Jury selection begins this week in Karen Read murder trial

By Todd Kazakiewich

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    DEDHAM, Massachusetts (WCVB) — The murder trial for Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, begins Tuesday with jury selection for the case that has made headlines across the nation.

Read, 45, of Mansfield, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Her defense team argues that someone else was responsible for killing O’Keefe, and Read is the victim of a cover-up.

Hundreds of extra jurors have been summoned for the second trial, and the judge has extended the buffer zone up to 200 feet around the courthouse.

WCVB legal analyst Martha Coakley said some differences can be expected in the second trial.

“What the judge is trying to do is exclude external, extraneous things that could consciously or unconsciously affect particularly potential jurors as they are chosen and as they sit through the trial,” Coakley said. “You’ve got the same defense team with a few additions. You’ve got a new prosecutor with a new approach, and I think it’s going to look different.”

Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury in July 2024. Since then, lead investigator former Trooper Michael Proctor was fired from the Massachusetts State Police after he admitted to sending inappropriate texts about Read during the investigation.

Proctor is listed as a witness for both sides in the second trial.

Canton police officer Kevin Albert and Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik were also disciplined, and Detective Lt. Brian Tully was transferred out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Jury impanelment begins Tuesday and is likely to take several weeks.

Organizers held demonstrations Sunday in communities across the state like Canton, Dedham, New Bedford, Randolph and Worcester will be one of the final opportunities for Read’s supporters to gather in this manner before the trial.

Supporter Dina Warchal was at one of the rallies in Dedham Sunday and said she is protesting for a number of reasons.

“We’re fighting for truth, justice, transparency, and we want things fixed in the state of Massachusetts,” Warchal said. “Karen Read could be any one of us, and it has to stop. This is our opportunity to change the way things are. The police need to be accountable for the wrongful things that they do.”

Another supporter said they were rallying not just for Read but for O’Keefe as well.

“We’re here for her. To show justice and have some justice for her and Officer John O’Keefe,” Bonnie Fitzgibbons said. “Because he’s the key player here.”

What to know about the case: Read, 45, of Mansfield, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Her defense team argued that someone else was responsible for killing O’Keefe.

The defense centered on allegations of a cover-up involving members of several law enforcement agencies. They say O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog and then left outside.

Testimony in Read’s first trial began on April 29, following opening statements. It ended on July 1, when jurors reported being hopelessly deadlocked, and a mistrial was declared.

Read’s team vowed to keep fighting, and her defense has waged a considerable battle across multiple courts, attempting to get charges dropped or have the case thrown out entirely. Meanwhile, a federal investigation into the case concluded without any charges being filed against police.

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