Karen Read jury seated, trial to begin with opening statements next week
A jury was seated Tuesday in the high-profile Karen Read trial after 10 days over the course of nearly two weeks of selection inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Opening statements are now scheduled to be held in one week.
Jury selection began on April 1 and hundreds of prospective jurors met with Judge Beverly Cannone and attorneys to narrow down the pool to 18 people – nine men and nine women.
"We're loaded for bear, ready to get this show on the road," Read said outside court Tuesday.
The jury has not yet been sworn in.
"Very pleased absolutely. They're truthful, they were questioned thoroughly, so I have confidence," Read said of the jury selection process.
Motions hearings will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. There is no court scheduled for Thursday or Friday. Opening statements are slated for Tuesday, April 22, after Massachusetts courts are closed Monday for Patriots' Day.
Read on Opening Statements
It was revealed on Tuesday that prosecutor Hank Brennan plans to use clips from Read's media interviews in the Commonwealth's opening statement next week.
Outside court, Read was asked about the prosecution using her statements. "Come at me," Read responded. "I would not have said anything that I wouldn't say again."
The defense filed a motion stating their intention to use visual aids during opening statements.
Karen Read trial
Prosecutors say Read hit and killed her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton in January 2022. Read accuses law enforcement and several other people of trying to frame her.
Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read has pleaded not guilty and her first trial ended with a mistrial due to hung jury.
Read has appealed her case to the United States Supreme Court as she seeks to have two charges thrown out on double jeopardy arguments. Her appeal, which has been rejected at the lower level, is based on jurors saying that behind closed doors they voted to acquit Read on second-degree murder and leaving the scene and were only hung on manslaughter. Those discussions were never revealed in open court before the mistrial was declared.
The Supreme Court is expected to discuss whether to take up Read's appeal on April 25.
Read also filed to the Supreme Court asking them to delay her state trial until the court decides if it will take up her appeal. That request was rejected last week.
Jury selection for Read's first trial took five days over the course of more than a week.
WBZ Legal Analyst Katherine Loftus explains why the jury process is so grueling.
"There is no one perfect jury. But you want people who understand the gravity of what the court is asking them to do," Loftus said. "The Commonwealth is asking the jury to convict Karen Read of these charges, and the same, on the other hand, so it does in many ways come down to who is on that jury."
How to watch Karen Read trial
The Karen Read trial will be streaming live on CBS News Boston from opening statements right through the verdict.
For a full timeline of the Karen Read case, click here.
