The Karen Read Saga Continues

Nora Geoghegan

Staff Writer

In 2022, Karen Read of Mansfield, MA, was presented with charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter, operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crime after the death of her boyfriend and Boston police officer John O’Keefe. As of April 1 of this year, she is now facing her second trial after a mistrial.

In Read’s first trial, she was accused of killing O’Keefe with her SUV. However, at the end of the trial in July of 2024, Judge Beverly Cannone of the Norfolk Superior Court of Dedham, Massachusetts declared a mistrial due to a “starkly divided” jury.

Read’s case has garnered a vast amount of attention as many suspect someone else is at fault for the murder of Officer O’Keeffe, and that Read is the victim of a cover-up.

In addition, being from a town adjacent to Read, her trial is all that anyone in that area talks about! You drive by Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and you’re greeted with a “Free Karen Read” billboard. It certainly has created an immense discourse both in and out of the community.

Read’s second trial officially got underway with jury selection on April 1. The following day, the jury for Read’s second trial reached seven members. Read’s supporters also filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that a court mandated buffer zone violated their constitutional rights. A federal judge ruled against this the following week.

10 jurors were seated after three days of jury selection on April 3. Read appealed her case to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking them to delay her state trial while they decide if they will take up her appeal. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denied Read’s request to pause her trial, and the court will review whether to take the case on April 25.

15 jurors have been seated for the trial, and on April 16, the final motion hearing before the start of the trial was held. Arguments were heard over topics that included federal ARCCA witnesses. Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney also said, through his attorney, that he would plead the fifth if called as a witness, and prosecutors agreed not to call him.

All eyes have been on Read and others that are a part of the case as the second trial began on Tuesday, April 22. The trial is still underway and no verdict has yet been reached.