We're just two weeks away from the high-profile murder trial against Karen Read and a group of her supporters gathered outside the Norfolk District Attorney's Office in Canton, Massachusetts, on Monday to protest a motion filed by the state.
Read is accused of killing John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, in Canton, Massachusetts, in 2022. Her lawyers have alleged that she is being framed amid a massive coverup, which the prosecution has denied.
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The trial is scheduled to begin on April 16.
Marching around District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office, "Free Karen Read" supporters gathered to protest a motion that calls for special restrictions at the trial.
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If a judge approves it, demonstrations would have to be back at least 500 feet from the courthouse in Dedham, and people would not be allowed to wear any attire that suggests a "favorable or unfavorable opinion of either party."
That would include clothing on animals, such as some spotted Monday.
“Michael Morrissey here is asking for the world. His motion far overreaching and outrageous," Shirley resident Scott McGuinness said Monday.
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Many say the motion is unjust and against the First Amendment.
“This has been a bad display. They’re weaponizing the laws in this town," Florida resident Mark Dufour, who attended the rally, said.
A former Canton police sergeant of more than three decades was among those who spoke out Monday, alleging a problem with the Canton Police Department.
“It’s cut and dry to me. There’s no way that she committed that crime and as it came out the other day in court, the car didn’t hit him and he didn’t get hit by a car," retired Sgt. Peter Murphy said.
The group is retaining an attorney to fight back.
“As a group we were able to raise some money and hire an attorney, Marc Randazza, and he’s going to be representing us in some sort of fashion," rally organizer Paul Cristoforo said.
Randazza said he intends to put forth a motion on Tuesday morning.
"If we take them out their word as what they’re trying to do, they’re trying to kill a fly with a shotgun. But I think what they’re really trying to do is hide from the public that a lot of the public opinion is not with them," Randazza told NBC10 Boston.
A Norfolk District Attorney's Office spokesman noted that the decision to take measures to prevent juror interference lies with judges, and while it's uncommon, it has been used before, including in the "Puppy Doe" animal cruelty case of 2018.
There is a special hearing scheduled for April 4 where a judge is set to consider the courthouse restrictions.
