Karen Read's second trial heads into weekend without full jury seated

Ten of 16 jurors have been selected for Read's second murder trial in the death of Boston cop John O'Keefe

Published April 5, 2025 4:00am EDT

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Karen Read's second murder trial is headed into its first weekend without a fully seated jury after the court spent days vetting dozens of candidates, many of whom were already aware of the high-profile case after her first trial in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe ended in a mistrial.

Judge Beverly Cannone cut the parties loose around 4:30 p.m. Friday after four days of jury selection, which began on Tuesday with dozens of potential jurors telling the court they had already heard about the case and formulated opinions.

Ten jurors have been selected out of an expected total of 16, 12 to deliberate and another four alternates. The process resumes Monday morning.

Jury selection is expected to be a crucial aspect of the trial after the first highly publicized event ended with jurors deadlocked and no verdict.

Defendant Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson review jury questionnaires for the 87 potential jurors in the court jury pool at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Greg Derr/ Pool The Patriot Ledger)

Read faces murder, hit-and-run and manslaughter charges in connection with O'Keefe's death.

She was among the people who found him dead on fellow Boston Police Officer Brian Albert's front lawn on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022. The region had seen a blizzard overnight and an autopsy found head trauma as well as evidence of hypothermia.

Officer John O’Keefe poses for his official headshot. O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, is currently on trial for murder after he was found dead outside of a Massachusetts home in January 2022. (Boston Police Department)

Prosecutors allege Read backed into O'Keefe after a drunken fight and drove home, leaving him to die in the cold.

She denies the charges, has pleaded not guilty, and her defense has pushed the idea that someone else killed him, dragged him outside and left him there – using Read as a scapegoat to cover it up.

almost every case. In this case, the high level of publicity makes it even more challenging," said Sam Bassett, a defense lawyer in Austin, Texas, who has been following the proceedings. "Each side has its idea of the personality types that will favor their side so it’s a real battle to get the jurors you like."

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"I do not think a break for the weekend matters very much. It’s much more important to ensure that the jury selection is thorough."

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