DEDHAM, Mass. – The second murder trial of Karen Read, whose case has sparked a national debate on police accountability and won her legions of devoted fans, began Tuesday, with prosecutors and defense lawyers presenting theories during their opening statements about how her Boston police officer boyfriend ended up dead.
Read is accused of striking John O’Keefe with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party in Canton, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Boston. She is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene.
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During the first trial last year, prosecutors said Read intentionally backed into O’Keefe after she dropped him off at a house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense said she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O’Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party.
A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile. A new prosecutor, Hank Brennan, is heading the state's case for the retrial. Attorney Alan Jackson presented the defense's opening statement.
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Jackson calls Nuttall’s testimony ‘inconsistent’
Jackson described paramedic Timothy Nuttall’s testimony about the scene of O’Keefe’s death as inconsistent.
During cross-examination, the defense lawyer noted that during Read’s initial trial, Nuttall testified that Read told him twice that she “hit him.” But on Tuesday, Nuttall said she said it three times.
In response, Nuttall told Jackson that Read said it three times. He said Read made the statement when he arrived at the scene and found O’Keefe in the snow.
Paramedic testifies that Read said 'I hit him'
Read had blood on her face at the scene of O’Keefe’s death and said “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” paramedic Timothy Nuttall testified.
During opening statements, the jury was told to expect to hear Nuttall testify that Read used the words “I hit him.” The defense, though, denies that the statement is incriminating.
When Read made the statement, she had blood on her face, Nuttall told the court.
Police testified during Read’s first trial that she had blood on her face from attempting to perform CPR on O’Keefe.
Paramedic says O'Keefe was ‘very cold’ when he arrived
The paramedic who responded to the discovery of O’Keefe’s body said O’Keefe was “very cold” when he arrived at the scene.
Timothy Nuttall told the court that he checked O’Keefe for signs of life but found none. He said the death was a “cardiac arrest in a hypothermic setting.”
Nuttall said hypothermia doesn’t constitute a medical diagnosis in that context, but that it makes clear that O’Keefe had been in the snow for some time.
A paramedic is the first witness called to the stand
Timothy Nuttall is the first witness called to the stand. He is a paramedic who treated O’Keefe at the scene that night.
The trial is expected to last several weeks, and both sides have warned jurors that they might need to sit through a long and difficult stretch of witness testimony and evidence. Investigators and acquaintances of O’Keefe and Read are expected to take the stand.
The judge earlier reminded the jury to give all witnesses equal weight.
Trial takes a short break before testimony begins
The trial took a brief recess after prosecutors and defense lawyers concluded their opening statements.
The two sides painted very different pictures of the night of O’Keefe’s death. Read’s attorneys portrayed her as a victim of a police cover-up, while the state described Read as guilty of killing a beloved family man after their relationship soured.
The case will resume with testimony shortly.
Read's lawyer concludes his opening statement
As he did during the first trial, Jackson said Read’s taillight was damaged that morning as she clipped another vehicle at O’Keefe’s house, where she was staying, not from hitting O’Keefe after she dropped him off at the party.
He said the defense will introduce a video to show how the taillight was damaged.
“During the course of this trial, the commonwealth is going to desperately claim that Karen Read taillight was actually damaged by hitting John O’Keefe,” he told jurors. “They’ll have no evidence of it mind you. None. But they’ll make the claim.”
Jackson called the case “the very definition of reasonable doubt” and said prosecutors can not meet their burden of proof “when every piece of this case was handled by a disgraced investigator with a motive to protect his friends”
“By the end of this trial, you’ll conclude that Karen Read is not guilty of hitting John O’Keefe with her SUV. There was no collision,” he said. “She’s the victim of a botched and biased and corrupted investigation that was never about the truth, folks. It was about preserving loyalty.”
Defense says O'Keefe's injuries weren't consistent with being struck by a car
Jackson said O’Keefe’s injuries do not suggest he was hit by a car at all.
“Not a bruise,” the defense lawyer said.
Jackson told the jury that they will learn O’Keefe had abrasions consistent with being bitten by a dog. He said the injury to O’Keefe’s head was also not consistent with falling backwards onto the ground, as prosecutors alleged.
Jackson said medical evidence will also establish that hypothermia was not a factor, as prosecutors alleged. He said O’Keefe was injured somewhere warm and then moved, and that establishes reasonable doubt.
Defense says a police cover-up led to Read being blamed
Jackson described the state’s case as hinging on fired state trooper Michael Proctor, whom he described as a “cancer.”
Proctor was the lead investigator in the Read case. Jackson said Proctor is the key to the state’s case and is also its “Achilles heel.”
Jackson listed a litany of failures in the investigation, including that investigators didn’t search the house, secure the crime scene or properly collect evidence. He then touched on sexist and crude texts about Read’s family and colleagues that surfaced during the first trial and eventually led to Proctor’s firing.
Jackson characterized Read as victimized by a police culture that sought go protect fellow cops.
