Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
Karen Read’s trial gets underway with jury selection. Here’s what happened.
Only four jurors were seated for Read's upcoming murder trial following a marathon jury selection session Tuesday.
Somber faces reflecting various states of caffeination, prospective jurors for Karen Read’s murder trial filed into Norfolk Superior Court Tuesday morning with a monumental task ahead of them. Weeks from now, the matter of Read’s guilt or innocence will rest in some of their hands.
Tuesday’s court proceedings were largely dedicated to the painstaking process of whittling down the pool of potential jurors and assembling an impartial jury. Given the media frenzy and conflicting theories surrounding Read’s high-profile case, it’s a feat easier said than done.
Only four jurors were seated following a marathon court session Tuesday, meaning the jury selection process continues into at least a second day.
More on Karen Read:
Read, 44, is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, while dropping him off at a home in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022. While prosecutors allege Read left O’Keefe to die in the snow outside a fellow Boston officer’s home, lawyers for the Mansfield woman say she is being framed in a widespread cover-up among law enforcement and witnesses.
Advertisement:
Prosecutors previously asked Judge Beverly Cannone to block Read’s lawyers from arguing that others are to blame for O’Keefe’s death. Though she said she would be “well within” her rights to do so, the judge instead offered the defense a chance to develop their argument through “relevant, competent, admissible evidence.” However, she barred them from using the third-party culprit defense during opening statements.
In her own opening remarks, Cannone emphasized the jury’s important role in a case that has rocked Norfolk County.
“People outside of this building have rights, and we know that they have voices, but this criminal trial will be decided by an independent jury, free from outside interference, based only upon the evidence presented in this courtroom and the law,” Cannone said.
Advertisement:
She added: “While public comment will likely continue, the rule of law will be upheld.”
When Cannone asked whether any prospective jurors had previously seen, heard of, or talked about Read’s case, a majority raised their hands. Several hands also went up when Cannone asked potential jurors if they had already formed an opinion on the matter.
Outside the courthouse, Read’s supporters held handmade signs and donned pink in a show of solidarity, chafing against the 200-foot buffer zone Cannone set for the duration of the trial. Read and her lawyers were treated as celebrities upon their arrival, entering the courthouse to raucous cheers.
As Tuesday’s court proceedings came to a close, Read’s supporters also lined the back of the courtroom. Among them was Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney, who has adopted the defense team’s cover-up claims to become the unofficial face of the “Free Karen Read” movement. Kearney is also facing several witness intimidation charges stemming from his alleged harassment of witnesses in Read’s case.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted extensive lists of potential witnesses Tuesday, and Cannone cautioned prospective jurors that Read’s trial may ultimately last as long as six to eight weeks once a jury is assembled.
Advertisement:
“This is just a best estimate,” she said. “I’d rather tell you more time and have the trial be shorter than the other way around.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com