Closing arguments are set for Friday in Karen Read’s second murder trial, with jury deliberations expected to begin shortly afterward. Read stands accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe — a case that has gripped national attention amid allegations of police cover-up and fabricated evidence.
The second murder trial of Karen Read, who stands accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefewill witness closing arguments on Friday. The case is expected to move to jury deliberation shortly after the summations as the trial has drawn intense public scrutiny and sparked more than three years of controversy.
Read, 45, faces various charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a crime. Prosecutors allege she hit O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow outside a house party in Canton in January 2022.
Read has steadfastly denied the charges. Her legal team contends that O’Keefe was assaulted inside the home, bitten by a dog, and then left outside, injured, as part of a broader conspiracy to frame Read. They allege that members of law enforcement planted evidence to implicate her in the death.
This second trial closely mirrored the first, which ended in a mistrial last year. Once again, Judge Beverly Cannone presided over the proceedings. She told attorneys Thursday that she wants the jury to begin deliberating as soon as possible following the closing arguments, and said she hopes they can get in several hours of deliberation on Friday itself.
Read has never been incarcerated in connection with O’Keefe’s death.
As she arrived at court Friday morning, Read waved to a crowd of about 100 supporters, many of whom were dressed in pink and gathered behind barricades outside the courthouse. Several held U.S. flags and signs, including one that read: “Protect Truth, Not Power.”
Her father, William Read, also appeared at the courthouse and addressed the crowd briefly.
“I’m one of the many fathers,” he said. “The fact you folks are here in support of Karen tells me your fathers played a big role in your life. His legacy lives on.”
Like her first trial, Read did not take the stand in her defense during this trial either. Speaking briefly to reporters outside the courthouse earlier this week, Read noted that the jury had already heard from her — not through live testimony, but through recorded interviews played during the trial.
“They’ve heard my voice,” she said. “They’ve heard a lot of me.”
On Thursday, attorneys and Judge Cannone met in open court — but outside the presence of the jury — to debate the instructions that will be read to jurors before deliberations begin. The defense filed a motion for a required finding of not guilty, which Cannone denied.
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