found outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.
The defense argued that O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
