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Karen Read murder trial: 10 jurors seated so far for second trial
Court officials have said they aim to seat a total of 16 jurors for the upcoming trial, including four alternates.
Jury selection for Karen Read’s retrial has taken off at a faster pace than anticipated, with 10 jurors seated following the third day of impanelment Thursday.
Court officials have said they aim to seat a total of 16 jurors for the murder trial, including four alternates. So far, the jury box comprises five men and five women.
More on Karen Read:
Read, 45, is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, in a drunken rage while dropping him off at a house party in Canton in January 2022. Her lawyers contend she was a “convenient outsider” framed in a massive conspiracy among law enforcement and witnesses.
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The upcoming trial will be Read’s second, following a mistrial last July.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after jury selection began Tuesday, Read said she’s feeling “a little deja vu” to be back at Norfolk Superior Court on the eve of another trial. She likened the experience to the quintessential time loop movie “Groundhog Day,” but “without Bill Murray.”
Finding a jury for Read’s first trial was a painstaking affair, owing in part to the high level of publicity surrounding the case. This time around, legal experts who spoke with Boston.com forecast another lengthy jury selection process.
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Thursday’s pool was smaller than the groups summoned for the first two days of impanelment. Of the 40 prospective jurors, 37 said they had heard of Read’s case and 21 indicated they had already formed an opinion.
During jury selection, prospective jurors fill out a questionnaire before they’re called to the bench one at a time for further questioning with the lawyers and Judge Beverly Cannone. The screening process ranges widely in duration, with the attorneys occasionally breaking off into huddles.
Given the slow pace of the proceedings, Cannone sent dozens of jurors home early on both Tuesday and Wednesday, asking them to return for questioning the following morning. The group of prospective jurors screened Thursday included some returning from Wednesday’s pool.
Jury selection will resume Friday morning.
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