A Massachusetts woman facing murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, received another setback in her legal battle.
According to USA TODAY, the United States Supreme Court denied Karen Read's petition to review her claims of double jeopardy, allowing her ongoing retrial to continue unimpeded.
Read's legal team had sought to have two of the three charges against her dismissed, arguing that jurors in her first trial had unanimously agreed to acquit her of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash causing injury or death.
Her attorneys contended that the trial court failed to properly inquire about the scope of the jury's deadlock, preventing them from delivering a partial verdict on these charges.
Attorney Martin Weinberg, representing Read, mounted an aggressive challenge through multiple courts to prevent her retrial on all charges. The defense team's journey included appeals to Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone, the Supreme Judicial Court, a federal judge, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
The legal strategy focused on the constitutional protection against double jeopardy, with Read's team arguing that retrying her on charges the jury had allegedly decided would violate her rights. Defense attorney Alan Jackson noted that the outcome of their Supreme Court appeal could have influenced their trial strategy.
However, each court upheld Judge Cannone's original decision, culminating in Monday's denial by the Supreme Court, which typically accepts only 100 to 150 cases from over 7,000 annual petitions.
The charges stem from a January 2022 incident where Read allegedly backed her SUV into O'Keefe outside a Canton home following a night of drinking, leaving him to die in a snowstorm. The prosecution presented their case through extensive testimony in the first trial.
Read's defense team has maintained she was framed for O'Keefe's death. The first trial, which began April 29, 2024, ended in a mistrial in July after the jury repeatedly reported their inability to reach a verdict.
The current retrial began April 1, with the second week of testimony now underway. Read faces three charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
The prosecution's case in the first trial featured testimony from more than 65 witnesses, while the defense presented a considerably shorter witness list. Notably, Read chose not to testify in her own defense during the initial proceedings.
The case has garnered significant public attention, spawning numerous podcasts, documentaries, and media coverage. A new documentary titled "A Body in the Snow" provides behind-the-scenes footage of the first trial.
Karen Read's murder case continues to move through the Massachusetts judicial system following the Supreme Court's rejection of her double jeopardy appeal. The 45-year-old defendant faces serious charges in connection with the death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe, whose body was found outside a fellow officer's home in Canton. As the retrial progresses into its second week of testimony, both prosecution and defense teams prepare to present their cases before a new jury while the question of Read's guilt or innocence remains to be determined.
