Karen Read seeks federal judge's intervention in retrial claims

Karen Read, accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV in January 2022, is facing a retrial after her first trial ended in a mistrial. Her attorneys have filed a motion arguing that a retrial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a crime violates double jeopardy protections, claiming jurors were only deadlocked on the manslaughter charge. Despite these claims, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has allowed the second trial to proceed. Prosecutors have accused Read's defense of violating court orders by releasing inflammatory evidence. Meanwhile, a federal judge has set a hearing for March 5 to consider Read's motion. Prosecutors are also seeking to have all defense motions filed under seal due to alleged breaches of protective orders.