Tue Apr 29 13:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Rejects Appeal, Retrial of Karen Read Continues in O’Keefe Death Case
**BOSTON, MA** – The retrial of Karen Read, accused of killing Boston police officer John O’Keefe, continues in Massachusetts after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear her appeal. Read’s petition for certiorari, arguing double jeopardy, was denied on Monday.
Read was originally charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident following O’Keefe’s death in January 2022 during a blizzard. A mistrial was declared in her first trial last year due to a hung jury.
Read’s defense team argued that the jury had reached a unanimous decision to acquit her on the second-degree murder and leaving the scene charges, a claim based on statements from four jurors. Despite appeals court rejections of their arguments against retrial on these charges, the Supreme Court’s decision leaves Read without further legal recourse.
Testimony in the second trial is underway, with digital forensics evidence presented this week. Emotional testimony from O’Keefe’s mother, Margaret “Peggy” O’Keefe, who described her son’s loving personality and close relationship with his niece and nephew, was a highlight of the first week. This testimony was not presented in the first trial.
The retrial is now in its second week. Read maintains her innocence.
First Piper 