Defense says O'Keefe wasn't hit by Read's car
Read’s defense team used its opening statement to describe her as a victim of a cover-up and to stress that she didn’t kill O’Keefe.
“At the end of the day folks, there was no collision with John O’Keefe,” Jackson said.
The defense attorney said the case will show that O’Keefe wasn’t hit by Read’s car. He acknowledged that O’Keefe’s death was a “tragic loss,” but said the investigation was corrupted by bias and deceit.
“The evidence in this case will establish ... above everything else three points — there was no collision with Jon O’Keefe. There was no collision. There was no collision,” Jackson said. “John O’Keefe did not die from being hit by a vehicle. The facts will show that. The evidence will show that. The data will show that. The science will show that and the experts will tell you that.”
Prosecutor says Read's relationship with O'Keefe was deteriorating
Read and O’Keefe were headed to the end of their relationship before O’Keefe died, Brennan said.
He described how the couple’s relationship was faltering before O’Keefe died. They were arguments a few days before O’Keefe was killed and that O’Keefe had asked Read to leave, he said.
Brennan said text messages will be presented showing the tension between the couple and how Read would become irate when her calls weren’t returned.
“You will read those text messages and you will realize this was the beginning of the end of this relationship,” he told the jurors.
Prosecutor describes O’Keefe as ‘family man’
Brennan told the jury that O’Keefe was a “family man” who was a pillar of his community and was much more than just a police officer.
O’Keefe was a single parent of two children whom he adopted when his sister and her husband died within months of each other, Brennan said. Brennan said he cared for the children as if they were his own and provided them stability and love.
O’Keefe’s tumultuous relationship with Read changed all that, Brennan said.
“They led a good life,” Brennan said. “Enter Karen Read.”
New prosecutor makes opening statements
Brennan began opening statements by describing the scene where O’Keefe was found dead.
He opened by describing how firefighters and paramedics got a call about a cardiac arrest. They jumped into the ambulance and headed out in near blizzard conditions. Their ambulance was sliding along the road and they couldn’t hear anything beyond the sound of the siren.
Arriving at 34 Fairview Road, they came upon a chaotic scene.
“He stepped out into bedlam,” Brennan said. “He heard a woman screaming.”
They came upon Karen Read, who he said told paramedics, “I hit him, I hit him.”
“It was at that time in the words of the defendant that she admitted what she had done that night, that she hit John O’Keefe,” Brennan said.
JUST IN: Opening statements begin in Karen Read’s second murder trial three years after police officer boyfriend’s death
Judge addresses the high profile nature of the trial
The judge addressed the heavy public interest in the trial before opening statements began.
Judge Beverly Cannone told the jury to ignore public comment about the trial while it is going on. She also told jurors it’s important not to conduct independent research or look at news coverage of the trial.
“You will decide what the facts are, where the evidence is contested, you will determine where the truth lies,” she said. “This trial will be decided by you, an independent jury.”
Cannone also told the jury not to use social media during the trial.
Jurors enter the courtroom, receive instructions and hear the charges
The jurors have entered the courtroom and received their instructions for the trial.
After giving them the instructions, the judge asked if they had refrained from discussing the case or doing any independent research about it.
The court also heard the charges against Read.
The judge addresses attorney motions
Judge Beverly Cannone said she received four motions over the weekend that need to be addressed.
She ruled that the defense can’t mention a consulting firm in their openings, which led the defense to request to be heard. They then entered into a sidebar with the defense arguing the firm should be mentioned.
The courtroom is packed, with little room for anyone other than essential court personnel and media.
The retrial will happen in the same tiny courtroom used for her first trial
The trial seats about 10 people on both sides. Read’s family is on one side and the O’Keefe’s are on the other – about 10 on each side.
Read could be seen chatting and smiling with her attorneys Alan Jackson and David Yannetti. Reporters are behind them, sitting on stools.
Security is tight around the courthouse
Barriers are set up on both sides of the street in front of the building. Several state troopers and police officers are also positioned around the courthouse.
Police ordered a truck driver who slowed down to yell “Free Karen Read” to move along, and also chased off someone who was shooting video with their phone.
Read arrives at court
Read arrived at court just before 8:50 a.m. to some cheers from assembled supporters.
Family members from both sides also arrived just before 9 a.m.
Read smiled briefly as she entered the court. She did not answer a question about whether she was ready for her second trial.
The court had a police presence to try to maintain order as supporters gathered outside.
Read supporters gather outside court
Supporters of Karen Read have assembled outside court in advance of her new trial.
The scene among supporters is similar to a reunion, with people hugging one another and calling out their names.
Ashlyn Wade, a Read supporter from Canton, where John O’Keefe was killed, said she was there to hopefully see Read cleared of charges.
“I’m here for justice,” she said. “The murderer going to jail and Karen being Exonerated — that would be justice.”
Dennis Sweeney, dressed as the judge in the case and wearing a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the word “assassin.” which was inspired by Read’s defense team, said he returned for the second trial because: “Karen Read is factually innocent and we want her freed.”