Lawyers in Karen Read’s murder retrial will give their closing arguments on Friday morning after weeks of testimony in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court.
WATCH LIVE: Closing arguments get underway at 9 a.m.
Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking.
During her second trial, Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside Albert’s home in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read.
Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury on July 1, 2024, after several jurors came out after to say that the panel had unanimously agreed that Read was not guilty of the most serious charge of second-degree murder.
After the prosecution and defense are given 75 minutes to deliver their closing arguments, there will be a quick lunch break before Judge Beverly Cannone issues jury instructions, selects a foreman, and sends off 12 jurors to deliberate Read’s fate.
The jurors have a lot to consider after hearing from 50 witnesses over 31 days of testimony: Did Read hit O’Keefe? Was there any collision at all? Or is someone else responsible for his death?
Before the jury enters the courtroom Karen Read shares a lighthearted moment with her defense team, during her second murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Karen Read sits with her defense team, from left, Robert Alessi, Elizabeth Little, Alan Jackson, and David Yannetti during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read talks with her attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read and her defense team watch jurors leave the courtroom during Read’s murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Karen Read speaks with her defense attorney, Alan Jackson, during her retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, Pool)
Defense attorney Robert Alessi, center, confers with Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone as Karen Read, left, stands by during a sidebar during Read’s murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson look at the empty jury box while listening to Judge Cannone during Read’s murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Karen Read looks on during her trial Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read, right, confers with her attorneys Alan Jackson, left, and Robert Alessi, center, before Read’s trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read talks with her attorneys during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool)
Karen Read
Dedham, MA – April 12: Karen Read at her pre-trial hearing at Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Karen Read watches attorney Robert Alessi make a point during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Judge approves joint motion to delay start of Karen Read’s 2nd murder trial
Dedham, MA – July 1: Karen Read looks toward the jurors, as they are greeted by Judge Beverly J. Cannone (not pictured) in Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
All stand as the jury files out to the courtroom, to start their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial for Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read jurors tell judge they’ve been unable to reach unanimous verdict
Day 3 of jury deliberations finishes without verdict in Karen Read trial
Karen Read awaits the juries verdict in her murder case at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday June 26, 2024. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP)
Defense attorneys in Karen Read murder trial argue with judge over jury verdict slip
Some witnesses are in the courtroom on Tuesday include Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Jennifer McCabe.
Karen Read
Karen Read, center right, is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read
Karen Read smiles after listening to her attorney Alan Jackson during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Karen Read
Karen Read
Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
The defense rested its case on Wednesday, and the prosecution indicated they wouldn’t call any rebuttal witnesses. On Thursday, lawyers in the case met with Cannone to decide on jury instructions and the all-important verdict slip.
Boston 25 News legal expert Peter Elikann said cases have been won or lost on a well-crafted closing argument.
“There’s almost a certain arrogance to doing a closing because you’re saying to the jury, ‘Look, you heard it all, but we’re going to tell you what you just heard.’ And yet it still is very important to kind of try to put the entire case into perspective for them, all the evidence that they heard, try to make sense of it in a logical pattern for the jury.”
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.
Read said earlier this week that she’s feeling anxious and has butterflies.
“I thought it was strong last year. It’s stronger, yes,” Read told reporters outside court on Wednesday after she was asked, “Do you think your case was stronger this time?”
Read said she just hopes the jurors have been listening since opening statements were delivered on April 22.
“I just hope they were listening. That’s all I can ask for. They were in the same room I was…For the last 31 days,” Read said.
Read added, “I feel good about the jury. We selected them. I was there and took part in it. We chose fair, truthful, civic-minded people.
Attorneys and jurors were instructed to arrive in court by 8:30 a.m. Friday to ensure arguments can start right at 9 a.m.
Get caught up with all of the latest in Karen Read’s retrial.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Read the full article here
