Massachusetts High Court Rejects Karen Read Double Jeopardy Appeal, Orders New Trial

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Karen Read will be retried on all charges related to the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, after denying her appeal claiming double jeopardy. Read faces charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident following a mistrial due to a hung jury. The court concluded that jurors had not reached a unanimous verdict on any of the charges, thus allowing the retrial to proceed as scheduled for April 2025. Read's attorneys argued that some jurors expressed a desire to acquit her on two charges after the trial, but the court determined these post-trial disclosures could not alter the outcome. Prosecutors allege Read struck O'Keefe with her SUV during a snowstorm and then left the scene, while she contends that she was framed in a cover-up. The case remains highly publicized due to its circumstances and the involvement of law enforcement.