Jury selection is slated to begin Tuesday in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Mansfield woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022.
Everything you need to know ahead of the Karen Read murder trial
Read’s defense team added more fuel to their conspiracy fire during a final pretrial hearing at Norfolk Superior Court. Read is charged with running down John O’Keefe in the town of Canton on Jan. 29, 2022.
Read’s defense team argued against a motion filed by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office to block the jury from hearing their theory that O’Keefe was attacked inside a Canton home by people the prosecution has identified as witnesses in the case.
The state is using Read’s cracked right taillight as evidence she ran down O’Keefe in reverse with her SUV after a night of drinking.
Last week, Judge Beverly Cannone ordered the release of documents including Read’s legal team’s full motion to dismiss the case, as well as the Commonwealth’s opposition to that motion to dismiss.
Read’s lawyers say the Norfolk District Attorney’s presentation of the case was based on “flimsy speculation and presumption, underpinned by a questionable and biased investigation, and highly dubious physical evidence.”
Cannone has also ordered a 200-foot buffer zone around the Norfolk Superior Courthouse in Dedham and restrictions on megaphones and clothing to shield jurors from outside influences.
Read’s trial could last as long as 6 to 7 weeks.
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