Karen Read retrial motions hearing set, jury selected

Jury selection has concluded in the retrial of Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die in the cold. The process took ten days, screening nearly 600 candidates to seat 12 jurors and six alternates, amid widespread public familiarity with the case. Opening statements are set for next week, following a pretrial motions hearing where prosecutors intend to use Read’s past media interviews against her, a move legal analysts note is unusual and potentially risky for the defense. Read maintains her innocence, claiming she was framed as part of a law enforcement cover-up and suggesting O’Keefe was killed inside a house party hosted by another officer before being left outside. Judge Beverly Cannone has allowed Read’s lawyers to pursue certain third-party culpability defenses, though with restrictions on whom they may implicate. The retrial follows last year’s hung jury, and Read faces charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a crash.