Jurors return for second week of witness testimony in Karen Read retiral
Jurors will return to the courtroom for week 2 of witness testimony in Karen Read’s retrial.
ARCCA accident reconstruction experts are set to be questioned on Monday. Those witnesses will not appear in front of the jury today.
Judge Beverly Cannone wants to hear from them before putting them on the stand.
Read is accused of striking John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert following a night of drinking.
She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene.
On Friday, all 18 jurors in Karen Read’s retrial toured the scene of John O’Keefe’s death and got an up-close look at the murder defendant’s Lexus SUV during a field trip to Canton on Friday morning.
Read’s SUV was towed to the scene, where crews positioned the vehicle near a flagpole where O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow on the morning of January 29, 2022.
Read, her attorneys, members of the prosecution, and Cannone joined the jurors on the tour.
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan and defense attorney David Yannetti asked jurors to carefully examine Albert’s former home, the flagpole on the lawn, a fire hydrant out front, and the location of Read’s SUV.
“Your eyes are the best computer that you can bring to the view,” Yannetti told the jury.
Jurors tour scene of John O’Keefe’s death, get up-close look at Karen Read’s Lexus SUV
Prosecutors allege Read intentionally backed into O’Keefe after she dropped him off at a house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense has claimed that she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O’Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party.
A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
RELATED:
‘Stop calling’: Trooper reads text messages Karen Read, John O’Keefe exchanged before his death
‘That’s my son’: John O’Keefe’s mom gives emotional testimony for the first time in Karen Read case
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW