Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of running down her boyfriend, is going on trial for murder again, a year after her first trial ended in a hung jury — and threw her case into an even brighter national spotlight.
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, by backing her Lexus SUV into him and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm as she dropped him off at a fellow officer’s house after a night of drinking in January 2022.
Read’s supporters, however, allege that she is the victim of an elaborate cover-up by police. Her lawyers say O’Keefe’s law enforcement colleagues killed him, dragged him outside and framed Read for his death, including by planting evidence at the scene.
Read’s first trial, which began last April, divided their community and the jury.
It drew throngs of protesters on both sides — with Read’s wearing pink and waving “Free Karen Read” signs — outside the courthouse, past the 200-foot buffer zone imposed by the judge. Recaps and theories dominated Facebook groups and Reddit threads dedicated to the case.
The two-month trial spawned a separate case of witness intimidation against a local blogger, whose support of Read is prolific and controversial. It also led to the investigation — and eventual firing — of the state trooper who led the case against her, after he admitted to sending vulgar texts about her.
And, after more than 600 pieces of evidence and 70 witnesses, it ended in a mistrial last July.
“The divergence in our views are not rooted in a lack of understanding or effort but deeply held convictions that each of us carry, ultimately leading to a point where consensus is unattainable,” the jury of six men and six women wrote to the judge after multiple days of deliberation.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s office moved to retry Read on the same three charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crime — to which she has pleaded not guilty.
Read’s attorneys have tried unsuccessfully for months to stop the second trial or at least have two of the charges dropped on double jeopardy grounds, arguing that multiple jurors came forward after the mistrial to say they had all agreed that she was not guilty of murder or leaving the scene but had been confused about how to deliver a partial verdict.
Intrigue in Read’s case has only grown since the mistrial, as she’s continued to share her story and proclaim her innocence.
Read has given interviews to local and national media outlets, and authorized a five-part documentary series now streaming on HBO Max. “A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read” reached more than 6.3 million viewers in the week after it was released on March 17, according to Investigation Discovery.
“I have nothing to hide,” Read told Boston 25 News in February. “My life is in the balance, and it shouldn’t be. The more information the public has, the more they understand what we already know.”
Read’s new trial is scheduled to begin on April 1 — likely under even more public scrutiny this time. Here’s what to know.
