Wed Apr 16 10:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Jury Selected in Retrial of Karen Read, Accused in Boston Police Officer’s Death
**DEDHAM, MA** – Jury selection concluded today in the retrial of Karen Read, charged with the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. Opening arguments are scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd, in Norfolk Superior Court.
Read, 45, is accused of killing O’Keefe in January 2022 by striking him with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm after a night of drinking. A previous trial ended in a hung jury last year, prompting the state to pursue a retrial.
The ten-day jury selection process resulted in a panel of 18 jurors – nine women and nine men – twelve of whom will deliberate, with six serving as alternates. Judge Beverly Cannone anticipates the trial will last six to eight weeks, with full days of testimony scheduled.
The high-profile case, which has garnered national attention and fueled numerous true crime documentaries, including Investigation Discovery’s “A Body in the Snow,” includes charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a death. The prosecution, led by special prosecutor Hank Brennan (formerly representing James “Whitey” Bulger) and including Adam Lally and Laura McLaughlin, is expected to call numerous witnesses. The defense team, expanded since the first trial to include Robert Alessi and Victoria George (a former alternate juror from the first trial), will be led by David Yannetti, Alan Jackson, and Elizabeth Little. The trial is expected to attract significant public interest.
First Piper 