Crime

Livestream: Watch opening statements in Karen Read’s murder trial

Jurors will get a glimpse into the arguments for and against Read's innocence when lawyers on both sides make their opening statements Monday.

Karen Read stands with lawyers in court during jury selection at Norfolk County Superior Court, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Dedham. David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool

By Abby Patkin

updated on April 29, 2024

1 minute to read

Opening statements are expected Monday in Karen Read’s high-profile murder trial, laying bare the arguments for and against the Mansfield woman’s innocence.

More on Karen Read:

The 44-year-old is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, while dropping him off at a home in Canton following a night of drinking in January 2022. Yet while prosecutors say Read left O’Keefe to die in the snow, her lawyers argue she was framed in an elaborate cover-up involving witnesses and law enforcement.

Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury and death.

Former prosecutor and veteran defense attorney David Yannetti will deliver an opening statement on her behalf Monday morning. A powerful orator, Yannetti was previously recognized for a closing statement he gave as a prosecutor in Middlesex County, when he secured convictions against the two men who killed 10-year-old Cambridge boy Jeffrey Curley in 1997.

Meanwhile, the prosecution — helmed by Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally — has pointed to a litany of evidence they say will prove Read killed her boyfriend of two years that snowy night in 2022.