Jury selection is scheduled to resume Wednesday in the murder trial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend. Read, 43, of Mansfield, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking . Her defense has long centered on allegations of a cover-up involving members of several law enforcement agencies. They claim O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog, and then left outside. As of Monday afternoon, 19 jurors were seated for the trial. Defense attorney Alan Jackson told reporters the judge wants to seat 20 potential jurors so that up to four can be dismissed. He added that the defense hopes to finish jury selection on Wednesday. On Monday, prosecutors responded to the unusual decision to include District Attorney Michael Morrissey on the 77-name witness list submitted by the defense. “Defense counsel indicated they would call District Attorney Morrissey to testify about the ‘conflict’ the Canton police department had with the investigation, and the assignment of the detective unit of the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office,” the prosecution wrote in Monday’s filing. According to court documents, prosecutors plan to call up to 87 witnesses during the trial. The defense plans to call up to 77. Some names appear on both lists. The defense has also raised a question about the constitutionality of the courtroom concerning the seating arrangements for the jury. Read’s attorneys filed a motion on Friday arguing that the current layout of the Norfolk County Superior Courtroom would violate her constitutional right to confrontation because several members of the jury will be unable to see the faces of witnesses. The prosecution said that the courtroom has been in use for over a century and is the largest in the county. If a change is to be ordered, they suggested repositioning the witness’ seat or moving the trial to a smaller courtroom in the building with a different layout. Ahead of the trial, which has brought contentious debate and protest, the judge ordered a “buffer zone” around the courthouse. A justice of the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the decision, but that ruling is also under appeal , with the SJC agreeing to hear the case “on an expedited basis.”
Jury Selection Resumes in Murder Trial of Massachusetts Woman Karen Read
