Karen Read’s Murder Case Retrial Is Already Making Waves

Karen Read’s Second Murder Trial Ignites Controversy in Massachusetts

Last week, Karen Read stepped back into a courtroom in Dedham, Massachusetts, about a half-hour drive from Boston, for the start of her second murder trial. The case, which has gripped the state and drawn international attention, centers on allegations that Read killed her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, by striking him with her car and leaving him to die in the snow outside another officer’s home in January 2022. Read insists she’s the victim of a sprawling conspiracy involving multiple law enforcement agencies, and her retrial is already shaping up to be as dramatic as the first.

The initial trial ended in a mistrial last summer after a jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict. According to Read’s legal team, several jurors later revealed that the panel had been unanimous in favoring acquittal on the second-degree murder charge and a related count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. However, they were split on a lesser manslaughter charge and unaware they could deliver a partial verdict. Now, Read faces the same charges—carrying a potential life sentence if convicted—while her attorneys argue that retrying her violates double jeopardy protections. The case has escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, where Read’s team recently filed an appeal, but for now, the trial presses forward.

A Case That Captivated a State

The Karen Read saga began with a shocking accusation: that she drunkenly ran down O’Keefe, her partner of two years, during a blizzard and left him unconscious on the lawn of Brian Albert, another Boston police officer. Prosecutors, led by Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, painted a picture of a volatile relationship and a fatal act of rage. Read, a former financial analyst, has steadfastly denied the charges, telling reporters she believes she’s being framed by a network of corrupt officials. Her claims point to four agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police, whose troopers—operating out of Morrissey’s office—handled the investigation into O’Keefe’s death. (Morrissey’s office has declined to comment on the case.)

The first trial was a media frenzy, blending allegations of betrayal, cover-ups, and small-town power dynamics. Supporters of Read, who see her as a whistleblower against systemic misconduct, rallied outside the courthouse with signs and chants. Others viewed her as a calculated defendant dodging accountability. When the jury deadlocked, the case exploded into global headlines, setting the stage for an even more contentious sequel.

A Beefed-Up Defense and a New Prosecutor

For her second trial, Read has assembled a formidable legal team. Alongside her original attorneys—David Yannetti, Alan Jackson, and Elizabeth Little—she’s brought on Robert Alessi from New York, Massachusetts attorney Victoria George (who served as a juror in the first trial), and nine law students acting as clerks. Among them are standout scholars like Sophia Hunt, a recent Harvard Law Review president, and Abigail Rosovsky, a former Fulbright scholar. All 11 additions are working pro bono, a necessity for Read, who has poured over a million dollars into her defense by selling her home, draining her savings, and crowdfunding donations.

On the prosecution’s side, Morrissey has tapped Hank Brennan, a high-profile attorney who once defended notorious mobster Whitey Bulger, as special prosecutor. Brennan has taken a more aggressive stance than his predecessor, Adam Lally. In pretrial motions, he sought access to private text messages between Read and Yannetti, arguing she waived attorney-client privilege by discussing their talks publicly. He also pursued communications between Read and Aidan Kearney, a blogger known as “Turtleboy,” claiming they could show “consciousness of guilt.” While Judge Beverly Cannone rejected the attorney-client motion, Brennan won access to the Kearney messages, a move that sparked local news coverage when Read’s legal team made a theatrical entrance at the hearing.

Brennan hasn’t been immune to scrutiny. Read’s attorneys recently obtained two sets of security footage from the Canton Police Department, which they allege show officers tampering with her car—the supposed murder weapon—by damaging its taillight and planting fragments at the crime scene. The videos, turned over in October 2024 and January 2025, arrived years after they were recorded and months after the first trial ended. One batch lacked a clear chain of custody, accompanied only by a note from Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty saying, “That is how it records LOL. No tampering.” (Canton PD did not respond to inquiries.) A police audit acknowledged errors at the crime scene but found no evidence of a conspiracy.

Brennan admitted the footage “should have been managed better” but argued it wasn’t explicitly requested by the defense and isn’t exculpatory. Cannone sided with him, denying Read’s request for a hearing on the evidence, a decision that fueled accusations of judicial bias from Read’s supporters.

A Polarized Public and a Packed Courtroom

Outside the Dedham courthouse, Read’s backers have become a fixture, wielding signs like “Judge Bev Is Conflicted” and “Bev’s Court Is a Clownshow.” After Cannone extended a buffer zone to limit protests, four residents sued, calling it an attempt to silence free speech. Inside, the courtroom feels equally charged. Read is set to face figures she’s accused of framing her, including former Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor, who led the initial investigation. Proctor was fired last month for “unsatisfactory performance,” including sending derogatory texts about Read during the probe and drinking on duty. His family, including his wife and sister, issued a public statement defending him and accusing Read’s camp of defamation. Read fired back, questioning why Proctor relied on relatives to speak for him.

Other key witnesses, like Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, and Colin Albert, are also expected to testify. All have denied any role in O’Keefe’s death or a cover-up. Cannone, however, has restricted Read’s third-party-culprit defense, barring her team from mentioning it in opening statements or implicating Colin Albert as a suspect.

Questions of Corruption and Closure

Adding intrigue, the case has intersected with federal scrutiny. Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office subpoenaed Yannetti’s case file, hinting at a probe into the investigation of O’Keefe’s death. Witnesses like McCabe, Albert, and Higgins were called before a federal grand jury. But in March, Brennan announced that the investigation had concluded with no further action, a claim echoed by Chief Rafferty. Read remains skeptical, suggesting either misinformation or a political decision to drop the probe under a new administration. “Notice which side is celebrating the supposed end of the federal case,” she said, implying her accusers have more to fear.

As jury selection nears completion—with 15 of 16 jurors seated—the trial could stretch nine weeks, matching the first. Opening arguments may begin soon, with 150 potential witnesses on deck. Read, meanwhile, awaits a Supreme Court ruling on her double jeopardy appeal. Reflecting on her ordeal, she draws parallels to stories of Boston corruption, citing Matt Damon’s crooked cop in The Departed as a mirror to Proctor’s alleged arrogance. She’s even reevaluated O.J. Simpson’s 1995 acquittal, once viewing it as a miscarriage of justice but now seeing it as a check on flawed investigations.

For now, Read remains defiant. “I’m still free,” she told reporters, her supporters cheering in the background. Whether the trial ends in vindication or conviction, one thing is certain: Karen Read’s case will keep Massachusetts—and beyond—riveted.